From CNET:
We're half a decade into foldable phones, with plenty of devices from Samsung, Google and Motorola (as well as others from Oppo, Huawei and more) for consumers to choose between. Yet among big phone makers, only Apple still lacks one in its lineup. The latest flexible-screen devices, like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Motorola Razr Plus reboot and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold show mature designs and robust bending displays, leaving the foldables niche handily dominated by Android devices. Recurring leaks and rumors suggest Apple is still developing its own folding device, which we'll refer to it as the iPhone Flip until a proper name is revealed.
The iPhone 16 series launched in September 2024 with an AI camera button and AI features in iOS 18 that are still rolling out, and the more affordable iPhone 16E launched with Apple's first in-house modem. Still, we've yet to see any official word on a foldable iPhone. Apple's recent focus has been on Apple Intelligence, a suite of generative AI tools now in the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which is also coming to updates for Apple devices in other product families. Apple might be slowly tinkering away at a folding iPhone while software and AI have taken center stage during its product showcases.
Some rumors have even suggested that Apple is working on foldable displays for its other portable devices, the iPad and MacBook, though the company may have encountered obstacles. In a post on X back in September, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said challenges with folding displays have pushed back mass production of either model to 2027 or even 2028. Since other rumors have suggested the iPhone Flip could come out as early as 2026, we could see an iPhone that folds before an iPad or a MacBook with a flexible display.
It's unclear if or when Apple will switch focus from AI to bring an iPhone Flip to market, though the most recent rumors suggest progress continues. A report back in July, as covered by The Verge and first reported by The Information, suggests Apple has gone all-in on a clamshell-style foldable iPhone and moved it beyond the concept stage to give it a code name, supposedly internally referring to the device as "the V68." If all goes well, the iPhone Flip could get a release date as early as 2026, the report said.
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