First iPhone foldable: Twice as expensive as an iPhone 16 Pro Max?
Apple's first foldable iPhone could be released in 2026. Analysts have interesting views on the planned pricing.
Person with Foldable: Apple is out in this market so far.
(Image: ra2 studio / Shutterstock.com)
How expensive will Apple's first foldable be? According to a new analyst report, it could become the “most expensive iPhone ever”. The first devices could allegedly appear in 2026, according to Apple's supply chain – although it is still unclear exactly what type of device it will be.
Over 2000 euros – as a starting point
Tim Long from British bank Barclays wrote in a report to investors this week that the starting price for a foldable iPhone in the USA is likely to be 2300 US dollars. At the current exchange rate, that would be 2100 euros – although Apple's European prices are usually even pricier. It is unclear what features such a model would have. With more memory, however, it could become significantly pricier. With the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you pay an extra 500 euros for 1 TByte instead of the standard 256 GByte. Accordingly, fully equipped prices of (well) over 2500 euros would be conceivable, more likely heading towards 3000 euros.
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To put this into perspective: Apple has already offered top-of-the-range iPhones for more than €2000 – This was the case for the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 1 TByte in 2022 at just under €2100. You can currently get an iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1 TByte for 1949 euros from Apple – but it is already cheaper in stores (starting from 1513 €). In a direct comparison in the US, Apple would have (almost) doubled the price of the foldable: there, you currently pay 1200 dollars for the entry-level iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Also, an iPad/Mac hybrid?
Barclays' figures are in line with those recently ventured by the well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities in Taiwan: he also believes that entry-level prices for an Apple foldable will be in the region of 2,000 to 2,500 dollars. In his opinion, there will be a 7.8-inch internal display, a 5.5-inch external display and the return of Touch ID. However, he does not commit to a launch date. Currently, 2026 or 2027 are in the cards.
Another new report by analyst Jeff Pu from GF Securities in Hong Kong suggests that there are two Apple foldables that will be released in 2026 or 2027: an iPhone and a kind of iPad/Mac combination. The latter will allegedly be up to 19 inches when unfolded. Pu also believes that the iPad/Mac combination will use macOS as its operating system – an unusual decision for Apple for a touchscreen device, which has so far completely rejected macOS for iPads.
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