Foldable iPhone: No Face ID and an astronomical price, insiders reveal new details
New details about the foldable iPhone has appeared online (photo: Getty Images)
Apple's first foldable iPhone is due in late 2026 or early 2027 with a book-shaped design and a premium price of more than $2000, reports the leading Apple news website 9to5Mac.
Possible characteristics of the iPhone
Kuo claims that the foldable iPhone will be positioned as a premium device with a correspondingly high price. Its cost can significantly exceed $2000.
Buyers will receive top features, including a display that will not bend noticeably when folded, a stainless steel hinge and titanium alloy, and a body that is only 4.5 mm thick when unfolded. However, such thinness may lead to the abandonment of Face ID - Kuo predicts the return of Touch ID.
According to him, the thickness and internal space limitations make it impossible to build a Face ID module into a first-generation device. Instead, Touch ID will be used for biometric authentication, built into a capacitive side button. It's similar to the Touch ID button on the iPad Air, but it will be the first time a fingerprint scanner will be used for an iPhone without a home button.
Kuo expects the device to have a folding “book” design with an inner screen of approximately 7.8 inches and an outer screen of 5.5 inches. When unfolded, the iPhone screen will be comparable to the iPad mini.
Apple is also going to promote the device as one of the first foldable smartphones without a visible crease in the display, which will accentuate its premium nature.
The company is also developing a foldable MacBook/iPad with an 18-inch screen that uses the same invisible crease technology.
The analyst believes that the device will have two cameras: a front camera that will work both in the folded and unfolded state and the main camera with two lenses.
The foldable iPhone will be about 4.5 mm thick when unfolded and 9.5 mm when folded. This is not the thinnest folding smartphone on the market, but it is one of the thinnest.
For comparison, the most popular foldable devices, such as those from Samsung, are about 12 mm thick when folded.
The final specifications should be approved soon. Mass production will begin in the fourth quarter of next year.
The first version of the foldable iPhone will be produced in relatively small volumes due to the complexity of production. Kuo predicts shipments in the range of 3 to 5 million devices in 2026, and total sales by 2027 could reach 20 million, including sales of the second-generation model expected in the second half of 2027.
How the foldable iPhone might look like (illustrative photo: MacRumors)
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