Apple's Foldable iPhone: Could 2026 Be the Year It Finally Happens?

It’s been a while since we last traversed the choppy waters of iPhone design rumors, but our return to the well comes for good reason, as the current chatter has zeroed in on the possibility of Apple soon getting into the foldables space. And by “soon,” we mean as early as next year, at least according to the latest flurry of rumors.

In fact, 2026 has been eyed as a possible launch window for a foldable iPhone for some time now, though some more recent remarks from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman—widely considered a dependable voice of authority when it comes to Apple speculation—have given such predictions a serious boon. Frequently cited pubs in the Apple whisperings sphere, namely 9to5Mac and MacRumors, have since gotten in on Gurman’s predictions. These predictions are in line not only with Gurman’s own prior reporting, but also with other noteworthy analysts.

Of course, talk of a foldable phone from Apple has persisted for years now. This time around, however, all signs would indeed suggest that this could actually be happening.

Below, we take a (slightly) closer look at what people are saying about the possibility of next year bringing us the first-ever foldable iPhone.

What will a foldable iPhone look like?

Current expectations are that the folding feature of the device will be more book-like, with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold often cited as a point of comparison. Earlier this month, Gurman said in an interview, as seen below, that the foldable iPhone could be called “the iPhone Ultra,” though he cautioned that this was “a guess.”

How much will a foldable iPhone cost?

A safe bet seems to be that the foldable iPhone will not be cheap, with virtually all predictions placing its introductory price somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000 (or more).

When will the foldable iPhone be launching?

Gurman estimates that the foldable iPhone will launch by the end of 2026, which means it would, in theory, be a part of Apple’s iPhone 18 roster. Spec-wise, it’s said that the device will utilize much of what’s expected to be seen in another new product from Tim Cook and company, i.e. the iPhone Air.