5 Rumored Apple Iphone Fold Features That Have Me Excited (and Frustrated At The Same Time)

2 weeks ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The iPhone Fold could travel adjacent to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 successful position of thickness.
Apple's first foldable iPhone mightiness bring Touch ID backmost to iPhones.
It is rumored to athletics a smaller show than nan iPhone 16.

Apple is reportedly group to motorboat its first-ever foldable iPhone successful 2026. Ahead of nan large iPhone 17 launch, much specifications astir nan long-rumored iPhone Fold person emerged. It is said to beryllium a book-style foldable for illustration nan Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Also: Apple's iPhone 17 arena is correct astir nan area - here's everything we cognize truthful far

While rival companies person been making specified phones for a fewer years now, nan Apple iPhone Fold will debut successful a much mature market. I expect it to beryllium much mature than first-generation Android foldables. However, this besides intends Apple will beryllium entering a caller conception that's much competitory than ever.

Here are nan 5 iPhone Fold features that could make it connected par (or moreover better) than Android folding phones.

1. Slightly thicker than nan Samsung Z Fold 7

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported aggregate times that nan first Apple foldable will beryllium akin to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series. It will besides travel adjacent to nan book-style foldable's creation successful position of thickness and crease visibility. According to industry expert Ming-Chi Kuo, nan iPhone Fold could measurement betwixt 9- and 9.5mm erstwhile folded, and astir 4.5- to 4.8mm erstwhile unfolded.

Also: How to clear your iPhone cache (and why you should do it earlier nan iOS 26 update)

For context, nan Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm erstwhile folded and 4.2mm erstwhile unfolded. While a fewer millimeters mightiness not look for illustration a large deal, they impact nan in-hand consciousness immensely. That's why I for illustration nan Samsung foldable much than its competitors.

2. Not a tense crease situation

In a recent report, Gurman explained that in-cell touch surface exertion could thief make nan iPhone Fold's crease little obvious. It is besides said to person liquid metallic successful nan hinges to amended durability and thief destruct nan crease. It could characteristic a titanium chassis, pinch nan hinge made from a operation of titanium and stainless steel.

As of now, some nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and nan Oppo Find N5 person mini creases, but they get much pronounced pinch age. Apple's first foldable crease business should beryllium amended than nan two-generation-old Galaxy Fold 5, and it'll beryllium absorbing to spot if it comes adjacent to nan current-gen models, particularly erstwhile astir Chinese foldables person solved nan rumor successful caller years.

3. Unfolding into an iPad (not iPad Mini)

The iPhone Fold is said to characteristic a 5.5-inch outer display, which is smaller than nan guidelines iPhone 16's 6.1-inch screen. This will thief it unfold into a 7.8-inch iPad-style screen, giving you a 4:3 facet ratio display. Unlike nan iPad Mini's 3:2 facet ratio, a 4:3 surface is person to nan squarish facet ratio of nan Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Also: These 14 concealed codes revealed hidden menus connected my iPhone and Android

As a result, it'll person much letterboxing successful video contented than an iPad Mini, but it should beryllium connected par pinch different foldables. You should still get a bigger surface area to watch your favourite shows than you get pinch a regular slab phone. The soul show is rumored to person a 2,713 x 1,920-pixel resolution, whereas nan screen surface could athletics a 2,088 x 1,422-pixel resolution.

4. One little camera than others

Most book-style foldables person 5 cameras successful total: 1 wrong nan screen screen, different wrong nan folding display, and 3 connected nan rear, comprising a superior camera, a telephoto sensor, and an ultrawide-angle lens. However, nan first Apple foldable could driblet a rear camera successful favour of lodging a full of 4 sensors.

According to a caller study from Gurman, nan iPhone Fold will characteristic a dual rear camera setup, alongside 1 connected nan beforehand and 1 connected nan inside. So, it could beryllium little versatile than Samsung, Google, and different Chinese offerings. The Vivo X Fold 5 and Oppo Find N5 are connected a full different level of foldable telephone photography, and it'll beryllium difficult for nan iPhone Fold to hit them.

5. One throwback characteristic and an iPhone 17 Air-like spec

The iPhone Fold could usage Touch ID alternatively of Face ID for biometric authentication. The erstwhile was phased retired earlier this twelvemonth from iPhones pinch nan motorboat of iPhone 16e. However, Touch ID remains an integral portion of different Apple products, including iPads and MacBooks. It remains to beryllium seen if nan Cupertino elephantine opts for an all-new in-display fingerprint scanner aliases follows nan iPad exemplary by embedding it into nan powerfulness button.

Also: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: I compared some Androids, and here's nan winner

According to Gurman, nan first Apple foldable will besides deficiency a SIM card, for illustration nan iPhone 17 Air. (Google precocious moved to an eSIM-only format successful nan Pixel 10 lineup for nan US market.) It's a tricky business to not person a beingness SIM paper slot successful your phone, and it doesn't really use nan consumer, successful my opinion. I estimate nan iPhone Fold will clasp a SIM slot for different markets, for illustration nan Pixel 10 lineup, but there's nary confirmation connected it yet.

What else?

The iPhone Fold could characteristic Apple's second-generation C2 modem for cellular connectivity, which will beryllium a measurement up from its first in-house C1 modem recovered wrong nan iPhone 16e. The C2 cellular modem is claimed to person "capabilities approaching nan latest from Qualcomm." The iPhone 18 Pro lineup is besides touted to usage nan aforesaid modem.

The first foldable iPhone is besides said to battalion high-density artillery cells, which are speculated to make their measurement onto nan iPhone 17 Air successful a fewer weeks. This artillery exertion is what helped make Oppo, Vivo, and Honor foldables truthful slim contempt packing a 5,000mAh+ artillery capacity.

Apple iPhone Fold value and merchandise date

The first Apple iPhone Fold is tipped to motorboat successful 2026, alongside nan iPhone 18 Pro series. Apple is rumored to revamp its motorboat strategy starting adjacent year, erstwhile it'll denote nan iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold together, while nan iPhone 18 will beryllium launched successful early 2027 alongside nan iPhone 18e.

Also: I tested nan champion iPhones: Here are nan latest models that suit you most

According to erstwhile reports, nan iPhone Fold could beryllium priced astir $2,000. This would make it nan astir costly iPhone ever, and put it connected par pinch nan Samsung and Google rivals. It mightiness beryllium expensive, but nan iPhone Fold could propel foldable telephone take among consumers.