hello. This is Technologytodaynow. Recently, news about foldable iPhones has been reported, so let’s take a closer look.
Apple’s Foldable iPhone, Release Schedule
The current foldable smartphone market has stopped growing as expected and is actually declining, and Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z series is also gradually seeing a decline in sales. In this situation, foldable smartphone manufacturers are hoping that Apple will release a foldable iPhone. Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to be released at the end of 2026 or early 2027, and it is expected to appear in a unique size.
Estimated Design and Production Plan for Foldable iPhone
According to a report by Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone will adopt a wrinkle-free design, with a main display of 7.8 inches and a cover display of 5.5 inches. It measures 9 to 9.5 mm when folded and 4.5 to 4.8 mm when unfolded, which is similar to the expected thickness of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the rear camera will feature a dual camera, stainless steel and titanium will be used for the hinge, and the outer frame will be made of titanium.
However, due to the limitations of internal design, it may be difficult to mount the Face ID, and there is a possibility that it will be equipped with a side button that supports the touch ID, a fingerprint recognition function. The production scale of the first generation model is expected to be 3 to 5 million units, and it is planned to produce 20 million units from the second generation.
Estimated price of foldable iPhone
Among the foldable smartphones released to date, it seems to have a similar ratio to the first and second generations of the Pixel Fold or Oppo’s Find N rather than the Galaxy Z Fold. The problem is that there is a lot of concern that Apple’s foldable iPhone will be quite expensive when it is released. It seems likely that these worries will become a reality.
Apple’s first foldable smartphone will be priced starting at $2,300, according to a Barclays Bank report in the UK. The report shared a price estimate after discussions with parts makers in Asia, and said the price is likely to fluctuate as there is still time until launch, but for now, it expects it to be $2,300.
Will we be able to succeed
The $2,300 price is equivalent to the price of two iPhone 16 Pro Maxes, which are currently on sale for $1,199. Some expect that the main display will be able to differentiate itself by emphasizing that it is wrinkle-free, but it is still quite expensive. The $2,300 price is currently around W3.34 million based on the exchange rate, and with the addition of a 10 percent excise tax, the domestic launch price is likely to reach W3.7 million.
It has the title of the first foldable iPhone and a wrinkle-free main display, but it is questionable whether many consumers will buy a product that is about 1.5 million won more expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold. As mentioned earlier, there is information that the first generation will produce small quantities and close to 20 million units from the second generation, so I think the first generation will be released at a high price and will come out at a similar price to other companies’ foldable smartphones from the second generation.