Will the foldable iPhone arrive next year, or rather in 2027 to celebrate the device's 20th anniversary? The timing is still uncertain, but rumors about this smartphone equipped with a foldable screen have been piling up in recent months. Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned analyst at TF International, has heard from his industry sources that Foxconn should officially "launch this project" by the end of this year.
Apple is laying the groundwork for its foldable iPhone
Be careful, this does not mean that Apple is preparing to unveil its foldable iPhone. The first step is to develop the techniques to produce the millions of units that will be poured into distribution networks. A long, complex, and expensive process: Apple does not manufacture new iPhones every three months. And a folding model is even more complicated to manufacture.
Ming-Chi Kuo adds that many component specifications are still not finalized. This is particularly true for the hinge, a central element that Apple absolutely wants to improve—the company would like to reduce as much as possible the unsightly effect of the fold in the middle of the screen.
On the other hand, the foldable screen would be one of the finalized components, assures the analyst. Samsung Display is tasked with ramping up its production capacity to 7 to 8 million panels per year, starting in 2026. But "given that actual production in 2026 may only last a few months, panel deliveries that year may not reach full capacity."
As for volume production, Ming-Chi Kuo predicts it will start in the second quarter of 2026. We could therefore conclude that the launch would take place as early as the fall of next year. Among the technical specifications floating around, the screen sizes have been leaked: there is talk of an internal diagonal of 7.76 inches and an external screen of 5.49 inches. As for the price, you're probably betting on a price tag that's well over $2,000.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo
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