First foldable iPhone might not come until 2027, report claims

The world of smartphones might be full of foldable phones from most of the biggest names in the game, but Apple has so far refused to join in. To date, no foldable iPhone has launched and rumors about such a device's development are all over the place. While it's thought that Apple is indeed developing a foldable device of some description, when it will launch and what it will have to offer is unclear.

Now, a new DigiTimes report claims that Apple continues to work on a foldable iPhone but the news isn't positive. According to that DigiTimes report, Apple has moved some of the Apple Vision Pro engineers onto the foldable iPhone program but there is now an expectation that it will launch either in the fourth quarter of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027; That means that anyone hoping to buy a foldable iPhone is going to be waiting a good long while before it arrives. If, indeed, it ever does.

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Apple is thought to be concerned that the current state of foldable display technology still isn't in a position to be able to offer the kind of experience that Apple wants.

While there are tons of foldable phones and the displays have improved considerably in recent generations, there is still a notable crease across foldable devices. It's thought that Apple could choose to delay the project indefinitely while the crease situation is ironed out and new hinge designs are produced.

While the report discusses a foldable iPhone, Apple is also thought to be working on a foldable laptop or tablet device with a foldable 20-inch display. It's unclear what this latest news means for that device, however.