San Francisco, March 11, 2026, 01:54 PDT
This week’s leaked CAD files gave the first real look at Apple’s foldable iPhone, showing off a wide, book-like design with dual rear cameras. A separate report Tuesday indicated Apple dropped its previous flip-phone project. Both leaks combine to sketch out the most detailed picture so far of what’s being called the iPhone Fold. 1
Apple’s schedule is key here: Reuters reported in January that the company plans to spotlight the device during a premium-only iPhone launch in the back half of 2026, delaying the standard iPhone 18. Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee complained last September that Apple’s redesigns have mostly been “tepid incremental changes,” which may be why even rumor-mill foldable renders are getting noticed. 2
According to Tom’s Guide, the CAD files—essentially the digital schematics for the device—depict a short and wide chassis, rounded corners along the outside, with a squared-off hinge edge. There’s a camera bar reminiscent of the iPhone Air. The report also calls the device “squat” when flipped open, echoing previous leaks that mentioned a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover screen. 3
According to MacRumors, leaker Instant Digital says Apple abandoned the clamshell design after deciding it didn’t offer a strong enough new use case. The hinge, the report notes, divided the internal space—making it tough to fit a larger battery and squeezing out camera hardware. 4
According to analyst Jeff Pu and MacRumors, expect an inner display around 7.8 inches and an outer screen measuring between 5.3 and 5.5 inches, both opting for a 4:3 aspect ratio—much closer to an iPad’s shape when the device is open. Pu has also indicated Apple is going with Touch ID, not Face ID, and will house the phone in a titanium-and-aluminum frame. 5
If Apple heads down this path, it would step directly into a space that Samsung has dominated since rolling out foldables back in 2019, with Huawei keeping up the pressure on Apple inside China. In January, Reuters said Samsung held close to two-thirds of the foldable market for the third quarter of 2025. Samsung’s TM Roh, who leads the mobile division, admitted growth in the segment has underwhelmed—blaming tough engineering and not enough apps—but he still predicts foldables will “go mainstream in the next two or three years.” In China, domestic foldables are making inroads at the high end, and that’s causing headaches for Apple, according to Canalys analyst Toby Zhu. 6
Back in September, IDC analyst Will Wong told Reuters the iPhone Air “may serve as a testbed for thin-and-light technology that could later be applied to a foldable iPhone.” That idea suddenly feels a lot less hypothetical. 7
The design isn’t locked in yet, and timing remains up in the air. Back in December, Ming-Chi Kuo noted Apple felt pressure to launch the device “even if the volume is small,” though he doesn’t expect steady shipments before 2027. Reuters, also in December, said foldables should stay below 3% of the smartphone market by 2027, squeezed by steep prices and tight supply. 8
Back in 2024, Reuters said Apple wasn’t just spitballing ideas for a foldable iPhone anymore—it was in active talks with suppliers in Asia over parts. From what can be gathered from the latest schematics, Apple seems to be favoring a design that unfolds into a pocket-sized tablet rather than echoing the old-school flip phone. 9
