Apple's first foldable could be a 19-inch laptop, and it might arrive sooner than you think

Apple is yet to enter the world of the foldable phone and there is little to suggest that it intends to change that any time soon. But Apple is indeed reportedly working on a foldable device of some sort and that's believed to be an all-screen laptop. We've seen reports of a potential 20-inch foldable device before, and now a new report by the usually well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple is also testing a foldable laptop with an 18.8-inch display.

Ming-Chi Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple is still working on a 20.25-inch option with LG Display being the exclusive panel supplier. But the smaller model is also being considered with the two different foldable panels corresponding to the design of 14- to 15-inch and 13- to 14-inch laptops. What's more, he believes that Apple is aiming to have the displays ready for assembly towards the end of 2025 or early 2026 which means these laptops could go on sale in just a couple of years.

In a lengthy Medium post detailing Apple's plans, Kuo said that Apple is working to put the M4 family of chips into the new laptop. Apple is expected to launch new M4 machines later this year, but the bulk of the lineup - including new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs - won't go M4 until 2025. That would then leave Apple's M5 ready for a 2026 debut.

The report goes on to say that LG Display is the company tasked with building the foldable displays themselves but it'll be Amphenol that takes on the responsibility of producing the foldable hinges designed to open and close the laptop.

Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, Kuo believes that the high costs associated with the foldable display and hinge will cause the new foldable laptop to be expensive. On a more positive note, Kuo does believe that Apple will be able to mass-produce the laptops in a way that it has struggled to with the Apple Vision Pro. In total, he believes that Apple's foldable laptops will exceed a million units in 2026.

It still isn't entirely clear how a foldable MacBook would work, however. The lack of a physical keyboard could be a huge issue although we have to assume that Apple will offer something to accommodate those who would prefer not to type on a display. For those who are happy to type on glass, we can imagine Apple employing its excellent vibration motors to mimic the feel of typing in much the same way that it does on the iPhone.