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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The iPhone Fold might come near Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 by way of thickness.
- Apple’s first foldable iPhone may convey Contact ID again to iPhones.
- It’s rumored to sport a smaller show than the iPhone 16.
Apple is reportedly set to launch its first-ever foldable iPhone in 2026. Forward of the large iPhone 17 launch, extra particulars concerning the long-rumored iPhone Fold have emerged. It’s stated to be a book-style foldable just like the Google Pixel 10 Professional Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Whereas rival firms have been making such telephones for just a few years now, the Apple iPhone Fold will debut in a extra mature market. I count on it to be extra mature than first-generation Android foldables. Nevertheless, this additionally means Apple shall be coming into a brand new section that is extra aggressive than ever.
Listed below are the 5 iPhone Fold options that might make it on par (and even higher) than Android folding telephones.
1. Barely thicker than the Samsung Z Fold 7
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported a number of instances that the primary Apple foldable shall be much like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold collection. It should additionally come near the book-style foldable’s design by way of thickness and crease visibility. In line with business analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone Fold might measure between 9- and 9.5mm when folded, and round 4.5- to 4.8mm when unfolded.
For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded. Whereas just a few millimeters may not seem to be a giant deal, they have an effect on the in-hand really feel immensely. That is why I just like the Samsung foldable greater than its rivals.
2. Not a tense crease state of affairs
In a current report, Gurman defined that in-cell contact display screen expertise might assist make the iPhone Fold’s crease much less apparent. It’s also stated to have liquid metallic within the hinges to enhance sturdiness and assist remove the crease. It might function a titanium chassis, with the hinge constructed from a mixture of titanium and chrome steel.
As of now, each the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Oppo Discover N5 have small creases, however they get extra pronounced with age. Apple’s first foldable crease state of affairs must be higher than the two-generation-old Galaxy Fold 5, and it will be attention-grabbing to see if it comes near the current-gen fashions, particularly when most Chinese language foldables have solved the difficulty lately.
3. Unfolding into an iPad (not iPad Mini)
The iPhone Fold is claimed to function a 5.5-inch outer show, which is smaller than the bottom iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch display screen. It will assist it unfold right into a 7.8-inch iPad-style display screen, supplying you with a 4:3 side ratio show. Not like the iPad Mini’s 3:2 side ratio, a 4:3 display screen is nearer to the squarish side ratio of the Google Pixel 10 Professional Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Consequently, it’s going to have extra letterboxing in video content material than an iPad Mini, nevertheless it must be on par with different foldables. It’s best to nonetheless get a much bigger display screen space to look at your favourite reveals than you get with an everyday slab telephone. The interior show is rumored to have a 2,713 x 1,920-pixel decision, whereas the quilt display screen might sport a 2,088 x 1,422-pixel decision.
4. One much less digicam than others
Most book-style foldables have 5 cameras in whole: one inside the quilt display screen, one other contained in the folding show, and three on the rear, comprising a major digicam, a telephoto sensor, and an ultrawide-angle lens. Nevertheless, the primary Apple foldable might drop a rear digicam in favor of housing a complete of 4 sensors.
In line with a brand new report from Gurman, the iPhone Fold will function a twin rear digicam setup, alongside one on the entrance and one on the within. So, it may very well be much less versatile than Samsung, Google, and different Chinese language choices. The Vivo X Fold 5 and Oppo Discover N5 are on an entire different stage of foldable telephone images, and it will be exhausting for the iPhone Fold to beat them.
5. One throwback function and an iPhone 17 Air-like spec
The iPhone Fold might use Contact ID as an alternative of Face ID for biometric authentication. The previous was phased out earlier this 12 months from iPhones with the launch of iPhone 16e. Nevertheless, Contact ID stays an integral a part of different Apple merchandise, together with iPads and MacBooks. It stays to be seen if the Cupertino large opts for an all-new in-display fingerprint scanner or follows the iPad mannequin by embedding it into the ability button.
In line with Gurman, the primary Apple foldable may even lack a SIM card, just like the iPhone 17 Air. (Google not too long ago moved to an eSIM-only format within the Pixel 10 lineup for the US market.) It is a tough state of affairs to not have a bodily SIM card slot in your telephone, and it does not actually profit the patron, for my part. I speculate the iPhone Fold will retain a SIM slot for different markets, just like the Pixel 10 lineup, however there is no affirmation on it but.
What else?
The iPhone Fold might function Apple’s second-generation C2 modem for mobile connectivity, which shall be a step up from its first in-house C1 modem discovered contained in the iPhone 16e. The C2 mobile modem is claimed to have “capabilities approaching the most recent from Qualcomm.” The iPhone 18 Professional lineup can also be touted to make use of the identical modem.
The primary foldable iPhone can also be stated to pack high-density battery cells, that are imagined to make their method onto the iPhone 17 Air in just a few weeks. This battery expertise is what helped make Oppo, Vivo, and Honor foldables so slim regardless of packing a 5,000mAh+ battery capability.
Apple iPhone Fold worth and launch date
The primary Apple iPhone Fold is tipped to launch in 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Professional collection. Apple is rumored to revamp its launch technique beginning subsequent 12 months, when it’s going to announce the iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Professional, iPhone 18 Professional Max, and iPhone Fold collectively, whereas the iPhone 18 shall be launched in early 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e.
In line with earlier stories, the iPhone Fold may very well be priced round $2,000. This could make it the costliest iPhone ever, and put it on par with the Samsung and Google rivals. It could be costly, however the iPhone Fold might propel foldable telephone adoption amongst customers.
