Apple’s much anticipated entry into the foldable smartphone category is now expected to arrive in September 2026, alongside the premium tier of the iPhone 18 lineup, as an accumulation of leaks, analyst reports, and tipster confirmations continues to paint an increasingly detailed picture of what the company has in store. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device will be classed among Apple’s Ultra product line and may carry the name iPhone Ultra, though it is widely referred to in leaks as the iPhone Fold. Gurman has also stated that he does not expect previously reported engineering setbacks to affect the production timeline, and that the foldable should be ready to ship at around the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models or shortly thereafter.
The device is expected to follow a book style form factor rather than a clamshell design, with a 7.58 inch inner display that will resemble the shape of an iPad mini in terms of its 4:3 aspect ratio, and a 5.25 to 5.5 inch outer display for use when the phone is folded closed. One of the most notable design claims circulating among leakers is that Apple has found a way to eliminate the visible crease that has long been a cosmetic criticism of rival foldable devices, with Samsung Display having publicly demonstrated a creaseless organic light emitting diode panel concept at CES 2026 that is widely believed to be destined for the Apple device. The inner display software will draw inspiration from iPadOS 26, enabling side by side app layouts and sidebar interfaces, though the device will continue to run a form of iOS and will not support windowed multitasking or iPad specific applications.
On the hardware front, the frame is expected to use a combination of titanium and aluminium, the hinge will be composed of LiquidMetal, a zirconium based alloy known for its strength and hardness, and the device will feature fingerprint identification via a side mounted button rather than Face ID, a trade off Apple is reported to have made in pursuit of a slimmer build. The camera configuration is said to include five lenses in total, with two rear cameras, one inner camera, one front camera, and an under display camera on the main screen to enable selfies both when the phone is open and when folded. Variable aperture technology, expected for the first time in an iPhone main camera, is also anticipated. The device is projected to ship with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM supplied by Samsung Electronics, available across three storage tiers of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Pricing estimates currently range from $1,999 at the base tier to approximately $2,399, placing the starting price on par with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the United States market.
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