Der faltbare iPhone, der sieben Jahre zu spät kam, ist das am wenigsten „Apple-typische“ Apple-Produkt.

At the beginning of 2019, Samsung took the lead in launching the foldable screen Galaxy Fold, pioneering a new form of smartphones. Just four days later, at the MWC 2019 conference, Huawei also introduced its first - generation foldable screen phone, the Mate X, while Apple remained inactive for a long time.

Six years have passed in a blink of an eye. At the MWC 2025 conference, Transsion's Infinix vertical triple - fold phone appeared, and Huawei launched the Huawei Pura X in March, which features a 16:10 inner screen and a 1:1 outer screen design and is equipped with the native HarmonyOS.

So, what about the long - rumored foldable iPhone? Perhaps it's not far from us.

In the latest issue of Power On, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman pointed out that Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone by the end of next year, with a price of no less than $2000. This breaking news information is also consistent with the previous breaking news from Tianfeng Securities analyst Guo Mingji.

The Foldable iPhone: A “Not - So - Apple” Product

In the report, Mark Gurman said that the foldable iPhone is a “not - so - Apple” product.

On the one hand, in the foldable screen category, Samsung and many domestic Chinese brands have been deeply involved in this product line for a long time. Apple's entry at this time breaks its image as a “pioneer” in previous products.

Compared with Apple's other products, the entry of the foldable iPhone is not like that of previous iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, etc., which led or even redefined product forms in different product categories. It seems more like a product launched by Apple “to avoid falling behind”.

Guo Mingji's previous breaking news indicated that the foldable iPhone will adopt a left - right folding book - style design (also known as the large - fold design), which is the current mainstream form of foldable screen phones. The phone screen unfolds from the left and right, changing from a 5.5 - inch screen to a 7.8 - inch screen.

The folding thickness of the foldable iPhone is approximately between 9 mm and 9.5 mm, and it can remain between 4.5 mm and 4.8 mm when unfolded. This data is not very competitive, about the level of new phones in the second half of 2024, roughly between OPPO's newly launched Find N5 and Huawei's Mate X6, and may be similar to Xiaomi's Mix Fold 4.

In addition, the foldable iPhone breaks the norm in terms of hardware and will rely on core components from competitors. This device will adopt a design similar to that of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series and use many of the same core components, including the foldable OLED screen from Samsung Display.

When it comes to foldable screens, the most discussed topic is the “crease”. Although in actual use, the creases on the screens of mature foldable phones do not significantly affect daily experience, for Apple, which has its own unique aesthetic, the “crease” is a problem that must be solved.

Multiple sources have reported that Apple is developing a “crease - free” foldable phone, with two schemes, one large and one small, with the internal code name V68. This is a common development model for Apple. The first - generation iPhone had two prototype versions, one with a full - touch screen and the other with a wheel - based operation.

Guo Mingji said that the foldable iPhone will use a hinge made of a composite material of stainless steel and titanium alloy and a titanium alloy middle frame. This material has been proven in the past two generations of iPhones and will provide more stable support for the foldable form. In addition, it is rumored that the high - density battery technology used in the ultra - thin iPhone to be released this year will also be applied to the foldable iPhone.

To achieve thinness and lightness, the foldable iPhone may make a “heretical” decision - to re - adopt the fingerprint unlocking solution.

A foldable phone means two usage forms: folded and unfolded. Users may need to unlock the phone in different states. So, how should Face ID be arranged? Is it necessary to have a Dynamic Island on both the inner and outer screens? Obviously, this is not very realistic.

The common solution in the industry is to install a fingerprint recognition module on the side of the phone. This solution has been used in the iPad product line for many years. Now, we may see Touch ID used on the iPhone again.

The New - Form iPhone: Also the iPhone of the AI Era

What exactly is the use of the foldable iPhone? We still need to find the answer from the screen first.

The unfolded foldable iPhone is 7.8 inches, which is quite close to 8 inches - the size range of the iPad mini.

To date, the screens of straight - bar phones have expanded to 7 inches, and after years of exploration, the foldable phone industry has basically reached a consensus - 8 inches is the sweet spot for foldable phones.

The question is, with the iPad mini already in this size range, what's the use of the foldable iPhone?

The AI phone may be the ultimate answer.

Guo Mingji's report claims that Apple defines the foldable iPhone as a “true AI phone with multi - modal and cross - app capabilities”.

The long - awaited Apple Intelligence has given us a glimpse of the possibility of cross - app execution by Apple, and multi - task and multi - window interaction through an AI agent may well be a brand - new interaction method in the AI era.

Imagine having Siri plan a travel itinerary on the large unfolded screen of the foldable iPhone. You could be watching the real - time itinerary planning by the AI while looking at the real - time travel guides.

If all these operations were squeezed onto a long and narrow screen, it would be rather cumbersome.

There are reports that Apple is expected to finalize the final specifications of the foldable iPhone in the second quarter of this year and officially launch the project in the second half of the year, with the goal of mass - producing it in the fourth quarter of 2026. Moreover, the mass production of the first - generation foldable iPhone may be extremely difficult.

At the earliest, we will see this foldable iPhone at the end of 2026, but we may not be able to buy it until 2027.

The last question is, is the foldable iPhone really the definitive version of the AI phone? Perhaps these statistics can give you the answer:

In 2023, the shipment volume of foldable phones in the Chinese market was about 7 million units, which is just a fraction of the total smartphone shipment volume of 289 million, accounting for only 2% of the market share.

Data from Counterpoint Research shows that in the third quarter of 2024, the shipment volume of foldable smartphone displays decreased year - on - year for the first time.

In 2025, the shipment volume of foldable smartphone displays will continue to decline.

Amid the market downturn, there is a question: What exactly can foldable phones do?

The birth of foldable phones carries a wonderful vision - with just one device, users can meet the needs of a phone, a tablet, and a PC, which is how most foldable phone promotional videos depict it.

However, a product that can truly change the public's perception has not yet emerged.

The market is in great need of a hit product to prove that foldable phones are a revolutionary new species.

The foldable iPhone's price of around 15,000 yuan is really not cheap - it's enough to buy an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac.

The higher the price, the greater the expectation. With Apple boldly entering the market, can the “true AI phone” deliver a satisfactory answer?

This article is from the WeChat official account “ifanr” (ID: ifanr). Authors: hannn, Xiao Qinpeng, Zhou Yizhi. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.