Apple's rumor mill is in overdrive, and the latest whispers about a 20th anniversary "iPhone 20" and the long-awaited iPhone Fold have us genuinely excited about what could be the biggest iPhone shake-up in years. With production schedules ramping up for 2026 and leaked specifications painting a picture of Apple's most ambitious iPhone yet, this could be the most significant evolution since iPhone X transformed the industry. Here is what we know, what we think we know, and why Apple's foldable future sounds so compelling.
The iPhone Fold is actually happening (and sooner than you think)
Here's the headline: Apple is preparing to enter the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Fold, set for release in 2026. This is not just wishful thinking anymore. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2025, with an initial run targeting 6-8 million units for 2026. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman describes it as looking like "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," which sounds wild in the best way.
The engineering specs read like a wishlist. A 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer screen, both Samsung OLED with LTPO for 120Hz. The inner display will be very close to the 7.9-inch size that iPad mini offered, pocketable iPad real estate, while the outer panel lands at 5.5 inches for fans of smaller phones.
And the crease. Rumors indicate that Apple has created a "crease-free" inner display. If that holds up, it is a massive win over current foldables. Apple is reportedly pursuing this regardless of cost, developing new material properties that could make the crease nearly invisible when unfolded. Solve the crease, win the room.
Timing is coming into focus around September 2026, with manufacturing involving Foxconn in China. It could slip to October or November, similar to the iPhone X in 2017, but that window suggests Apple is confident enough to commit to mass production.
Design details that show Apple's foldable ambitions
Premium materials, ultra-thin engineering, a hinge that actually matters. The device will incorporate a titanium alloy chassis paired with a liquid metal hinge. Apple chose liquid metal for the hinge to improve durability and reduce screen creasing, Apple's first major use of liquid metal in a critical mechanical part.
The numbers are eye-catching. The iPhone Fold will measure 9-9.5mm thick when folded and 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded. Based on Kuo's reporting, the iPhone Fold will measure about a full millimeter thinner than iPhone Air when in use, unfolded, a substantial 20% change compared to an already ultra-thin iPhone Air. Two screens, a complex hinge, still thinner than a single-screen iPhone, that is no small feat.
The liquid metal call says a lot about Apple's materials play. Liquid metal, or amorphous metal, has a structure that is more resistant to bending, deformation, and denting than traditional metal. Its structure makes it tougher than titanium alloy, and it has a stainless steel look, fitting Apple's premium aesthetic. Apple's hinge will be higher quality than hinges used for other foldable smartphones, a direct shot at long-term durability.
For authentication, Apple is trading flash for thinness. Apple will reintroduce Touch ID, integrated into the power button, similar to iPad Air. iPhones have used Face ID since 2017, but there may not be space in the foldable iPhone for the Face ID components. Practical, and it keeps the profile razor thin.
Camera system and technical specifications
Apple appears to be balancing capability with space constraints. The iPhone Fold will feature a four-camera system, including a front-facing camera, an inner display camera, and a dual rear camera setup. The two rear cameras are both said to be 48MP. It is unclear if the second lens is Ultra Wide or Telephoto, we are pulling for Ultra Wide.
Placement matters on a foldable. The outer display of the foldable iPhone could have a hole-punch camera, while the inner display will feature an under-display camera. That gives you proper camera access folded or unfolded, no awkward compromises.
Under the hood, it is all about headroom. The A20 Pro chipset will support demanding applications, built on TSMC's 2nm process. The A20 chips could be up to 15 percent faster and 30 percent more efficient than A19 chips. Apple is also expected to use TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) chip packaging technology, with RAM directly integrated on the chip, a boost for performance and thermals in an ultra-thin chassis.
Power strategy is clever on a device that bends. The iPhone Fold featuring a dual-cell battery system spreads capacity across sections. Apple has worked to increase power efficiency, reducing the display driver IC from 28nm to 16nm, and plans to use high-density battery cells. The goal is simple, all-day life for two displays.
Display tech ties it all together. The foldable iPhone will use a new type of display panel created by Samsung, using a custom display process that Apple has the trademark for. The process includes integrating touch sensors directly into the display panel, reducing overall thickness by approximately 19 percent. Classic Apple, pushing suppliers to build parts that did not exist before.
The iPhone 20's anniversary ambitions
Looking to 2027, Apple is eyeing a celebratory swing for the iPhone's 20th anniversary. Apple is reportedly considering a radical redesign for the 20th anniversary iPhone that could feature a completely bezel-less display that curves around all four edges of the device. A throwback to the iPhone X moment, only louder.
The display stack sounds like a leap, not a step. Apple will adopt a Samsung-made OLED technology called COE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) to make the display brighter and thinner than previous panels. With COE, Apple would remove the polarizer entirely and instead apply the color filter directly onto the OLED's protective encapsulation layer, a thinner display stack that lets more light through, delivering higher brightness without requiring more power.
Here is the why. In a traditional OLED panel, a polarizing film sits above the display to cut reflections and improve contrast, but the drawback is that this film also absorbs some of the OLED's own light, reducing brightness and efficiency. Remove that layer, gain brightness and efficiency, both at once.
Apple is reportedly planning a sweeping redesign of the iPhone to mark its 20th anniversary in 2027, with the iPhone Fold serving as a bridge to even more dramatic changes. The rumored iPhone 19 Pro and foldable variant could debut as part of Apple's 20th-anniversary lineup. It frames 2026 and 2027 as a comprehensive reinvention, not a yearly spec bump.
Put together, the timeline suggests a plan. Use iPhone Fold to harden foldable tech, then roll out the anniversary device with a fresh display architecture. It echoes the iPhone X era, a coordinated push to reset expectations for decade three of iPhone.
Pricing reality and market positioning
Let's talk price. The expected retail price of the iPhone Fold is between $2,000 and $2,500, with most analysts clustering around $2,000 to $2,300. The first foldable iPhone could cost nearly twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the foldable iPhone will be priced between $2,000 and $2,500, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested a similar range.
Production forecasts hint at growing confidence. Apple recently revised its shipment forecasts for the foldable iPhone upward to 8-10 million units in 2026 and 20-25 million in 2027, a 20% boost for 2026 and 40% boost for 2027 over earlier estimates.
Zoom out to the market. Apple sells more iPhones every year (~200 million units) than Samsung has sold foldables in five years (~30 million units). Foldables are just 1.5% of smartphone sales and are projected to reach only 5% by 2027.
So why chase it? Even if Apple captures 30% of the foldable market, that would be about 6 million units annually. At $2,000 plus, that is $12 billion or more in revenue. Momentum helps too, the estimated shipment of foldable smartphones in 2024 reached 24 million units, growing 18.1% YoY, and by 2027, global foldable shipments are projected to reach 100 million units, capturing around 39% of the premium smartphone market.
What this means for Apple's future
Bottom line, Apple is making its biggest iPhone bet in years, and the stakes are high. The iPhone Fold is more than another product, it is Apple's answer to a maturing smartphone market and a test of whether the company can still redefine a category. If Apple executes its foldable iPhone as a true productivity and entertainment device, it could make foldables mainstream in ways Samsung hasn't.
The competition shows the gauntlet. Samsung has been refining foldables for five generations, and Chinese brands are making foldables thinner, lighter, and cheaper. Huawei's Mate X3 is thinner than an iPhone 14 Pro Max when folded. The message is clear, the engineering hurdles are tough but not impossible.
Apple's playbook, however, is familiar. Apple has a history of entering markets late and then dominating them, such as with the iPod, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Let others stumble through early problems, arrive with a polished, integrated solution, then reset expectations.
The timeline ties iPhone Fold to a broader vision. With the 20th anniversary iPhone landing in 2027, Apple appears to be setting up 2026 and 2027 as a reinvention cycle, much like 2017 with iPhone X. The Fold is not just a new form factor, it is a proof point that Apple can sand down the compromises that kept foldables niche while building the technologies for the next leap.
Whether this turns into a breakthrough or stays a premium niche depends on execution, pricing, and whether Apple smooths over the usability snags that stalled other foldables. Based on the leaks so far, crease-free displays, ultra-thin engineering, liquid metal hinges, integrated software optimization, Apple looks intent on tackling every major pain point while keeping the premium iPhone feel.
The question is not if Apple will release a foldable iPhone anymore, it is whether they can make one that makes sense for regular people to buy at a premium price. And if the 20th anniversary iPhone rumors land, the iPhone Fold might be the opening act for something even more radical.
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