The iPhone Fold is Apple's most anticipated launch of 2026, as it will be the biggest design shift in iPhones, since the iPhone X. There is a lot of hype surrounding the phone and while the Cupertino Giant hasn't spilt any official details about its upcoming folding iPhone, there is no shortage of leaks and rumors about its specifications and pricing from credible sources. So, in this guide, we will go over everything you need to know about the iPhone Fold, along with its pricing and release date.
Is It the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra?
Let's start with the phone's name itself. While up until very recently, many industry insiders were calling the upcoming Apple foldable the iPhone Fold. A recent report by industry veteran Mark Gurman suggests that the device could be called the iPhone Ultra.
This will tie up with other high-end products that Apple is planning to release by the end of 2026, all carrying the "Ultra" title. These include a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro and AirPods Pro with a built in camera. That said, it is still not confirmed what the final naming scheme will be.
iPhone Fold Design and Build Quality
The iPhone Fold's design is turning out to be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history", according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. According to rumours, Apple tested several designs for the folding iPhones. From the book-style foldable that opens up to an iPad Mini-sized screen, to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 style clamshell design. Finally, settling on the more traditional horizontal fold.
As for the build quality, the iPhone Fold is rumoured to sport a titanium plus aluminium chassis. Titanium will provide structural rigidity to weak areas of the phone's design that will be prone to bending. While aluminium will help to keep the weight to a minimum. This is why Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested that it will be like two iPhone Air units stuck together.
The iPhone Fold is also rumoured to be 4.5–4.8mm thin when unfolded, according to analyst Ming Chi Kuo, and somewhere between 9–9.5mm when closed. This will make it Apple's thinnest iPhone yet. This will also make it a hair thicker than the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which measures 8.9mm closed.
More recently, Apple leaker Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) shared potential 3D iPhone Fold renders. As you can see, the phone looks shorter and wider than the current Apple iPhones. Unfolding into a square screen similar to the original Pixel Fold. The device is also expected to have the volume buttons on the top right side, instead of the traditional left side.
iPhone Fold Display and Crease Situation
The display and the crease are the most crucial aspects of any folding phone, and they were a key reason Apple kept delaying its plan for a folding iPhone. The Cupertino Giant has been aiming for a creaseless display, "regardless of cost". But it has been almost impossible to achieve till now.
Multiple reports suggest that Apple will be using Samsung's new creaseless foldable panel showcased at CES 2026. The panel combines a flexible OLED panel with a laser-drilled metal plate for support, which helps disperse stress during the folding and unfolding of the screen.
Apple could also use a glass mid-frame to reduce visible crease while "applying a colour filter-on-encapsulation layer together with a circular polariser module to improve colour purity and light transmission", according to Macrumors. This provides a crease depth under 0.15mm, which is still much more than the 0.05mm crease depth of the Oppo Find N6.
As for the display size, the iPhone Fold could feature a 5.49-inch cover display and a 7.6 or 7.76-inch inner display. The rumoured resolution for both the outer screen is 2,088 x 1,422 and a 4:3 aspect ratio, while the folding display will have a higher 2,713 x 1,920 resolution.
Hinge Materials
Industry analyst Ming Chi Kuo has also reported that Apple plans to use liquid metal for the iPhone Fold hinge. This will further minimise the crease in the design and also improve the durability of the hinge. Mark Gurman also pointed towards the fact that the foldable iPhone's hinge will be of a higher quality in comparison to other folding phones like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
Apple's reason behind this could be that it has a structure that is more resistant towards deformation than other traditional metals. It is almost as tough as titanium, which still retains a stainless steel look. Plus, going back to the previous leak, the company could also use titanium and aluminium to provide further rigidity to the hinge, using liquid metal, or amorphous metal
iPhone Fold Processor and Storage Configuration
In June 2025, well-known Apple analyst Jeff Pu noted in a research paper that the iPhone Fold, along with the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup, will feature the Apple A20 processor. This will be based on TSMC's 2nm architecture and will allow it to be 15% faster and 30% more efficient than the Apple A19 chipset currently seen on the iPhone 17.
The folding iPhone is also expected to arrive with 12 GB of RAM onboard. But there are rumours that indicate Apple could use TSMC's Wafer-Level-Multi-Chip Module (WLMC) technology. This will allow for the RAM to be directly integrated within the SoC chip wafer, allowing for faster performance and thermal management.
Modem and SIM Slot
In terms of the modem, Apple is expected to use its second-generation C2 modem on the foldable iPhone. This is the successor to the C1X modem, which is seen on the recently released iPhone 17e. This will allow support for mmWave 5G technology. Moreover, the iPhone Fold could be E-SIM only, given the limited space in its design, just like the iPhone Air.
iPhone Fold: Face ID or Touch ID?
For the first time in almost a decade, Apple could be moving away from Face ID and using Touch ID instead on the iPhone Fold. The reason behind it, according to multiple reports and renders, is due to the lack of enough space for the TrueDepth camera system. So, the company will instead incorporate a Touch ID sensor in the Power button itself, as seen on iPads.
iPhone Fold Cameras
In terms of the camera, Weibo-based leaker, Digital Chat Station, suggested the iPhone Fold might feature dual 48MP cameras at the back placed horizontally. This will include a main wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide lens, like the base iPhone 17. However, it might skip out on the telephoto lens.
Moreover, other reports suggest that it will have a 24 MP under-display camera for the inner display and a punch hole style single selfie shooter for the outer screen. This brings the total camera count of the iPhone Fold to four.
iPhone Fold Battery and Charging
As for power, the Apple iPhone Fold could feature a battery somewhere between 5,400–5,800mAh, according to news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog. This would make it the biggest battery on an iPhone, even more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 5,088mAh capacity. It should be enough to deliver a decent battery life with the dual screens on board.
iOS Implementation on iPhone Fold
The software will be the most interesting aspect of the folding iPhone as it could run a modified version of iOS to make the best use of the larger inner display. Since the screen is almost going to be the size of an iPad Mini, based on rumours, iOS could allow users to run two apps side by side for the first time on an iPhone. It might also come with other simplified versions of multitasking features seen on iPadOS.
iPhone Fold Pricing and Potential Launch Date
There is no shadow of a doubt that Apple's first folding iPhone will be its most expensive iPhone yet. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman, the iPhone Fold pricing is somewhere around $2,000–$2,500, while other reports suggest that it could start as low as $1,800.
A latest report by Weibo-leaker Instant Digital suggests that iPhone Fold will have three storage options:
- 256GB – $2,320
- 512GB – $2,610
- 1TB – $2,900
But it is not confirmed whether or not it will be the case or not. Finally, the iPhone Fold's release date is rumoured to be in or around September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This mean, wemight only be about six months away from till the launch of the iPhone Fold. With more leaks coming out for the device every other day, we'll keep updating the post as new details emerge till the official launch.
