Foldable iPhone gets a tentative release window as the foldable iPad is put on hold

There is now a tentative release window that we know is being targeted by Apple for the release of its almost mythical foldable iPhone. However, the foldable iPad has been postponed due to a myriad of reasons, one of them being the fact that the device is simply too costly to manufacture.

Foldable iPhone coming 2026

Apple’s fashionably late foray into the foldable industry will begin in the second half of next year. I initially expected the company to release the phone earlier to compete with the Fold 8 from Samsung. However, it seems that Apple’s marketing for the foldable iPhone — which will present it as the best iPhone — relies on it being launched alongside the iPhone 18 series.



Earlier, we got a look at a prototype foldable iPhone’s screen specs. Mass production is expected (translated source) to begin shortly, which heavily implies that those specs have been finalized. According to sources from inside the supply chain, Apple has been very particular about this phone, with revisions numbering in the double digits across over five years.

A big reason for all these delays and redesigns is the fact that the company wants to release a foldable smartphone that has no visible crease. But if the leaked screen specs are the final design, then the phone already falls behind this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 in other aspects.

Apple will market the foldable iPhone as the next best thing after the iPhone 18 Pro Max. But the company will supersede it with the special 20th anniversary iPhone Pro, which is expected to have no cutouts on its display. The original plan for a foldable iPhone for the 20th anniversary as well seems to have been scrapped.

Apple puts foldable iPad on hold

There was another foldable product that the company had been developing: a massive foldable iPad. This iPad was supposed to launch in 2026 as well, and it was going to measure in at a ridiculous 18.8 inches across when unfolded. It has now been put on hold for the time being.

The report claims that the foldable iPad was postponed due to much more difficult manufacturing that costs a lot more, as well as low demand from the market. Understandably, such a product would’ve cost a ton, and the company probably doesn’t want a repeat of the Apple Vision Pro, if I had to guess.

I also think that there may be another reason for the delay. According to older reports, Apple had been planning on shifting Face ID under the display for the foldable iPad. While such a thing is still on track for the iPhone 18, the company may have decided to push back the iPad till the 20th anniversary of the iPhone in 2027.

The new Pro model may be accompanied by a foldable iPad that also has no cutouts on its display: Face ID or otherwise. Though, whether Apple would want to risk upstaging the iPhone on its special day is debatable.

A lot of choice going forward

Apple users are eating (swiping?) good for these next few years. From the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro, the new iPhone 17 Air, the redesigned iPhone 18, and the 20th anniversary iPhone Pro, Apple fans are going to have a ton of choice for a long time. Throw in a foldable iPad, and you’re golden. Not to mention the cheaper MacBook powered by an iPhone chip.

The foldable industry has been on a decline, and Samsung has had to revise sales expectations for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7. Whether the foldable iPhone and iPad are able to reverse this decline, given Apple’s extremely late entry, is unclear. Part of the reason for this decline is the costs of these devices, and Apple’s products aren’t going to come cheap.

However, I’m glad to know that we’re getting more competition and further variety in the market. Samsung is expected to unveil its tri-foldable Galaxy G Fold in July, and possibly launch it later this year. The only thing that would get me more excited is if Apple and Samsung finally adopted denser silicon batteries in the near future.

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