Foldable iPhone just leaked — and it could be an 8-inch beast

iPhone Flip Concept
(Image credit: EverythingApplePro)

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo can't stop talking about iPhones these days. After detailing new iPhone 13 features like a smaller notch and bigger batteries and predicting a 2022 launch for a 5G iPhone SE, the well-connected Apple observer is now turning his attention to the iPhone Flip.

The iPhone Flip is the rumored foldable phone that everyone assumes Apple is working on but no one knows when it might appear. Kuo, in a research note spotted by 9to5Mac, is throwing his two cents in on a foldable iPhone, and if he's right, we're in for quite a wait.

Kuo doesn't expect to see a foldable iPhone before 2023. And even then, it's no certainty that the foldable will be shipping. In his note, Kuo says that Apple will have to "solve the foldable mobile device’s key technology" and make progress on bringing a 7.5- to 8-inch foldable device to mass production if it has any hope of delivering such a phone two years from now.

Kuo's forecast isn't out of line with what other people have said about the iPhone Flip. Bloomberg reported back in January that Apple was testing a prototype of a foldable phone, but had no concrete plans on shipping the device. Digitimes has been more aggressive, reporting that Apple may have a foldable ready by 2022.

Apple is reportedly eyeing two possible designs for the iPhone Flip — either a phone that opens up to reveal a tablet-sized screen, not unlike Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold devices, and a clamshell-style handset with a screen that flips open. If Kuo's timeline is accurate, it could be some time before we see which option Apple picks — if the iPhone Flip even surfaces at all.

It could be a big year for iPhones all around in 2023 based on Kuo's report. In addition to a foldable iPhone, he's also suggested the possibility that we could see a truly full-screen iPhone in 2023, with no notch and no cut-outs for front-facing cameras. Kuo expects the notch on the iPhone 13 to shrink this year, with the 2022 model turning to a punch-hole cutout in its display to house the front camera.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

Read more
iPhone Flip Concept
iPhone Flip now reportedly in 'planning stage' — here's what we know
Foldable iPhone concept image
Foldable iPhone leaker just tipped size of both displays
iPhone Flip Concept
Foldable iPhone and foldable iPad both just tipped for production next year
Rendered images of rumored foldable iPhone.
Massive foldable iPhone leak just tipped key specs, release window and a very high price
iPhone flip potential render
iPhone Flip: Has Apple already missed its moment to make a foldable phone?
iPhone Flip Concept
Apple foldable iPhone leaker just tipped a crazy big 12-inch screen — here's all the details
Latest in iPhones
iPhone Flip render
iPhone Flip could solve one of the biggest problems with foldable phones — here's how
iPhone 17 Air concept image
iPhone 17 Air just tipped for exclusive upgrade regular iPhone 17 won't get
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 18 may miss out on this performance upgrade — what we know
iPhone 17 Air render
iPhone 17 Air — 5 biggest revelations from new in-depth report
Zens Quattro Wireless Charging Pro 4 charging station with 3 iphones and an AirPods case
Double-decker 'AirPower' charger now available from Apple — here's what it costs
Foldable iPhone concept image
Are you sitting down? Here’s what the foldable iPhone could cost
Latest in News
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 features on outer cover display
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE may arrive 'months' after the Z Flip 7 — here's why
ExpressVPN logo above mobile devices
ExpressVPN lays off undisclosed number of employees
Poster for The Sex Lives of College Girls
'The Sex Lives of College Girls' canceled by Max after 3 seasons
A view of the ECOVACS Max Pro Omni in the docking station
ECOVACS' latest robot vacuum is packed with new features — and claims to tackle even the thickest carpets
Google Gemini logo
You can now use Google Gemini without an account — here's how to get started
Park Hae-soo as Kim Beom-jun in "Karma" on Netflix
Netflix’s latest crime thriller show just got a new trailer — and I can’t wait to see this ‘Squid Game’ star back in action