Buying the rumored iPhone Fold may not set you back as much money as expected, according to new analysis from Swiss investment bank UBS and Jimmy Yoon (seen by Fortune).
The core reason for this is the analysis' estimate of the foldable iPhone's bill of materials - the total price a company pays for the parts for its products.
Because of Apple's ability to buy memory, chipsets and cameras for cheaper than rivals (likely thanks to the iPhone's prominence and Apple's capacity to bulk buy components), plus the now established supply chain for other parts, UBS estimates the iPhone Fold's bill of materials as $759. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold SE, the predecessor to the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, cost Samsung $790 per unit.
As a result, the UBS analysis predicts Apple will price the iPhone Fold between $1,800 and $2,000, when accounting for manufacturing and Apple's usual profit margin on its phones.
That would be at worst the same price as, if not cheaper than, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which now costs $2,000 in the U.S.. A much more appealing idea than the rumored $2,100 - 2,300 price we've heard before.
Limited quantities but a big impact
UBS' report also believes Apple will initially produce 10 - 15 million iPhone Folds, less than half of what just the Pro Max version of a given iPhone generation tends to sell. The report goes on to name various companies that will likely supply Apple and build the foldable iPhone, including Samsung Display, which will apparently build the 7-inch main display for the device.
Finally, UBS makes a prediction that the launch of the iPhone Fold will increase adoption of foldable devices across the whole market. And that seems like a safe bet. iPhone users make up a huge chunk of the smartphone market, and as tempting as the best foldable phones might be, they all currently run on Android. That benefit may also extend to larger folding tablets and laptops according to UBS, although there are fewer of these devices on the market.
While it's been six years since the first generation of foldable phones emerged, Apple's first foldable could cause a renaissance for the category. That big revival may still be some time coming though, as 2026 is the latest estimate for the launch date for the iPhone Fold.
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