As part of a three-year revamp of the iPhone lineup, Apple is expected to launch an iPhone Fold next year. According to a new analyst note from Ming-Chi Kuo, the company anticipates that the folding iPhone will be highly popular — perhaps it'll turn foldable phones into a more mainstream option.
Kuo claims that Apple plans to produce between 8 and 10 million iPhone Folds next year, a substantial number. However, he notes that Apple aims to double that number by 2027. Apple appears to believe that its version of a foldable phone will be in high demand, and it's hard to disagree with the level of anticipation the phone has generated.
Kuo's note primarily focuses on the company's GIS and how it will underpin the display technology featured on the foldable iPhone, but the report contains several interesting claims. For one, the displays will reportedly feature ultra-thin glass, a more expensive type of smartphone glass, primarily because it's slightly more fragile.
The same glass will be used on a foldable iPad, and Kuo says it will significantly increase the price per unit cost of the glass. Potentially, this means that both a foldable iPhone and a folding iPad could be much more expensive than existing iPhones and iPads, which follows the foldable trend, as devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 cost more than the S25 Ultra and other phones from Samsung.
Launch years
The analyst note indicates that the foldable iPhone will launch in 2026, which aligns with most current rumors regarding the iPhone Fold.
We don't have a specific date or month for the launch yet, but you'd imagine the launch would take place in September, the usual release month for iPhones. The iPhone 17, for example, is set to be announced on September 9 this year during Apple's Awe Dropping event.
The foldable iPad is expected to drop in 2028, with a much smaller order of between 500,000 and 1 million units. Again, this aligns with previous rumors that a giant foldable iPad Pro will launch then.
In recent years Apple has released its newest tablets in the spring. With the caveat that things could change in the next three years, it's possible that Apple would stick to that schedule going forward.
Apple Vision Air
Surprisingly, Kuo's note mentions that GIS will also be making pancake lenses for a cheaper Apple Vision Air headset. The current Vision Pro headset uses pancake lenses.
According to Kuo, the Vision Air will launch in 2027, a little bit later than the most recent rumors which had it arriving in late 2026.
Kuo added that the new headset will be 40% lighter and 50% cheaper than the Vision Pro. That would make the Vision Air around half a pound, versus the 1.3-pound Vision Pro. The price would drop from the Vision Pro's substantial $3,500 to around $1,750.
He added that an M5 version of the Vision Pro will launch at some point before the end of 2025.
If all three devices do launch in the next three years, it's a big change to Apple's lineup that has perhaps been a long time coming.
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