Apple Reportedly Releasing Foldable iPhones Next Year
Apple is reportedly working on its first foldable iPhone, putting the company head-to-head with Samsung, a rival that has pioneered foldable phones since 2019, and Google, which unveiled the Pixel Fold in 2023.
Bloomberg managing editor Mark Gurman, who has an 86.5% accuracy rate when it comes to Apple rumors, reported on Sunday that Apple will enter the foldable phone market in the latter half of 2026.
With products like the iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple entered each market early and helped shape what the mainstream version of the product would look like.
With the foldable iPhone, Apple will take a different approach, using what works for Samsung instead of creating a dramatically new interface or developing innovative hardware. Gurman reported that Apple's device will look similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold line and incorporate many of the same parts, including foldable OLED screens.
Related: 'Powerful, More Affordable Option': Apple Reveals Its New Budget iPhone 16e, the iPhone SE's Successor
Apple will still aim to improve parts of Samsung's design, tackling the weaknesses of foldable devices like the visible inner display crease and the inner hinge mechanism. The iPhone maker will also introduce new software features next year, specifically designed for foldable phones.
The price point of an Apple foldable phone will be at least $2,000, Gurman reports, which is similar to offerings from Samsung and Google. Samsung's latest Z Fold 7 is priced at $1,999, while the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is $1,799.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphone. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Sales of the Samsung Z Fold 7 are higher than the previous generation, per Bloomberg, and it's received positive reviews from tech sites. Windows Central called it "a winner," while Mashable praised the phone's "almost unbelievably sleek form factor." Samsung announced the phone earlier this month, and it will be available for purchase starting this Friday.
Though Apple's foldable iPhone may look similar to Samsung's, it could still benefit from Apple's reach. Apple holds 57% of the U.S. smartphone market as of the first quarter of the year, compared to Samsung's 25%, per Counterpoint Research.
However, Samsung has historically dominated the global foldable smartphone market, selling over 66% of the 15.9 million foldable phones sold in 2023, per TrendForce.
Related: Apple Is Reportedly Creating New Foldable iPads and iPhones. Here Are the Details.
Foldable phones are a niche category, having never accounted for more than 2% of the smartphone market as a whole, per Counterpoint Research. Gurman suggests that Apple could make it mainstream when it enters the category next year.
Apple is the third most valuable company in the world, at the time of writing, with a market capitalization of $3.2 trillion.
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