iPhone Fold: Apple’s Crease‑Free $2,400 Foldable iPhone Is Getting Real – Design, Price, Heated Display Patent and 2026 Launch Leaks

Apple’s long‑rumored foldable iPhone – widely referred to as “iPhone Fold” – is rapidly moving from speculation to something that looks very close to a finished product. In the last few days we’ve seen new reports on its price, design, production status, and even a fresh Apple patent for a heated foldable display, all pointing to a premium, crease‑free foldable expected around September 2026. ^[1]

Below is a detailed, up‑to‑date roundup of everything that’s emerged up to today, November 28, 2025, including key points from Windows Central, CNET’s reporting (via syndications), ExtremeTech, Y.M. Cinema, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and today’s regional coverage.

Key iPhone Fold rumors at a glance (November 28, 2025)

Based on multiple independent reports and analyst notes, here’s where the iPhone Fold stands right now:

Form factor: Book‑style foldable, shorter and wider, inspired by Microsoft’s retired Surface Duo rather than the tall, skinny Galaxy Fold style. ^[2]
Displays:
- ~5.5‑inch outer (cover) display
- ~7.7–7.8‑inch inner foldable display, closer to an iPad mini in feel. ^[3]
Crease‑free screen: Supply‑chain reports say Apple and Samsung have eliminated the visible crease, positioning this as the first truly crease‑free foldable phone. ^[4]
Production status: The device has reportedly moved into engineering validation testing (EVT) with around 100 units produced for internal testing. ^[5]
Price range: Analysts now converge around $2,000–$2,500, with several reports narrowing to about $2,399, making it Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever. ^[6]
Battery: Rumors point to a 5,000 mAh+ battery, potentially the largest ever in an iPhone, thanks to high‑density cells. ^[7]
Cameras:
- 24‑megapixel under‑display camera in the inner screen (industry first if it ships).
- Standard front hole‑punch camera on the outer display.
- 48‑megapixel dual‑lens rear camera system. ^[8]
Biometrics: Multiple reports suggest Touch ID in the power button instead of Face ID. ^[9]
Chip & lineup: Expected to launch as part of the iPhone 18 family in September 2026, powered by Apple’s A20 2‑nm chip alongside iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. ^[10]
Name: Internally and across the rumor mill, the device is almost universally referred to as “iPhone Fold”, though Apple hasn’t confirmed branding. ^[11]

Everything below is still unconfirmed, but together the leaks form a surprisingly consistent picture of Apple’s first foldable iPhone.

Apple’s foldable iPhone enters engineering validation

The most important development this week is that the iPhone Fold appears to have crossed a major milestone in Apple’s hardware pipeline.

A detailed report from 9to5Mac, citing Chinese outlet UDN and supply‑chain sources, says Apple has: ^[12]

Achieved a “breakthrough” in eliminating the crease on the foldable display.
Moved the project into engineering validation / verification testing (EVT).
Produced around 100 iPhone Fold units at this stage to stress‑test the design.

Apple’s EVT phase usually comes after early prototype work and before full mass‑production tooling. Devices at this stage tend to be close to the final hardware in size, shape and key components, even if software and fine‑tuning are still underway.

MacRumors independently corroborates that the foldable iPhone has entered engineering validation, describing it as a book‑style foldable iPhone expected in 2026 and repeating that the crease issue has been “solved” according to UDN’s sources. ^[13]

Taken together, that suggests Apple is no longer just experimenting in the lab. The company appears to be actively preparing a product it expects to ship in roughly 10–12 months – likely aligned with the September 2026 iPhone 18 launch window. ^[14]

Surface Duo–style design: short, wide and multitasking‑friendly

Where many Android foldables went tall and skinny, Apple looks set to go in the opposite direction.

According to Windows Central, recent iPhone Fold CAD leaks and dimension rumors point to a device that’s shorter and wider, with an outer 5.5‑inch screen and a roughly 7.8‑inch inner display. The report notes that this is strikingly close to Microsoft’s discontinued Surface Duo, which many power users loved for its tablet‑like feel when open and comfortable typing when held with two hands. ^[15]

Several outlets, including AppleInsider and MacRumors, echo similar sizing:

Inner display in the 7.7–7.8 inch range.
Outer “phone” display around 5.5 inches, with a higher pixel density tailored to typical iPhone use. ^[16]

Why this matters:

A wider inner screen makes split‑screen multitasking more comfortable; apps don’t feel squeezed the way they can on narrow foldables.
Video and games benefit from a more traditional widescreen aspect ratio, reducing black bars.
The shorter, wider body should be easier to use one‑handed when closed compared to tall “remote control”‑style foldables.

Windows Central goes so far as to call this “genuinely great news” for former Surface Duo fans – essentially suggesting Apple is adopting the best part of the Duo’s ergonomics while avoiding its software and reliability missteps. ^[17]

The crease problem: why Apple’s approach is different

Nearly every foldable phone launched so far suffers from a visible crease where the display bends. That’s the trade‑off users have learned to tolerate. Apple is clearly trying to remove that compromise altogether.

Multiple reports from UDN, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, Smartprix, and ChannelNews describe a common technical story: ^[18]

Samsung Display is building the inner OLED panel for the iPhone Fold.
Apple has redesigned the panel structure, materials, and lamination stack on top of Samsung’s base.
A new hinge system, co‑developed with suppliers such as NewRixing and Amphenol, uses Liquid Metal components to spread the bending stress more evenly across the fold.
Together, these changes aim to eliminate the permanent groove that forms in most foldable screens after repeated opening and closing.

MacRumors, summarizing UDN’s report, states that Apple’s foldable is expected to be the first foldable smartphone on the market with a truly crease‑free inner display – assuming competing devices don’t quietly solve the problem first. ^[19]

This is echoed in today’s coverage on several sites. An article syndicated via inkl literally headlines the device as the “first truly crease‑free foldable phone, according to supplier.” ^[20]

If accurate, this would become a headline feature that differentiates the iPhone Fold from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and other established foldables, which still show a visible line down the middle under most lighting conditions. ^[21]

New patent spotlight: a heated, self‑protecting foldable display

Alongside the hardware leaks, Apple is also laying legal groundwork for more robust foldable displays.

On November 27, 2025, cinema‑tech outlet Y.M. Cinema highlighted a newly published Apple patent titled “Flexible Displays With Heating Elements,” describing built‑in heaters inside a foldable display stack. ^[22]

Coverage in Japanese and Vietnamese tech media, which closely examined the filing, outlines the key ideas: ^[23]

The display includes a transparent heating layer embedded in or near the flexible cover material (for example, a polymer layer).
Temperature and strain sensors monitor the fold region; if conditions are too cold or stress too high, the system can:
- Gently pre‑warm the folding area before the user opens or closes the device.
- Limit hinge movement or even temporarily lock it to prevent damage.
By keeping the material slightly warm in extreme cold, the patent aims to reduce cracking, wrinkling and long‑term crease formation.
Apple explicitly mentions use‑cases like field work and professional content creation, where devices might be used outdoors in harsh temperatures.

The patent doesn’t say “this is for the iPhone Fold” – patents almost never do – but the timing, the “flexible display” language, and the industry’s focus on foldables make that connection hard to ignore. The concept also dovetails nicely with Apple’s broader interest in self‑healing or self‑preserving display technologies, referenced in earlier patent work on self‑healing screens. ^[24]

Whether this heated‑display technology will ship in the first‑generation iPhone Fold or a later model is unknown. But the patent helps explain why Apple seems confident it can address durability concerns that still plague some foldables today.

Sticker shock: iPhone Fold price may hit $2,399

The other big storyline today is price – and it’s not for the faint of heart.

What analysts are saying

Several independent sources now cluster around a starting price near $2,399 in the US:

A CNET‑sourced report summarized by APH Networks cites Chinese publication UDN and analyst house Fubon Research, saying Apple has moved to pre‑mass production and that the iPhone Fold could cost up to $2,399, making it more expensive than top Android foldables. ^[25]
A fresh piece from Smartprix, updated November 25, attributes the same $2,399 estimate to analyst Arthur Liao at Fubon Research, noting that earlier expectations of $1,800–$2,100 have been revised upward because of the crease‑free screen, liquid‑metal hinge and rising component costs. ^[26]
Today, ChannelNews in Australia translates that into local pricing, warning that the device could land around A$3,700, positioning it firmly as an ultra‑premium flagship. ^[27]
Vietnamese outlet Báo Nghệ An similarly headlines that the iPhone Fold may launch at $2,399, calling it potentially “the most expensive iPhone in history.” ^[28]

MacRumors’ feature on the foldable iPhone’s “three breakthrough features” broadly agrees, citing expectations that the phone will sit somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500, again with $2,399 as a central figure. ^[29]

How that compares to rivals

ChannelNews and Smartprix both point out that such a price tag would out‑price almost every major foldable competitor: ^[30]

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – around $2,020–$2,420 at the very top end for 1 TB models.
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold – roughly $1,800–$2,000.
Other foldables, like the Honor Magic V5 or vivo X Fold 5, tend to top out in a similar or lower band. ^[31]

Put simply, if these numbers hold, the iPhone Fold is poised to become both the most expensive iPhone and one of the priciest foldable phones on the market.

Analysts argue that Apple is comfortable with this because: ^[32]

The device is expected to pack cutting‑edge components (crease‑free OLED, Liquid Metal hinge, 2‑nm A20 chip).
It will likely be positioned as a halo product above even the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Apple typically avoids discounting or aggressive introductory promotions on such flagship devices.

Rumored specs and features in more detail

Beyond the headline price and crease‑free display, several consistent specs are emerging across leaks and analyst reports.

Displays and cameras

MacRumors’ deep‑dive into the foldable iPhone’s “three breakthrough features” outlines the following rumored spec sheet: ^[33]

Main (inner) display:
- Approximately 7.8 inches when unfolded.
- Book‑style design, more like a compact tablet than a tall phone.
Cover (outer) display:
- Around 5.5 inches.
- Resolution and pixel density similar to current non‑foldable iPhones.
Camera system (4 total):
- 1x outer front camera in a hole‑punch cutout.
- 1x inner under‑display camera at 24 megapixels, touted as an industry first for under‑screen camera resolution.
- 2x 48‑megapixel rear cameras in a dual‑lens array.

The under‑display camera, in particular, would require sophisticated optical engineering to maintain image quality while looking through active pixels – a problem that has limited most Android foldables to low‑resolution, often soft‑looking inner cameras.

Battery and endurance

On the battery side, JP Morgan research and several Asian‑language leaks, aggregated by MacRumors, suggest that Apple is testing high‑density cells in the 5,400–5,800 mAh range, with insiders insisting the final capacity will “definitely” exceed 5,000 mAh. ^[34]

That would make iPhone Fold the largest‑battery iPhone to date, edging past even the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s ~5,088 mAh cell, and bringing it closer to the top of the foldable class (though still short of some 6,000 mAh monsters from Chinese brands). ^[35]

Biometrics, chips and connectivity

Rumors compiled by MacRumors and Windows Central point to a few other notable decisions: ^[36]

Touch ID in the power button instead of Face ID, possibly due to the complexity of under‑display Face ID on a foldable panel.
A20 2‑nm SoC for the foldable and iPhone 18 Pro models, promising major performance and efficiency gains.
An eSIM‑only design, in line with Apple’s broader move away from physical SIM trays.
At least some rumors hint at a hybrid iOS / iPadOS‑style experience, especially when the device is unfolded and used more like a small tablet.

If all of this pans out, the iPhone Fold could effectively serve as a spiritual successor to the iPad mini for many users – a pocketable, always‑with‑you device that opens into something much closer to an 8‑inch tablet. ^[37]

Today’s coverage: what changed on November 28, 2025?

While many of the core leaks date back to earlier this week, today’s stories add important color:

ChannelNews (Australia) put hard local numbers on the rumored price, pegging the iPhone Fold at around A$3,700 and emphasizing that Apple’s component choices – crease‑free OLED, Liquid Metal hinge – are directly driving the premium. ^[38]
Multiple regional outlets in Asia and Europe echoed the $2,399 pricing and “most expensive iPhone ever” framing, often tying it to Apple’s broader 2026 strategy of splitting iPhone 18 launches into high‑end models in fall 2026 and cheaper variants in spring 2027. ^[39]
The Y.M. Cinema patent story about heated foldable displays gained traction across Reddit, X, and local tech blogs, sparking discussion about whether Apple’s foldable will be more reliable in cold climates than early Android rivals. ^[40]

In other words, November 28 didn’t bring an all‑new leak so much as solidified a narrative:

Apple is preparing an ultra‑premium, crease‑free foldable iPhone for 2026, backed by aggressive display and hinge engineering, and it will likely cost significantly more than any iPhone before it.

What it means for Apple – and for the foldable market

If Apple delivers what these reports suggest, the iPhone Fold could reshape expectations in the foldable category in several ways:

Raising the hardware bar
- A genuinely crease‑free inner display would immediately become the new benchmark, pushing Samsung, Google and others to respond. ^[41]
- A heated display architecture – even if it ships later – directly tackles long‑term durability concerns that have kept some buyers away from foldables. ^[42]
Re‑entering the “mini‑tablet phone” niche
- By borrowing the short, wide feel of Microsoft’s Surface Duo, Apple could win over users who loved that device’s ergonomics but wanted better software and support. ^[43]
Creating a new ultra‑premium tier
- Pricing north of $2,000 – and possibly right at $2,399 – suggests Apple sees the iPhone Fold as a halo product above even the Pro Max line, with volumes that are meaningful but not mass‑market in year one. ^[44]
Strategic timing with iPhone 18
- Aligning the foldable with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup in fall 2026, while pushing cheaper iPhone 18 models into spring 2027, gives Apple room to let the Fold dominate the stage and signal a new era for the iPhone brand. ^[45]

When will we know for sure?

As of today, November 28, 2025, Apple has not officially announced the iPhone Fold, its name, its price or its launch date. Everything described above comes from supply‑chain leaks, analyst notes, patents, and media investigations, not Apple’s own marketing.

However, the convergence of:

EVT‑stage production with ~100 units reportedly built, ^[46]
Repeated claims of a crease‑free display from independent sources, ^[47]
Patents describing heated, flexible displays, ^[48]
And a consistent 2026 timeframe across MacRumors, AppleInsider, Smartprix and others, ^[49]

strongly suggests that Apple’s first foldable iPhone is now on a clear track toward a fall 2026 debut.

Until then, expect more leaks on software features, accessories, and final branding – and almost certainly more debate about whether a $2,400 foldable iPhone is the future of mobile computing or a niche luxury gadget.

iPhone Fold (2026) - Apple's FINALLY Doing It!

Watch this video on YouTube.

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