Apple’s first foldable iPhone has highlights in its configuration but also comes at a high price

At a time when the growth rate of the folding screen mobile phone market is slowing down, Apple has finally been revealed to be joining this technology competition. According to supply chain and industry analysts, Apple’s first folding screen iPhone (or iPhone Fold) is expected to be released in the second half of 2026, and a 20-inch folding screen iPad may be launched at the same time, of which iPhone Fold will be the first to seize the market. Recently, CNMO noticed that some foreign media have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the design, parameters and market impact of the iPhone Fold.

In terms of design, the iPhone Fold adopts a “book-like” folding structure similar to the Samsung Z Fold 6 and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The outer screen measures 5.5 inches, and the inner screen reaches 7.8 inches when unfolded, which is close to a 4:3 ratio, and the inner screen size is comparable to that of the iPad mini (8th generation).

In order to solve the long-standing crease problem of the folding screen, Apple uses a special hinge design and flexible screen materials to make the inner screen flatness far exceed the existing Android folding screen products. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that in terms of both thinness and durability, the iPhone Fold is only 4.5 mm thick when unfolded and 9 mm when folded, surpassing the iPad Pro (5.1 mm for the 13-inch model) and becoming Apple’s thinnest device. The hinge part is made of “titanium alloy + stainless steel” composite material, and the fuselage shell is made of titanium alloy to achieve a good balance between strength and weight.

However, due to the thickness of the body, the iPhone Fold cannot be equipped with Face ID facial recognition technology, and instead uses the side fingerprint recognition (Touch ID) solution, which has caused controversy among some users, but Apple may make up for the experience gap by optimizing system interaction.

In terms of core configuration, iPhone Fold will be equipped with Apple’s self-developed chip (or customized version for A19 Pro), equipped with ultra-wide-angle + telephoto dual camera module, and supports Apple’s unique “cross-device handoff” function, users can edit iPad/Mac documents synchronously through the folding screen.

Can Apple save the folding screen market? Judging from the data, the folding screen mobile phone market has grown by more than 40% annually since 2019, but the growth rate will plummet to 5% in 2024, and the sales decline of 4% may occur for the first time in 2025, and the total demand will stabilize at about 22 million pieces. DSCC analysts believe that Apple is expected to activate the folding screen market by virtue of its brand influence and ecological integration capabilities. According to the survey, 35% of iPhone users are interested in folding screen phones, but they have a wait-and-see attitude due to problems such as system adaptation and ecological compatibility. If the iPhone Fold can achieve the deep integration of the iOS system and the folding form, it may become a new growth point for Apple’s high-end product line.

In terms of price, the iPhone Fold may start at $2,100-$2,300, significantly higher than the Samsung Z Fold 6 (from $1,799) and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (from $1,799). Analysts pointed out that Apple may support high prices through the three selling points of “folding screen + titanium alloy + seamless inner screen”, and launch supporting programs such as trade-in and AppleCare + service packages to lower the user threshold.

At present, multiple sources have confirmed that the iPhone Fold will be released in the second half of 2026, or at the same time as the iPhone 18 series. Apple has assigned the project the code name “V68” internally, indicating that it has moved beyond the prototype stage to enter the pre-production engineering verification (EVT) and design verification (DVT) stages.

According to foreign media, although the folding screen iPhone faces challenges such as high technical difficulty and high cost, if Apple can solve the pain points through iOS system optimization (such as multi-task split screen, dynamic desktop adaptation) and ecological collaboration (such as cross-device collaboration with MacBook), it may become the key to the transformation of folding screen mobile phones from “early adopters” to “main machines”. Whether this “late entry” can allow Apple to replicate the success of the iPhone in the field of folding screens may be known in 2026.