We’ve seen rumors for several years that Apple is working behind closed doors on foldable devices, including a foldable iPhone and a foldable iPad/Mac. But it’s only in recent months that we saw an uptick in reports that provided actual details about these devices. Suddenly, the foldable iPhone and foldable iPad have tentative release windows, and we’ve seen reports detailing certain specs of these devices.
Leaks say the foldable iPhone could launch as soon as 2026, with Apple having finalized several key design elements. According to recent reports, the device will be about as big as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold handsets and will have a similar vertical folding design.
The newest reports detailing foldable iPhones come from two trusted sources who are usually accurate about unreleased devices. Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman addressed the foldable iPhone, saying the device is in the planning stages at Apple and that the iPhone 17 Air will deliver key innovations Apple needs in order to manufacture ultra-thin foldables.
Kuo addressed Apple’s next iPhones in a post on Medium. He referred to iPhone sales, the prospects for this year, and the iPhone models Apple is developing. The insider said the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air will measure 5.5mm at its thinnest point. As for the foldable iPhone, Kuo said it is in “the planning stage” without offering a release window. He said both devices will lack a physical SIM due to their ultra-thin designs.
Apple is already selling eSIM-only iPhones in the US, but international models still have SIM slots. Kuo argues that the absence of SIM cards in the iPhone 17 Air and the foldable iPhone might be a big problem for markets like China, which do not promote eSIM phones.
As a future iPhone 17 Air owner in Europe, I can’t say I’m thrilled about ditching my SIM card and going eSIM only. Then again, I want a slim iPhone more than anything, and the transition to eSIM is inevitable, no matter how long I’d like to postpone it.
Moving over to Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the Bloomberg reporter said Apple settled on the name for the ultra-thin iPhone 17 flavor: iPhone 17 Air.
More importantly, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air will be a testing ground for future technologies, including key innovations that Apple will use for its first foldables, including iPhones and iPads.
One of these technologies will be the new Apple 5G modem, a chip that will debut with the iPhone SE 4 before going into the iPhone 17 Air. While Gurman doesn’t name other components, it’s easy to speculate what Apple might be testing.
To make a thin iPhone, Apple would need ultra-thin batteries, thinner camera modules, and thinner logic board components. Other parts, like the 5G antennas and cooling layers, would have to be adapted for the thinner profile. Apple also has to design new aluminum mid-frames for the iPhone. The OLED display might have to be thinned down; the same goes for the rear panel.
This is all speculation, as details about the internal structure of the iPhone 17 Air haven’t leaked.
Apple already has some experience designing an ultra-thin device, the M4 iPad Pro, which measures 5.1mm. That’s even thinner than the iPhone 17 Air’s rumored profile. But the iPad is much larger, so Apple has plenty of internal space to assign to the logic board and batteries, all without impacting the tablet’s structural integrity.
By making an ultra-thin iPhone and iPad, Apple will gain all the insights it needs to create a foldable iPhone. A foldable iPhone would offer Apple more internal space but pose other challenges. Unlike the iPhone 17 Air, that foldable iPhone will also have to be a high-end device in every aspect.
That said, Apple’s interest in foldable devices seems clearer than ever. The fact that Kuo and Gurman have both addressed the foldable iPhone in a matter of days is further proof of that. If the foldable iPhone is set to launch in 2026, I’d expect a lot more specifics about it to leak towards the end of the year, around the iPhone 17’s launch event.
