iPhone Fold - what the rumor mill thinks is on the way, and when

Over the last few years, smartphone producers have embraced the idea of creating foldable smartphones. Some of the biggest sellers on the market include the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip series of devices.

However, while Apple is still using flat single-screen setups for its iPhone, there's always been claims that something more will be on the way. There has been speculation for years that Apple will create its own take on the subject, commonly referred to as the iPhone Fold.

If Apple does introduce a foldable smartphone, this is what the still incredibly vague rumor mill says is on the way, if rumors and speculation are to be believed.

iPhone Fold release date

By their nature, rumored devices are hard to pin down when it comes to when it will be released to the public. This is especially true when it comes to entirely new product lines, when there haven't been any previous releases to rely on.

For the iPhone Fold, the speculation has always been that it's a few years away. Take for example analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction of an iPhone Fold by 2024, a forecast made in September 2021.

At this point in 2024, it seems very improbable for this to actually happen before the end of the year. There would be a lot more discussion about a release happening soon if it were to actually ship within months, and there's simply none of that talk at the moment.

While that claim is unlikely to occur given other rumors about the device, updated speculation still says there are a few more years to wait.

Part of this is due to Apple's long lead time between starting development on a new model, and its eventual release. This has generally settled down to a two-year cycle, which the rumor mill is also applying to the iPhone Fold.

For the most part, the 2024 rumors largely insist that 2027 could be the earliest for its release. This seems fairly plausible, but there are some that speculate on a late 2026 release instead.

Some of the 2027 rumors even say that the late 2026 release has been delayed into 2027. This is entirely plausible, and due to the far-off timeframe, impossible to disprove.

A 2027 release feels right, especially since all we're hearing is forecasts from analysts. If there were rumors of an earlier release time, they would have to be accompanied by sourcing from the supply chain, or offer other forms of "evidence" to make it more believable.

Ultimately, we don't know when it will come out, but we know it's still a few years away from becoming a reality.

iPhone Fold display tech

A key part of the foldable display is, as you would expect, the display itself. A screen that would need to fold in half, without suffering fatigue from creasing in the same place all the time.

This has meant that Apple has worked with its display partners to come up with solutions to the problem. In April 2022, it was reportedly working with LG Display on the concept, albeit for an iPad or MacBook OLED display.

The rumors followed a month later, claiming such research was being put into foldable iPhone displays.

By September, the technology claims had expanded into Apple focusing on making displays with LG and Samsung that won't crumple. Apparently, a solution was to develop hybrid OLED panels that combine inflexible glass with flexible plastic substrate panels.

The notion that Apple would talk to Samsung and LG about the display is entirely believable. Of course Apple would discuss display technology for a future product with its two main display suppliers for its other product lines.

The possibility of mixing glass with flexible plastic substrates also sounds plausible from a construction angle. You want a screen that works perfectly, but with an element that can fulfill the bending requirements.

iPhone Fold beating creases

While the general idea for a folding display is for it to be book-like in nature, it may not necessarily be as easy as having a display that won't crease. It's likely that Apple has to incorporate some form of support structure into the device to minimize such situations.

In 2022, this included patent speculation of an iPhone with a display that wrapped around the outside. It was a curved screen that covered the front and back, but it wasn't one that would fold per-se, though it did offer an idea of what Apple could accomplish.

Apple has also repeatedly looked into creating very complicated hinge mechanisms, on the belief that it could support the display at its most vulnerable point.

In practice, this would mean the display would be firm to press in the hinge area, instead of relying on the tensile strength of the display. Any additional support is always welcome, especially when it comes to flexible components.

One more out-there piece of speculation by analysts proposed that the fold wouldn't be on the "inside" of the device. Instead, the screen could fold around the outside of the body.

This does make sense, since it would put less strain on the foldable section due to increasing the curve of the fold itself. It would also mean the screen could be viewed on both "sides" when folded up, allowing for features like letting subjects of a photograph see how they appear in-frame for themselves.

However, the screen would be constantly exposed to the elements, meaning it could potentially be damaged. Add in that no case could feasibly protect a screen folded in that manner, and it becomes a harder sell to consumers.

There have also been other ideas that have appeared in patents, including stretchable displays, but they seem to be less likely to be used in an iPhone Fold.

As for the key question of which orientation Apple will fold the display, be it book-like or vertically like the Galaxy Z Flip, no-one truly knows at this point. Current thinking is that it will be book-like, so a large square when unfolded, and based on the iPad rumors, that may be the case.

However, the last time anyone speculated seriously on this element was in 2020. It's almost as if the rumor mill accepted it as a logical conclusion, and accepted it as the most plausible result.

iPhone Fold, or an iPad

One thing that has repeatedly surfaced is the idea that Apple could come out with a folding iPad. This can make sense, depending on how you view the construction of the iPhone Fold itself.

If opened like a book, the iPhone Fold would theoretically offer a large square surface area, reminiscent of an iPad mini. This could feasibly constitute a folding iPad rather than an iPhone to some.

This could be a big selling point for consumers, since they could feasibly have something that can work both as a phone and mostly like an iPad in one device.

In 2022, Samsung was optimistic on Apple introducing its first foldable device by 2024, in the form of a tablet. With Samsung a key display partner for Apple, the claim isn't entirely unexpected.

By 2023, Ming-Chi Kuo proposed that a foldable iPad would arrive by 2024.

However, at around the same time as Kuo's claims, others were proposed that a foldable iPad wouldn't happen in 2024 at all. This included Ross Young of DSCC, who hadn't heard anything about a foldable iPad in 2024.

Many more iPhone Fold mysteries left unsolved

The vast majority of rumors and reporting about the iPhone Fold has centered around the display and, ultimately, Apple's work to make it a foldable device. However, there is barely anything out there about the rest of the device.

There are good reasons for this, such as how the release timelines are still extremely speculative. Given Apple's two-year development cycle and its annual upgrades to iPhones, a lot can change when it comes to the more conventional components of the device.

What is likely to happen is that Apple could transpose the components of the then-top Pro model of iPhone to the foldable device. This would make sense since the iPhone Fold would have to be sold as a premium device to consumers, and therefore it would need specifications to match.

If we ever hear of a firm release time for the iPhone Fold, you can probably look to the iPhone rumors for its specifications list. At least, until Apple formally introduces the groundbreaking iPhone.