Foldable iPhone set for September?

Apple’s first foldable iPhone is still on track for a September 2026 unveiling alongside the iPhone 18 Pro line, according to Bloomberg and Macworld. (bloomberg.com, macworld.com) Bloomberg reported on April 7 that Apple plans to introduce the device during its usual September iPhone event and put it on sale about a week later. Macworld, citing the same wave of supply-chain and analyst reports, said Apple is treating the model as a top-end “Ultra” device rather than a replacement for the standard iPhone. (bloomberg.com, macworld.com) A foldable phone is a handset with a flexible inner screen that opens like a small book, turning a phone-sized device into something closer to a mini tablet. Bloomberg reported Apple’s version is expected to use an inside display roughly the size of an iPad mini and an outer screen about the size of a smaller iPhone display, with iPad-style side-by-side apps when opened. (bloomberg.com) The hardware details in circulation point to a premium build and a premium price. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the first model is expected to cost more than $2,000 and could reach $2,500, while Macworld reported a lower-end rumor of $1,999 for a 256 gigabyte version. (mingchikuo.craft.me, macworld.com) Kuo said Apple is aiming for a 7.8-inch crease-light inner display, a 5.5-inch outer display, a titanium-alloy hinge, dual rear cameras and Touch ID in the side button instead of Face ID. Macworld’s recent roundup described the same “book-style” design and said Apple has focused on reducing the screen crease that has dogged earlier foldables. (mingchikuo.craft.me, macworld.com) Apple would be arriving late to a category Samsung opened in February 2019 with the Galaxy Fold. Samsung said that first Fold used a 7.3-inch flexible display and created “a whole new mobile category,” and the company released it commercially in September 2019. (news.samsung.com, samsungmobilepress.com) The timing also lines up with a market that has grown, but unevenly. Counterpoint Research said global foldable smartphone shipments rose 14% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, while DSCC said the broader foldable smartphone display market had stalled around 22 million panels and could decline in 2025. (counterpointresearch.com, counterpointresearch.com) That mixed backdrop helps explain Apple’s approach. Rather than chase cheaper flip phones, the reports point to Apple using the foldable as a low-volume flagship above the Pro Max, with software changes meant to justify a larger screen and a price starting around two thousand dollars. (bloomberg.com, mingchikuo.craft.me, macworld.com) Nothing is official until Apple sends invitations for its September event, and the company has not publicly confirmed the product. But after years of foldable rumors, the reporting has shifted from whether Apple will ship one to how expensive it will be and what Apple will call it. (bloomberg.com, macworld.com)