Apple is making a foldable iPhone—or at least, that’s what sources are telling The Information.
If the outlet’s reporting is correct, Apple is planning on unveiling a clamshell iPhone in 2026. While the company has allegedly long been working on the foldable smartphone as a concept, Apple seems to have moved out of this initial stage. The rumors suggest the company has started contacting suppliers in Asia to produce parts for the new iPhone, even as it works to figure out a way to make the crease that runs through the inner display invisible. (This is all according to two people with “inside knowledge.”)
There’s even a supposed codename for the foldable: V68. It’s not clear what significance this name has, if any beyond a simple numbering scheme for internal projects.
And that’s really all we know about Apple’s foldable iPhone plans at this time, but it’s the latest signal that the company is working to find its way into the foldable smartphone market, which has so far been dominated by Samsung. The first Galaxy Z Fold phone dropped in 2019. This year, the company revealed the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 at Unpacked 2024.
Other companies have jumped into the foldable market too: Google has the Pixel Fold, OnePlus makes the Open, and Motorola makes the Razr, a reimagining of its mega-popular flip phone from the 2000s.
As cool as foldable phones are, they haven’t really caught on in a big way—at least, not in the U.S. That’s likely because they tend to be quite expensive, but also because the iPhone takes up such a large share of the American smartphone market. Someone might be tempted by the Galaxy Z Flip or the Pixel Fold, but not enough to escape the pull of the Apple ecosystem. (At least group chats with Android users will be far less painful this fall.)
If Apple does release a foldable phone, however, that could change. The “clamshell” claims suggest the company will choose to make a flip phone, which would be more expensive than a typical iPhone, but less expensive than a true foldable (the latter results in a larger form factor with larger displays). Customers who want something new from their smartphone but don’t want to leave Apple would have an opportunity to return to the glory days of flip phones without losing access to iMessage, FaceTime, and all the other Apple perks.
