Just hours ago, we noted that the leaks emanating from within Apple's sprawling supply chains had taken on the qualities of a full-blown pandemonium, with almost all recent tidbits about the upcoming foldable iPhone seemingly contradicting each other. Thankfully, clarity seems to have arrived a lot sooner, thanks to Bloomberg's prolific analyst, Mark Gurman.
Apple's foldable iPhone launching in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro duo, claims Bloomberg's Mark Gurman
Earlier today, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple's foldable iPhone was experiencing engineering complications, leading to increased chatter around a delayed launch.
Then, the Weibo-based tipster, Fixed-Focus Digital Cameras, jumped into the proverbial melee, disclosing that Apple's foldable iPhone was facing lingering uncertainty around the pricing of key components as well as a qualitative choice between a hinge mechanism that leveraged either 'liquid metal' or 3D-printed titanium that "involves chip-level high-molecular 3D printing technology," as per recent leaks.
Now, however, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has issued a clarification, noting that Apple is "scheduled to introduce the foldable model in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max."
While conceding that engineering complications surrounding "the new display and materials may limit initial supply for several weeks, Apple is currently operating with a plan to put the device on sale around the same time — or very soon after — the new non-foldable models."
Of course, while the launch timeline of the foldable iPhone has gained some much-needed certainty, obfuscations in other areas persist. For instance, a notable Weibo-based tipster, Digital Chat Station, claimed earlier today that Apple's upcoming foldable would be called the iPhone Ultra instead of the previously rumored iPhone Fold moniker.
Apart from a complicated hinge mechanism, Apple is reportedly mulling sandwiching the actual display layer between a dual layer of UTG/UFG (Ultra-Thin Glass/Ultra-Thin Flexible Glass) to prevent the mechanical wear-and-tear from repeated contact with the hinge and to better distribute the stress during the folding process, nearly eliminating the dreaded crease in the process. According to Taiwan's Economic Daily, the depth of the crease on the iPhone Fold would be a minuscule 0.15mm.
Apple will also reportedly apply a color filter - called the CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) - onto the protective encapsulation layer of the iPhone Fold's OLED panel, rendering the resulting displays thinner, lighter, and much more efficient.
Under a CoE regime, the more conventional, thick circular polarizer layer is replaced with a thinner, directly deposited color filter layer. When combined with a black pixel definition layer (PDL), the combo results in significantly higher light transmittance and reduced power consumption. Of course, for a foldable, thinner displays result in markedly reduced stress, which improves longevity and allows for a smaller folding radius.
Meanwhile, according to a fresh report out of South Korea, Apple is apparently eyeing a base price of around $2,000 for the upcoming iPhone Fold/iPhone Ultra, which, if realized, would constitute a substantial discount to the heretofore rumored price of between $2,300 and $2,400.
This comes as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported recently that the iOS version on the foldable iPhone will sport "iPad-like layouts and side-by-side apps, enhancing the device’s appeal for multitasking," albeit with a simpler multitasking system instead of the more desktop-like UI introduced in iPadOS 26. Also, the internal screen on the device is expected to be the size of an iPad, replete with a wider aspect ratio, while the outer screen would resemble "the size of the display on a small iPhone." This aligns with previous reports that had postulated a passport-like, wide form factor for the device.
According to Gurman, the foldable iPhone's external display will sport a small hole-punch cutout, albeit with the Dynamic Island UI for viewing notifications. Also, Apple has removed the Face ID system in its entirety and instead integrated Touch ID into the side button. As for the inner display, while Apple is still experimenting with an under-display camera, ongoing tests have only produced images with subpar quality, dramatically reducing the tech's probability of showing up on production-ready iPhone Fold/iPhone Ultra units. The device will also feature a dual rear camera setup, with previous reports alluding to a 48MP resolution for both cameras.
Other details include:
- A dedicated vapor chamber.
- A 2,713 x 1,920 resolution, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
- Side-mounted Touch ID instead of Face ID.
- A20 Pro SoC, 12GB RAM, in-house C2 5G modem.
- A 48MP resolution for the rear dual-camera setup.
- A selfie camera with a resolution of up to 24MP.
- A battery with a capacity of 5,400-5,800mAh.
- To launch as an eSIM-only variant.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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