“Currently, foldable iPhones are expected next year… There were some market rumours before that they may be delayed until 2027. However, according to industry surveys over the past few weeks, we found that Apple has not changed its goal,” Kuo said in his interview. The quote is translated from Chinese.
Kuo states that Apple’s original timeline was “to launch the next-generation iPhone Air in the second half of next year, followed by two Pro models, and a foldable.”
However, the second iteration of Air is getting delayed due to production quantity challenges. “The Air has been delayed because the production volume is too small. This year it’s eight million units. This number will change next year. Based on what we see, the plan for next year may be less than six million units,” Kuo adds.
He states that as a result, the foldable iPhone is being rushed into production. Apple may launch the Air in 2027, while announcing or revealing its foldable iPhone in the fall of 2026.
This comes amid Apple’s AI pressures and senior executive exits. Kuo states that as a result of this product innovation is set to be in hardware if not in AI.
“Apple felt the pressure of the AI shift in 2023. This drove aggressive innovation within the iPhone lineup, resulting in the 2025 iPhone Air and the foldable iPhone expected in 2026,” Kuo wrote in a summary note following the interview.
Kuo warns that while the announcement may occur in 2026, the shipment volume may still be extremely small on the back of production challenges. In fact, he claims that the final specifications of the phone may not even have been finalised yet. Hence, the launch of the foldable may just resemble the launch of iPhone X.
“Because the schedule is already set, Apple’s workflow is very rigorous; it’s not something that can be changed easily. It can be postponed, but bringing it forward is much more difficult… Therefore, I predict that next year’s foldable phone will likely follow a similar model to the iPhone X, with simultaneous releases. However, the mass production will be later, and users will receive it possibly by the end of the year or the following year. The key is that it must be released; small quantities are acceptable,” he says.
Kuo predicts the foldable may be priced above $2,000, and come with a thickness of about 9 mm.
“From Apple’s strategic perspective, this product is a must-launch next year. The price of the foldable phone will be very expensive, as I previously predicted, around $2,000 or more. The thickness of the foldable iPhone prototype, the thickness after folding, is about 9 mm. About 9.2mm after folding,” Kuo said.
One of the other reasons Apple is focussing on foldables is because it predicts the future will enable edge AI to work on phones with larger screens.
“This is a device for innovative experiences. From a medium-to-long-term perspective, if future phones are to become better AI carriers, larger screens are crucial. It’s conceivable that future AI might become as simple as drinking water. Generating many images, sounds, and videos at any time — a single screen can’t display them all. Reading only text isn’t enough. Many agree that multimodal processing is essential for edge AI. From a logical point of view, larger screens are advantageous, so perhaps edge AI needs to be implemented in smartphones, and foldable phones actually have a relatively better chance,” Kuo explained.
