For its next iPhone, Apple $AAPL is playing into our sentimentality. It’s also doing something basically all its big smartphone rivals have already done — Apple is reportedly making a foldable iPhone.
Apple is reportedly working on a foldable iPhone that could debut in 2026
For its next iPhone, Apple $AAPL is playing into our sentimentality. It’s also doing something basically all its big smartphone rivals have already done — Apple is reportedly making a foldable iPhone.
According to the Information, Apple reached out to suppliers in Asia in recent months to start making the new iPhone’s components, and the phone could be released as soon as 2026. Like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip (and unlike Google $GOOGL’s Pixel Fold), Apple’s iPhone would fold in half like a clamshell, the outlet reported, citing unnamed sources. If Apple can tackle the technical challenges that come with making its smartphone foldable, it would be the biggest iPhone revamp since Steve Jobs debuted the device in 2007.
Apple’s iPhone sales have struggled over the past year, slumping in China (one of its largest markets). The company’s iPhone sales for the three months ended March 30 slipped 10% from the same time last year. Sales of the device in China have begun to recover thanks to discounts, however, and Apple’s growing consumer market in India is thriving. Analysts expect that Apple’s next wave of AI-powered iPhones will help it compete and lead the industry into the AI smartphone — aka “intelliphone” — era. Apple’s next iPhone operating system, iOS 18, is coming this fall and will include a number of built-in AI features, such as an updated Siri and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Apple Intelligence, the AI initiative Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, has helped it more than recover from a disappointing start to the year. Apple’s stock price is up more than 30% from three months ago. The company reports its third-quarter earnings (for the three months ended June 30) on August 1.
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