An Apple executive announces that the first iPhone with a foldable screen will be made official in 2026. To compensate for this delay, the Cupertino company promises that its proposal will be physically thinner and lighter. It remains to be seen how Apple also intends to differentiate itself in terms of the experience offered to users.
The first foldable smartphones date from 2019 : Samsung Galaxy Fold, Huawei Mate X and Motorola Razr 2019. They have since been followed by numerous products taking advantage of this technology which brings modularity to a form factor which is sorely lacking. More than forty models were commercialized in four years. They come from Samsung, Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola, Vivo, Oppo or even . One brand is conspicuous by its absence in this list: Apple.
Read also – The foldable iPhone 15 is already circulating on the Web, and this version will greatly displease Apple
The Cupertino company has never formalized a phone with a foldable screen. It has always presented “classic” iPhones, evolutions of the first smartphone unveiled by Steve Jobs in 2007. However, rumors about a foldable iPhone have been circulating for several years. We have been discussing the subject in our columns since 2017! At the time, these were mostly concepts created by designers based on theoretical patents. Of course, some more recent leaks detailed the outlines of the prototypes imagined by Apple designers. But none of them got past this stage.
The first foldable iPhone will arrive in 2026
When will it be possible to enjoy iOS with a foldable screen? The answer has finally been made official. An Apple executive announced that the first foldable iPhone will be revealed in 2026information relayed by our colleagues from the Korean edition ofInvestir.com. They explain that the firm will choose these foldable screen suppliers in the coming months and will work with them for the next two years to optimize and refine this centerpiece of a folding phone. Among the candidates, you naturally find Samsung Display and LG Display.
The first folding iPhone will therefore arrive in 2026, certainly during the keynote that the firm organizes each year in September. We will therefore have to wait two years before discovering the fruits of the American giant’s labors. An almost inexplicable wait as it seems enormous for the telephone market. To justify this delay, which has already been accumulating since 2019, Apple announces that its product will benefit from a chassis much lighter and much thinner than what you can find today in a Galaxy Z Fold 5, a OnePlus Open or an Honor Magic V2, for example. This implies work on the hinge and on the materials that make up the screen. This piques our curiosity.
Source: Investir.com