While there have been rumours abound in recent months with regard to Apple's debut foldable, the latest prediction on its launch date and pricing beats most others. Apple is set to introduce its inaugural foldable iPhone in 2026 as part of the iPhone 18 series, as per experts at JPMorgan.
The Cupertino tech major is gearing up to launch the iPhone 17 series in just over a month from now. However, the market perception is that this year's releases will not be offering major tech upgrades, and most will be minor tweaks only. This is leading investors to turn their attention to Apple's upcoming launches in 2026.
iPhone Fold To Launch In September 2026
In a market research update to investors, JPMorgan backed the growing speculation that Apple is set to release its first foldable next year.
“With the upgrades to the iPhone 17 series to be released this fall expected to be fairly limited, investor focus has already turned to the 2026 fall launches with Apple expected to launch its first foldable iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 lineup in September 2026, featuring a book-style fold similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series”, JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee said in a note to investors (as reported by CNBC).
Chatterjee anticipates that the volume of shipments for the foldable iPhone will begin in the “low teens” of millions for fiscal 2027, increasing to the “mid-40s of millions” by fiscal 2029. This will be a substantial number, considering the foldable smartphone sales in 2025 sit at around 19 million devices.
iPhone Fold Price To Be Around $1,999
Chatterjee estimated a price of $1,999 for the foldable iPhone. Notably, earlier projections were between $2,100 to $2,300, so this comes as a good news for potential buyers.
The book-style foldable iPhone is speculated to come with a 5.5-inch cover display, a 7.8-inch inward-folding screen with an almost creaseless display, titanium frame, robust hinge made from Liquid Metal, Touch ID sensor (no Dynamic Island or Face ID), and dual rear cameras.
It could measure 4.5 mm when unfolded and 9 mm in its folded avatar.
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