Mark Garman of Bloomberg spilled details about his upcoming foldable iPhone with his power in today’s newsletter.
He says the foldable iPhone opens like a book to reveal a larger inner display, like many Android folding items. The foldable iPhone has a total of four cameras, one on the front screen, one on the inside and two on the back. It also uses Touch ID for biometrics and uses Apple’s in-house cellular modem to connect.
Including four cameras supports multi-functional form factors. The foldable iPhone can be used just like a regular iPhone when closed, with an outward facing touchscreen in the 5-6 inch range.
This has an accompanying front camera. You can probably use a high resolution main camera to take the best photos.
The second rear camera is for ultra-width or telephoto shots. I’m not sure which one right now.
Also, when unfolded to reveal a large 8-inch interior screen, the fifth camera lens acts as an active selfie camera.
Using touch IDs on flagship iPhones may sound strange at first considering that all other iPhones have migrated to Face ID. However, folding features strict thinness requirements, so when closed, the device is not too bulky. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the device measures approximately 9.5mm when closed before, so half of each is less than 5mm thick, thinner than before.
The complex truedepth camera system required for Face ID simply does not fit inside such a thin enclosure. So Apple instead uses Touch ID fingerprint sensors with side buttons to help you easily authenticate and unlock your device.
The Apple C1 modem debuted on the iPhone 16e. This chip also appears on the Slim iPhone 17 Air model. Next year, Apple will launch its next generation C2 modem. This supports faster speeds. The C2 modem is included with Apple Foldable devices. The 2025 iPhone 17 Air and 2026 foldable iPhone do not have SIM card slots on all models. Current iPhones have SIM card slots outside the US
It will definitely be the popular model as Apple’s first foldable device. However, how popular a popularity is depends on pricing. Even high-end Android foldable phones cost over $1,800, and we don’t expect Apple participants to be cheaper than that.
According to Gurman, Apple only offers black or white color options for the first foldable launch. Suppliers will begin increasing production early next year for consumers’ fall releases.
So that’s what’s coming in 2026. The following year, Apple will redesign the standard Pro iPhone with a brand new All-Glass design.
But expect more calm this year. The iPhone 17 lineup looks roughly the same as the current iPhone 16 model from the front. From the rear, there is a new rectangular design on the protruding camera module. However, the iPhone 17 Air has been added to the surprisingly thin line.
