Given the market and a decade of patents, it’s no surprise that Apple is experimenting with foldable displays that would be used in a future iPhone Fold, iPad, or Mac. Here’s what the rumor mill says is coming.
Apple Vision Pro appears to be Apple’s answer to customers’ ever-increasing need for display real estate. However, wearable face computers may not fit every person or use case, so the next best thing may be foldables.
Folding phones and tablets aren’t new, as consumers have been able to buy some form of the technology for nearly a decade. Rumors and patents have circulated suggesting Apple would introduce a folding iPhone, iPad, or even MacBook at some point in the future.
Sure, the perfect solution to needing more screen is having one that can virtually expand to show apps in your physical reality 360 degrees around you. The next best thing is a pocketable or portable device that can fold or unfold to meet whatever needs there are at the time.
Let’s break down Apple’s ventures into foldables and where the rumors stand on such products.
iPhone Flip
There are at least two form factors Apple is exploring for its first foldable phone, and so far, the iPhone Flip is the one most likely to be released to customers. It would be a clamshell device, codenamed “v68,” with a hinge along the short side, similar to flip phones that predated smartphones.
The first Apple foldable could be the iPhone Flip
The idea is to have a large display that folds in half, is protected by being closed, and is able to fit easily in a pocket. Modern iPhones, especially the iPhone 16 Pro Max, are quite tall and stick out from pockets easily.
The iPhone Flip would have similar specs to whatever Apple’s current flagship models have at the time. The upcoming iPhone 17 Slim may be an ultra-thin precursor to Apple’s foldable iPhone.
However, Apple seems to be running into problems getting these devices thin enough to ensure folding them in half doesn’t create a too-thick device.
Samsung has a foldable flip phone, and it has two displays — the foldable interior one and a small display on the outside. Apple could utilize a similar form factor that provides simple controls, notifications, and widgets on the outside screen.
Of the potential foldables, the iPhone Flip is the one that may appeal to the most mainstream users. By using foldable display technology to shrink the portable form factor of the smartphone, it addresses the problem with too-big displays.
iPad or iPhone Fold
The other option for Apple’s foldable project is one that is the size of a standard smartphone, then opens to reveal a tablet display. Rather than use folding displays to shrink the portable form factor, it increases the screen real estate available in something the same size as a regular smartphone.
An iPad that folds closed could be introduced later
Thinness is still a priority for such devices, since the closed iPhone Fold can’t be too much thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Otherwise, the device loses the ability to be easily pocketed.
Apple will likely address such a device as an iPhone Fold that opens to an iPad mini form factor. A so-called “iPad Fold” would likely be a 13-inch iPad Pro that folds shut into a smaller iPad.
Rumors suggest that Apple could release some kind of iPhone Fold by 2027. Apple was working with LG Display on a larger form factor device as early as April 2022.
However, regardless of which form factor Apple chooses, it will need to overcome the issue with durability and display creases. It seems unlikely that Apple would release a product that has a visible crease in the display when in use.
Apple has patents showing displays that fold around the outside of an iPhone, or even ones with stretchable displays. Of course, patents are usually no more than concepts and not always something that can be built easily.
A rumor from a source that lacks a track record shared what they believed to be the exact specs for iPhone Fold on February 6, 2025. There were some discrepancies, but it mostly lined up with other rumors from accurate leakers.
Foldables don’t stop at iPhone and iPad form factors. Apple is also exploring using folding displays on much larger machines.
MacBook Fold
It’s an easy joke — MacBooks already fold at the hinge, but that’s not quite what a “foldable” MacBook would be. Instead, the entire inside of the device would be a display — rumors place it at about 20 inches.
Apple could ultimately release an all-screen MacBook foldable
It could fold all the way open to a massive tablet form factor or hinge half open to a dual display or half display, half touch keyboard. The idea is making the entire inner area of a MacBook configurable like an iPhone display.
When folded shut, the device wouldn’t take up much more space than a standard 15-inch MacBook. A smaller 18-inch model is also rumored.
The opened display would be like having two iPad Pros side-by-side. Rumors place this larger foldable around 2028, which was echoed by another rumor.
The biggest question about such a product is what operating system it would run. If it is a folding MacBook, then macOS is the obvious answer. However, that operating system is notoriously poor when used with touch.
The foldable lineup from the smallest iPhone Flip to the mid-sized iPhone Fold, and the biggest foldable MacBook could gain a unique OS. Note that all of these names are placeholders, and Apple could just call the lineup something different entirely, like Apple Fold.
When to expect an Apple foldable
Even with all the rumors and patents, there’s not a lot known about these devices. Rumors have placed their release some two years in the future since about 2019.
Apple’s foldable plans keep shifting forward and may never release
One rumor that has come and gone even suggested Apple gave up on foldables, but more rumors since have suggested otherwise.
A January 2025 rumor suggested Apple is ready to pick a foldable display supplier soon. Which device the display is for is unknown, but Apple could choose LG Display.
Most recently, rumors predict a 2027 release for Apple’s first foldable, and that’s been repeated. It’s only a matter of time before that’s punted back to 2029.
The most telling step towards foldable technology is how Apple handles the expected iPhone 17 Slim. That device’s design could be a preview of what the iPhone Flip may look like, sans hinge.
