Apple’s Foldable iPhone: Too Late to the Party, or Timed for Perfection?

It has been over seven years since Chinese firm Royole introduced the first foldable smartphone, FlexPai, at CES 2018 in Las Vegas. Since then, however, Huawei’s Mate series has been dominating this niche alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Z series.

Together with Google, Motorola, Honor, and Oppo, each delivered their own take on the foldable concept that doubles the screen space while sacrificing thinness. Effectively, this feature transforms a smartphone into a tablet on demand, making it greatly more versatile for productivity, media consumption, and multitasking.

As other companies improved on the durability of hinges and screens with each foldable iteration, Apple has been absent from this market. But heading into 2026, this may no longer be the case if the latest leaks are to be believed.

Given Apple’s strategic patience with AI features, its foldable entry could unlock a major new growth wave, boosting AAPL stock accordingly.

Potential Apple Fold Features

According to the South Korean yeux1122 blog, a source with a slightly better-than-average track record for Apple leaks, Apple’s fold launch in late 2026 is more likely than ever.

Specifically, Apple is purportedly testing its largest battery capacity yet, in the 5,400 to 5,800 mAh range, outpacing not only its own iPhone 17 Pro Max but also competing Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold at 4,400 mAh and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold at 5,016 mAh.

Combined with other sources throughout the year, Apple fold is to implement its iPhone 17 high-density battery cells to deliver a thickness of up to 4.8mm when unfolded, or up to 9.5mm when folded. This would place Apple at the forefront of premium thin-and-light foldable engineering.

Irrespective of being folded or unfolded, the front-facing camera should be available, while the rear has a dual-lens system. However, accounting for the potential under-screen camera, hinted by another leaker in April, Apple’s fold should have four cameras in total.

On the connectivity front, the foldable iPhone is to be anchored by the cutting-edge C2 modem, built on TSMC’s N4 node process and included in the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup. Likewise, considering that Apple Intelligence features should be more mature by then, one should expect to see more profound AI-integrated experiences across the device.

Overall, Apple is believed to be aiming for a book-style design with a 7.76-inch inner screen and a 5.5-inch outer display. The latter feature has become quite popular with Huawei’s Pura X. In late August, Bloomberg’s editor Mark Gurman suggested Apple’s first foldable iPhone, codenamed V68, should see the public spotlight in fall 2026, with mass production expected in Q1 2027.

Lastly, the rumored Apple fold launch price could reach $2,399, according to Fubon Research. If this is the case, Apple is likely to face an uphill battle on the adoption front, considering the market’s poor reception of the Apple VR headset Vision Pro at $3,499.

Nonetheless, Apple’s loyal high-end customer base has consistently been willing to pay premiums for category-defining hardware when the value proposition is clear. Of course, it is also a great boon for Apple to have the USG on its side, as it effectively bans Huawei products.

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The Foldable Smartphone Market

According to the Counterpoint Q2 2025 global shipments data, Apple is heading to compete with mainly three companies on the foldable front – Huawei (45%), Motorola (28%), and Samsung (9%). The latter two’s market shares are in flux, however, as Samsung is expected to regain ground with Galaxy Fold 7 against Motorola’s Razr 60 series for Q3.

In the year-ago quarter, Samsung was ahead of Motorola at 21% vs. 14%, with Huawei leading at 32%. Overall, in Q2, global foldable smartphone shipments surged 45% year over year. As of the latest Counterpoint data for Q3 2025, Apple is neck-and-neck with Samsung for global smartphone market share, at 18% vs 19% respectively.

At present, foldables account for just 1.5% of the global smartphone market, making it easier for Apple to rapidly carve out a meaningful share despite entering the category late. And even though Apple’s fold is to launch at a very high premium price point, it could build momentum if it delivers a clearly differentiated experience.

Furthermore, if Cupertino’s foldable approach reduces lingering doubts about durability, software optimization and long-term (creasing) viability, it may significantly accelerate foldable penetration and push the form factor closer to mainstream adoption.

AAPL Stock Current Price Targets

Over the past six months, AAPL stock surged 37.82% to the current price of $275.92 per share. Whether buoyed by record stock buybacks or investor expectations, it is worth noting that Apple stock now outpaced earnings-free Bitcoin, which fell 19.5% over the same period.

Moving forward, the Wall Street Journal’s forecast puts the AAPL stock at an average price target of $285.54, between the low of $215 and the high of $345 per share.

Disclaimer: The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All stock prices were quoted at the time of writing.