Malcolm Owen
The iPhone Fold is probably going to be an extremely expensive proposition to consumers, with analysts believing it could cost more than buying an M4 Max Mac Studio.
The long-rumored iPhone Fold will have an extremely high-tech display allowing the device to fold in half, when it is eventually released. The inclusion of the display and supporting technologies is expected to make the iPhone Fold more expensive than others, but it seems it could be a lot more expensive than consumers expect.
According to a note to investors from Barclays analyst Tim Long, the iPhone Fold could have a starting price of around $2,300. Since that would be the starting price, the most expensive configuration could end up being a few hundred dollars more to purchase.
To put that price into perspective, you could get a base-spec iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max and still save $100. Or you could get the top-spec iPhone 16 Pro Max for $1,599 and have enough spare cash to get a 256GB 11-inch M3 iPad Air as well.
The just-released M4 Max Mac Studio is also cheaper, starting from $1,999.
Long says the price is based on recent checks with the supply chain in Asia, which also speculates a launch in late 2026 or at the start of 2027.
The analyst's claims are not the only one to forecast an expensive foldable model. Earlier in March, Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that the iPhone Fold will have a 7.8-inch display and lack Face ID, but will ship in the same timeframe for between $2,000 and $2,500.
The somewhat matching timeframes certainly makes Long's prediction more credible, though it does little to help consumers who will be expecting the iPhone Fold to be a very expensive prospect.
Expensive among rivals
If the claimed price is true, $2,300 for a folding smartphone will be very expensive when put against the rest of the market.
Samsung, best known for its Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 models, starts its Fold6 pricing from $1,899 for 256GB of storage, rising to $2,259 for 1TB. The flip is even cheaper, at $1,099 for 256GB to $1,219 for 512GB.
Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also expensive as a smartphone, and comes in a bit underneath the predicted Apple pricing. It starts from $1,799 for 256GBof storage to $1,919 for 512GB.
The OnePlus Open, at $1,699 undiscounted, still feels like an absolute steal against the prospective iPhone Fold pricing.
With the rest of the field offering cheaper models, and doing so for a considerable amount of time already, the pressure for Apple to get the iPhone Fold right at launch is mounting. If it does land with the rumored high price attached to it, Apple will have an uphill battle appeasing its prospective foldable phone customers.
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16 Comments
I think a folding iPhone by Apple will only happen after the super thin Air iPhone. Reason being it will be required since the folding iPhone will have to be very thin. Additionally it will require a decent camera so this will require new cameras and lenses from Sony to work. These two technology hurdles will have to be overcome first. Additionally it will use the new Apple Modem and new Apple WiFi chip which will need to be proven to be reliable. These chips will work in a thinner iPhone and Qualcom chips won’t. I think the display OLED technology is there now. This folding iPhone will also fold vertically not horizontally so it takes up less space in your pocket and you can just swing it open quickly.
$1999 is the most likely Apple pricing. Unless Apple is hiding some massive feature, even $1799 seems like the most reasonable pricing.
If so it will receive the same criticism and fate as the VisionPro.
iPhones are already too expensive in the pro lineup (which is what the iPhone used to only be).