iPhone Fold release date reportedly on track for late 2026
Apple's first folding phone has quietly entered its first internal prototype stage
🍎 Apple’s first folding phone is on track to be released next year, according to a report
📱 The iPhone Fold entered Apple’s first prototyping stage last month
🧑🔬 It’ll need to pass two more prototype stages before entering production
📅 This timeline could mean the iPhone Fold will release in late 2026, as other rumors have suggested
Apple is rumored to enter the foldable market with its first folding iPhone, and it sounds like the company is currently on track to launch it next year.
A new report from Digitimes says that Apple’s iPhone Fold (as it’s often referred to as) quietly entered phase one of the company’s prototyping process last month. The P1 (Prototype 1) phase is the first of three phases Apple’s devices go through before what’s called the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) stage. Digitimes says that as long as timing stays on track, the iPhone Fold could complete prototype testing by the end of the year, allowing for enough production time for a launch in the second half of 2026, a release date we’ve heard multiple times in other reports.
Apple’s first foldable phone has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, mostly because everyone’s curious about when the company will finally come up with a competitor to all the foldables on the market.
Over the course of the past year, the iPhone Fold has evolved to what we’ve heard will be a device sporting a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.58-inch folding screen, complete with an invisible crease thanks to an advanced hinge mechanism. Two 48MP cameras will sit on the back of the phone, while the device itself will be made of titanium. There will also be a Touch ID sensor on the side and a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.
Analysts say these specs aren’t finalized just yet, which likely means Apple will be evaluating them during the prototyping stages to figure out what stays and what goes. We’ll likely get a better idea of what the iPhone Fold will be equipped with over the next few months as Apple continues to work on the device.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.