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Apple's First Foldable iPhone: Praised by Testers but With Trade-offs in Price and Camera

Early testers praise Apple's first foldable, but no telephoto and a $2,000+ price may limit appeal.

AI News Feed · 2026-08-24 15:11

Multiple sources indicate that Apple chose a book-style foldable design with an approximately 5.5-inch external display and a 7.8-inch internal display, a ratio close to 4:3. When folded, the device resembles an iPhone mini; when unfolded, it switches to an interface similar to an iPad. Ming-Chi Kuo previously reported these dimensions.

The software experience appears to be already prepared in iOS 27, which adds horizontal layouts to system apps and introduces parameters like foldState and angleDegrees in Xcode 27 for developers. Apple has urged developers to adapt apps to different sizes and aspect ratios.

The hinge is said to be of higher quality to make the crease nearly invisible, with a special metal support structure to spread stress. Supply chain reports suggest the phone measures about 4.5mm unfolded and 9 to 9.5mm folded. It will reportedly use titanium and aluminum, include Apple's second-generation C2 modem, and remove the physical SIM slot.

The camera system will include four lenses: one on the outer screen, one on the inner screen, and a dual rear camera. The rear cameras are said to be a 48-megapixel main and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide, with no telephoto lens. This makes the most expensive iPhone less capable in photography than the Pro lineup, a compromise that could disappoint high-end users.

Another compromise is that Face ID will be replaced by Touch ID integrated into the side power button, a design used on iPads, to save internal space and keep the device thin.

The foldable phone market remains niche. Gurman cited data that foldables accounted for about 1.6% of global smartphone shipments in 2025. In China, however, foldables surpassed 10 million units last year, representing more than half of global shipments. This makes China a key market for Apple's first foldable.

With a price above $2,000, the first foldable iPhone is not intended for mass sales, but rather as a flagship to attract attention and drive the ecosystem toward a unified large-screen experience. It is expected to appeal to a small group of early adopters willing to accept first-generation trade-offs.