Apple is accelerating work on its foldable devices with its first device now believed to launch as soon as next year. The elusive foldable iPhone could follow soon after with a planned 2026 launch, according to new information from Haitong Securities’ analyst Jeff Pu.
In a new investor note seen by Supercharged, Pu shares some expectations for future Apple devices within the upcoming few years. While Pu expects big changes for the iPhone 17 lineup, he states that Apple finally plans to enter the foldable market late next year with a MacBook-style device equipped with a 20.3-inch foldable panel. Previous consensus expected such a device to be ready by 2026 or 2027. However, Pu states that Apple is accelerating work on foldable devices as it sees this market as a potential avenue for growth following stagnating iPhone sales.
Following the new MacBook with a foldable display, Pu expects Apple to release a foldable iPhone in 2026. The foldable iPhone is said to carry either a 7.9-inch or an 8.3-inch display, with hinge and display components sourced from Korean, American, and Taiwanese suppliers. Pu adds that Apple is testing a hinge design that can withstand no less than 200,000 folds. The foldable iPhone and MacBook will represent Apple’s entry into the “ultra high-end market,” ushering in a new design paradigm for the company’s products.
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The roadmap for Apple’s work on foldable devices remains cloudy as multiple release dates have been rumored throughout this year. Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the foldable MacBook won’t be ready until 2027, while another report from The Information claimed that Apple has no mass production plans for the foldable iPhone until after 2025 as the project keeps running into engineering issues. Either way, a foldable product from Apple now seems a matter of when rather than if as the company desperately seeks a new product to revive growth.
