It looks like 2026 will be the year of the folding iPhone | Digital Trends

If you’ve been waiting for a folding iPhone, it looks like you won’t have to wait much longer. According to a report from analyst Jeff Pu (seen by MacRumors and 9to5Mac), 2026 may be the year that Apple releases not just one, but two folding devices: a folding iPhone, as well as a folding iPad/Mac hybrid device.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a folding iPhone. In fact, just last month, another report from Digitimes claimed that Apple could launch a folding iPhone as soon as 2026. This new rumor from Pu corroborates that earlier report, making the 2026 release date seem all the more likely.

There also appears to be another report from Pu from May, in which he claims that Apple won’t reach mass production of its first foldable devices until 2025 or 2026. Back then, the guesses for these foldable devices were an iPad with a large, foldable display or even a MacBook, followed by a folding iPhone. One of the devices could have a 20.3-inch display.

A folding iPhone, though, is more likely to have a clamshell form factor, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola Razr, rather than a horizontal fold like the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

The report says that both folding devices should be on track for a 2026 release. Pu believes that the folding iPad/Mac hybrid device will launch first, followed by the folding iPhone in late 2026. This would line up with Apple’s typical release schedule of new iPads or Macs in the first half of the year, then the iPhone in the fall.

We’ve been hearing about a folding iPhone for years now, and it looks like we’re inching ever closer to that becoming a reality. This would be a rather exciting change for the iPhone, as it has grown a bit boring and stale for a while now. Plus, with Samsung leading the foldable industry with years of experience so far, it’s about time that Apple joined in.