iPhone Fold has taken a major step towards reality
Apple is on track to release the iPhone Fold before the end of the year and it may have hit a significant milestone in its development.
The iPhone Fold has taken a big step towards becoming a reality, according to a new leak claiming the foldable smartphone has gone into trial production ahead of the planned release before the end of the year.
According to the Weibo leaker Instant Digital (via 9to5Mac) the “iPhone Fold has now begun trial production at Foxconn,” which is Apple’s primary manufacturing partner for smartphones.
If accurate, that would be a significant milestone in the journey and would likely mean there are now working foldable iPhones now in existence. It’s likely there could still be some refinements, but a trial production run is usually geared towards ramping up for the main event. It would also suggest Apple is on schedule with the planned launch and that it won’t creep into next year.
A foldable iPhone has been around eight years in the making. Since Samsung spearheaded the foldables category with its Galaxy Z Fold range, iOS fans could only look on in envy.
Now that wait looks to be coming to a close, probably before 2026 is out. There’s debate over whether the iPhone Fold will arrive alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September this year, or whether a later, December launch will be decided upon.
Over the last few months reports have suggested Apple has mitigated the major drawback in the foldable category – the very visible crease down the centre of the book-like display. Samsung is reportedly providing the display and, at CES 2026, the company showed off a prototype showing a creaseless OLED display.
Stuff’s Connor Jewiss saw it in person. He wrote: “This new prototype is fairly impressive – it has no crease when you look at it from the front. When you tilt it and look at the screen from the side, the crease becomes more noticeable. But it’s leaps and bounds better that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or any other foldable phone I’ve used.”
Chris Smith
