Apple's iPhone Fold could now launch in 2026

Reports of Apple producing a foldable iPhone have persisted for years, and for at least as long as its rivals have had ones. Most recently, there have been reports of two different designs of a folding iPhone being considered, and that a launch won't be until 2027.

According to Digitimes, however, Apple may have chosen its design, and that overall timescale may be accelerating. Based on various Korean media outlets, the report claims that Apple formally began research in 2004, which is when it also signed a contract with Samsung.

Presuming Apple has a typical two-year product development cycle, the report predicts that the iPhone fold will launch in 2026.

Note, though, that while Digitimes has a strong track record for information from the supply chain, it did not get this detail from its own sources. Furthermore, the publication has a substantially poorer record in the conclusions it makes from its information.

However, a second report from The Information corroborates the detail in the Digitimes account. It adds that Apple has given the folding iPhone a codename of "v68," but otherwise supports the two-year timeframe, and the iPhone's basic design.

That design is said to be a top-down one, like the Samsung Galaxy Flip. So when held in portrait, the top half will fold down over the bottom half.

Rather than being like a book that opens out into a wider screen, then, it will be a regular-size iPhone that folds in half. The report also specifies that the dimensions will be approximately the same as for current iPhones.

There's no indication of whether the exterior of the iPhone fold will also have a screen, as has been previously predicted. It's also been previously reported that Apple will try out its folding design with an iPad mini, but the new report claims that Apple now wants to produce the iPhone fold first.

The Information also speculates that the rumored slimmer iPhone design may be a factor in Apple's plans. That's based on the idea that a regular iPhone folded over in the middle would present a chassis twice the width, so being able to make a slimmer one would be a benefit.

This rumor is getting a possible score if only because it has remained possible for Apple to introduce an iPhone Fold at any point in the past five years. A foldable iPhone is clearly in development at the company, but whether it will be released in 2026 if ever, is anyone's guess, but it is possible.