Report: Foldable iPhone likely to be launched in 2026

Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that could come onto the market as early as 2026. This was reported by the US tech portal The Information on Tuesday. Rumors of such a move have been around for some time.

Now The Information has provided new suspected details. According to the report, Apple's foldable iPhone has left the idea stage. In recent months, the US company has contacted suppliers in Asia to manufacture components for the device, according to the report, which cites two people familiar with the matter. Internally, the product is codenamed V68.

According to the report, the iPhone would fold like a shell in width, making it similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which was launched in 2020. Foldable iPhones, which are also equipped with artificial intelligence, could boost demand for Apple smartphones, which face strong competition from devices from Huawei and other manufacturers in China and from Samsung models worldwide. Samsung unveiled its latest foldable smartphones at the beginning of July, making its most expensive flagship model lighter and slimmer with new AI functions.

Growth market for foldable smartphones

The global market for foldable smartphones grew by almost 50% year-on-year in the first quarter. This was the highest growth rate in six quarters, writes the news agency Reuters, citing figures from Counterpoint Research from May. Huawei overtook Samsung to take the top spot for the first time.

There have been repeated rumors about a foldable version of the iPhone since 2017- as evidenced by a whole series of patent applications. However, nothing has happened so far, probably also because Apple does not yet seem to consider the available technology to be perfect. Most recently, it was said that it could be ready in 2025; other reports considered a sales launch in 2026 to be realistic. According to The Information, however, there is no guarantee that Apple will launch the foldable iPhone on the market.

The tech portal goes on to say that Apple is also planning an upgrade for the camera of at least one iPhone model. This should enable users to control the size of the aperture with a mechanical system and thus possibly create a depth of field effect.

(akn)