Apple Foldable with lots of space supposedly in production in 2026
Apple's first foldable iPhone is supposedly due to be released next year. At the same time, an 18.8-inch device is also planned – but is it an iPad?
A foldable, here with Android.
(Image: ra2 studio / Shutterstock.com)
Apple's large foldable with a flexible screen is reportedly planned for next year, as is the first "iPhone Fold". This is what the well-known analyst Jeff Pu from GF Securities in Guangzhou writes in a report to investors. The hardware is said to measure up to 18.8 inches when unfolded. Mass production is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
NPI at the manufacturer Foxconn
For comparison: the first iPhone foldable is expected to reach 7.8 inches – in the "book style", as we know it from the Samsung Galaxy Fold or the Google Pixel Fold, where the unfolded device forms roughly a square. According to Pu, the development of both devices is running in parallel and the iPhone Fold will also go into production at the end of next year. According to the analyst, who claims to have received his information from Apple's supply chain, both products have reached the "New Product Introduction" (NPI) phase at Foxconn, which is about to enter full production. It remains unclear whether the devices will also go on sale at the same time in 2026 or whether it will take until 2027.
Other market observers assume 2027 or even 2028 as the release date for the large Apple foldable. They tend to believe that Apple will start with an iPhone 18 Fold and only later with a large foldable. These include Mark Gurman from Bloomberg and display expert Ross Young. At the same time, there is still speculation about what kind of product a large foldable will be.
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macOS vs. iPadOS – it could be both
It is apparently still unclear whether Apple wants to build an iPad or a foldable Mac. The company has so far refused to equip Macs with touchscreens. However, there have been repeated speculations to the contrary recently. As macOS 16 is about to be redesigned, Apple could use this to optimize the interface for "sausage fingers".
However, an iPad as a foldable would be the safe choice. Apple currently manufactures its tablets with up to 13 inches. A larger screen with good portability could open up new target groups for the iPad, especially if the iPadOS operating system is professionalized, for example through stronger multitasking and window management. This would have to be implemented at the latest with an 18.8-inch screen of a foldable, which other observers have already seen at 20 inches.
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