SAN FRANCISCO, January 16, 2026, 09:20 (PST)
- Analyst Jeff Pu expects Apple to unveil a foldable iPhone in September 2026, according to a client note.
- Pu said the smartphone market could shrink in 2026 as memory costs rise, while Apple could gain share.
- Separate supply-chain talk points to a liquid-metal hinge and more titanium in the chassis.
Analyst Jeff Pu expects Apple to unveil a foldable iPhone in September 2026, bringing back Touch ID and using a 7.8-inch internal display with a 5.3-inch cover screen, according to a client note reported by 9to5Mac. Pu said global smartphone shipments could slip 4% next year, “primarily due to memory costs impact” in low-to-mid-end Android devices. He pegged iPhone shipments at 250 million units in 2026, up 2%, lifting Apple’s market share to 21%, the report said. (9to5Mac)
The note lands as handset makers brace for a slower 2026 and look for new shapes to keep consumers upgrading. Foldables have been around for years, but they still sell in small numbers and tend to skew expensive.
Apple has not confirmed a foldable iPhone, but earlier reports said it had reached out to Asian suppliers and assigned an internal code name to a foldable iPhone project, with launch timing as early as 2026. Samsung Electronics, which introduced foldable phones in 2019, and China’s Huawei and Honor have been pushing the format with thinner designs and artificial-intelligence features. (Reuters)
Pu’s note also points to Apple using an A20 Pro chip made on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process — a more advanced manufacturing step that can improve speed and power use — and adopting wafer-level multi-chip module packaging, which puts memory on the same wafer as the processor. MacRumors said the change could make the chip up to 15% faster and 30% more efficient than the prior generation, while also freeing space inside the handset for other components. The Pro models and the foldable are expected to share 12GB of LPDDR5 memory, a low-power standard used in phones, and Apple’s C2 modem, the report said. (MacRumors)
Separately, supply-chain talk suggests Apple may use a “liquid metal” hinge — an amorphous alloy designed to resist bending — and a revised titanium mix in the chassis to cut weight while keeping rigidity. MacRumors traced the claim to a Naver account that cited a material company source and noted Apple has held a long-running license with Liquidmetal Technologies. (MacRumors)
Reuters reported in September that Apple had held discussions with suppliers about test production of foldable iPhones in Taiwan, with an eye to mass production in India for a 2026 release, citing a Nikkei report. The plan involved a pilot line in Taiwan to fine-tune manufacturing steps before scaling, the report said. (Reuters)
But the foldable remains a moving target. Apple can still change the design or timing, and the category has a history of durability complaints — hinges, screens and creases — while high prices have kept foldables niche.
For now, investors and suppliers are left parsing analyst notes and component chatter ahead of Apple’s usual September iPhone window. Any shift in parts orders, or a hint in Apple’s product road map, would sharpen the bet that an iPhone Fold is finally moving off the whiteboard.
