Manufacturing of the long-awaited iPhone with a folding display begins in just a few months, based on a trusted analyst. However Apple supposedly plans to make just a few million of them, indicating the corporate expects this to be a distinct segment product.
Earlier stories point out the worth for the folding iPhone could possibly be round $2,000 — about what comparable Androids with foldable screens value. Excessive value retains this complete class of handsets out of the palms of common customers, and to this point it doesn’t appear to be Apple has an answer.
Anticipate a small provide of the folding iPhone in 2026
The iPhone began with a 3.5-inch show, after which grew considerably through the years. However there’s a snag: the 6.9-inch display within the iPhone 16 Professional Max is about as giant as a show may be with out the handset turning into cumbersome. The plain subsequent step is a foldable display panel so the smartphone can sustain with buyer demand for ever bigger shows.
And, after years of prep work, a foldable iPhone is allegedly coming quickly.
“Meeting provider Foxconn is anticipated to formally kick off the [folding iPhone] venture in late 3Q25 or early 4Q25,” Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF Worldwide Securities, mentioned Wednesday.
However Apple is seemingly taking part in cautious to not make too many. Based on earlier leaks, Samsung would be the sole provider of versatile OLED panels for the system, and “Samsung Show (SDC) plans to construct annual manufacturing capability for 7-8 million foldable panels to provide the 2026 foldable iPhone,” based on Kuo’s notice on Wednesday. Plus, the analyst suggests Apple won’t want all of that capability.
On condition that Apple shipped about 232 million iPhone models in 2024, the foldable mannequin will apparently be a drop within the bucket. But when so, Apple received‘t be an outlier. Your complete world marketplace for foldable handsets reportedly solely hit 15.9 million models in 2024, in comparison with a complete of 1.2 billion smartphones of all types shipped in the identical time interval.
Staying a distinct segment product
The gradual tempo of releasing new cutting-edge foldable fashions will allegedly proceed for years.
“Current market rumors counsel Apple has positioned an order for 15–20 million foldable iPhones,” Kuo additionally mentioned on Wednesday. “Primarily based on checks throughout a number of elements, this quantity possible displays cumulative demand over the product’s 2–3 12 months lifecycle, moderately than 2026 alone. This means that Apple’s foldable iPhone, anticipated to enter mass manufacturing in 2H26, might ship a number of million models yearly in each 2027 and 2028, presumably attributable to its premium pricing.”
As famous, a lot of what’s preserving foldables a distinct segment product is value. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 prices $1,900, whereas the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold is $1,800. Apple’s rival merchandise may are available in above these costs so just a few shoppers can afford them.
Not the iPhone 18 Professional Max
If Kuo’s report is correct, then it appears impossible Apple intends to have the folding iPhone into the premium “Professional Max” mannequin in 2026. Its top-tier model is one in all its greatest promoting, and changing it with a foldable handset the corporate solely expects to promote just a few million of could be a critical monetary mistake.
Given how little demand there may be for Android foldables, and the low quantity Apple supposedly ordered, the folding iPhone could possibly be a brand new premium addition to the lineup, not one which takes the place of any present mannequin.
