From CNET: The days of all iPhones being flat rectangles seem to be rapidly coming to an end. Speculation continues to intensify about Apple launching its first foldable phone in the latter months of 2026, and a new report suggests the company is also working on a future version -- a clamshell flip.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, known for his accuracy on Apple scoops, says the clamshell model would be smaller than the book-style foldable that the company is also reportedly working on, and more square in shape. Don't get too excited yet -- Gurman says "the product is far from guaranteed to reach the market" -- but if the foldable is a hit, the clamshell could follow soon after.
A clamshell phone is basically a flip phone that, like a clam, folds toward you via a hinge in the middle. Some foldable phones fold like a book, opening up to become almost a tablet, but a clamshell offers a more compact design for maximum portability. Prior to the advent of foldable screens, some might remember the popular flip phone Motorola StarTAC from the 1990s.
A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones," Gurman wrote.
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