Apple’s partner company, Foxconn, has begun the trial production phase of the iPhone Fold, according to leaks. This step precedes the mass production phase that Apple plans to begin next July, provided that no technical problems arise during the current testing period. Although the company is on track to launch the phone during the year 2026, the latest rumors indicate that its availability in the markets will not be in the month of September, but rather it may be delayed to be launched after the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and may arrive in the month of December, and it is likely that Apple will announce the two phones together at the same event during the month of September, provided that the actual launch dates are separated.
This phone will be Apple’s first foldable device, and expectations indicate that it will come with a screen measuring about 5.5 inches when folded, expanding to 7.8 inches when opened. Apple plans to use an aspect ratio of 4:3 so that the phone is wider and shorter than many competing phones on the market, bringing it closer in shape and design to iPad tablets.
Apple seeks to make the phone very thin, with a thickness of only 4.5 mm when opened, which forced it to make some design concessions, as the phone will not contain a three-lens camera setup, which means the absence of a telephoto lens. Apple has also abandoned Face ID facial recognition technology due to the lack of sufficient space for the TrueDepth sensor, and will replace it with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor integrated into the side button similar to iPads. Apple is focusing heavily on reducing the internal screen crease, as reports indicate that it has succeeded in developing a design that makes the fold almost invisible when the device is open.
