The next big feature that prompts iPhone users to upgrade may not be Apple IntelligenceApple's AI update package, but folding.
According to reports on Sunday from Wall Street Journal AND BloombergApple is planning to add two foldable devices as early as 2026 to its iPhone and iPad lineup.
The first would be an iPhone that unfolds to a larger screen than the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 6.9-inch screen.
The second would be a larger iPad with a screen that opens horizontally to measure about 19 inches. According to Bloomberg, the device will look like two iPad Pros side by side and will have elements of an iPad and a Mac. Apple reportedly wants the display to look like a single pane of glass when unfolded.
Apple is likely to release the foldable iPhone first in 2026, with a possible delay until 2027, the WSJ noted.
If Apple were to release a foldable phone, it would enter a space already claimed by competitors like Google and Samsung.
Google unveiled its first foldable phone, the $1,799 Pixel Fold June 2023. DEVICE sold during the pre-order period before it was shipped.
Google Pixel Fold, Google's first foldable smartphone, in March 2024. Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Samsung leads the global foldable smartphone market, with transport over 10 million flip phones last year out 15.9 million Foldable phones are sold all over the market in 2023.
Apple, however, has an advantage: it dominates the US smartphone market. According to Stat CounterApple had 56% of the US mobile market share in November, more than Samsung's 23.7% and Google's 9.7%. The foldable may prompt users of older iPhones to upgrade to newer ones.
Almost half of Apple's total revenue (48.7%) in the fourth quarter of 2024 came from the iPhone.