The mythical foldable iPhone is starting to take shape, or at least, two shapes smushed together.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple’s first foldable will basically look like “two iPhone Airs stuck together.”
That design choice means the device should be impressively slim for a foldable, though don’t expect it to break any world records.
A single iPhone Air is just 5.6mm thick, but Gurman warns the foldable will likely be chunkier than rivals like Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold (10.8mm) or Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 (8.9mm).
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, always ready with a spicy leak, claims Apple might shave it down to an almost impossible 4.5mm when unfolded. (Via: The Verge)
Of course, Apple magic doesn’t come cheap. Gurman expects the foldable iPhone to start at a wallet-wilting $2,000 or more, making even the pricey Pixel Fold look like a bargain bin special.
The upside to Apple’s thin-but-pricey strategy? Durability. The foldable iPhone is rumored to borrow the iPhone Air’s titanium build, which JerryRigEverything and iFixIt have both tested and found surprisingly tough.
That’s big news for a category still haunted by memories of creaky hinges and peeling screens.
Repairability might also be a rare bright spot. The iPhone Air earned a shockingly solid repairability score of 7 out of 10, while the Pixel Fold and Z Fold7 both limped in with a dismal 3.
If Apple’s foldable can even sniff that 7, it would be a small miracle in a world where foldables are usually fragile and nearly impossible to fix.
However, these are just rumors and nothing is set in stone yet, so take it with a pinch of skepticism.
So, when can you start folding your iPhone like a futuristic taco? Rumors suggest a release date sometime late next year. Until then, start saving?
Will Apple’s rumored $2,000+ foldable iPhone find enough buyers to justify the premium price, or is the foldable market still too niche for mainstream success? Do you think Apple’s focus on thinness and durability addresses the real concerns holding people back from foldables, or are there bigger issues like software optimization and battery life that matter more? Tell us below in the comments, or reach us via our Twitter or Facebook.
