A new rumor today surfaced about Apple's book-style foldable iPhone, set to be released next year, and this time it's about the cameras.
In a previous report, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold" for short) to include a dual-lens rear camera, but Kuo provided no other specifics. Now, prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims that those dual lenses will be 48 megapixels each.
This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The current iPhone 16 Pro models feature a 48-megapixel Main camera and a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and it would make sense for Apple to ensure the premium foldable's rear lenses are at least equivalent to its Pro models to justify that rumored ~$2,000 price tag.
Digital Chat Station did not provide additional lens specifications, but if Apple wants to maintain some feature parity with its high-end iPhone models, the foldable will have a 24mm main camera with a ƒ/1.78 aperture and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization.
The foldable's main camera will also likely be capable of iPhone 16 "Fusion" – so-called because the system combines the high-resolution sensor with smart in-sensor cropping to deliver multiple high-quality focal lengths – like 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm – from a single main camera. Don't expect a telephoto lens though, likely due to space constraints.
According to Kuo, the foldable will also have a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states. Other sources have claimed that the inner display features an under-screen selfie camera, while the outer display – in the device's folded state – will have a hole punch-style front-facing camera.
Aside from cameras, here are some other foldable iPhone features we've heard from sources plugged into Apple's supply chain:
- 5.5-inch outer display with 2,088 x 1,422 resolution.
- 7.8-inch inner display with 2,713 x 1,920 resolution.
- Touch ID integrated into the Side button (i.e. no Face ID).
- Liquid metal "crease-free" hinge mechanism.
- Same high density battery cells as iPhone 17 Air.
- Titanium chassis.
Another point of note regarding today's rumor: Digital Chat Station claims that the latest inner display Apple is testing is approximately 7.6 inches rather than 7.8 inches, albeit with the same resolution.
That seems unlikely. Analyst Jeff Pu said in March that the device had entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) phase at Foxconn, and adjusting the display size during or after the NPI phase is virtually unheard of – especially for a company like Apple working with Foxconn. Kuo, who previously corroborated the 7.8-inch display dimension, also said the device is expected to enter production in September-October this year, which is awfully close to start introducing changes.
An exact launch date is currently unknown, but both Kuo and Pu say mass production is planned for the second half of 2026. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has also said he expects the device to be launched next year.
