As part of a three-year revamp of the iPhone lineup, Apple is expected to launch a foldable iPhone next year. According to a new analyst note from Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is fairly bullish on the iPhone Fold.
Kuo claims that Apple is planning to produce between 8 and 10 million iPhone Folds next year, a not insubstational amount. But he adds that Apple wants to double that number in 2027. Based on this report, Apple seems to believe that its version of a foldable phone will be in high demand.
Kuo's note is mostly about the company GIS and how it will underpin the display technology that features on the foldable iPhone, but the report contains a number of interesting claims. For one, the displays will reportedly feature ultra-thin glass, a more expensive type of smartphone glass mostly because it's a bit more fragile.
The same glass will be used on a foldable iPad, and Kuo says it will significantly increase the price per unit cost of the glass. Potentially, this means that both a foldable iPhone and a folding iPad could be much more expensive than existing iPhones and iPads.
Launch years
The analyst note indicates that the foldable iPhone will launch in 2026, which aligns with most current rumors regarding the iPhone Fold.
We don't have a specific date or month for the launch yet, but you'd imagine the launch would take place in September, the usual release month for iPhones. The iPhone 17, for example, is set to be announced on September 9 this year during Apple's Awe Dropping event.
The foldable iPad is expected to drop in 2028, with a much smaller order of between 500,000 and 1 million units. Again, this aligns with previous rumors that a giant foldable iPad Pro will launch then.
In recent years Apple has released its newest tablets in the spring. With the caveat that things could change in the next three years, it's possible that Apple would stick to that schedule going forward.
Apple Vision Air
Surprisingly, Kuo's note mentions that GIS will also be making pancake lenses for a cheaper Apple Vision Air headset. The current Vision Pro headset uses pancake lenses.
According to Kuo, the Vision Air will launch in 2027, a little bit later than the most recent rumors which had it arriving in late 2026.
Kuo added that the new headset will be 40% lighter and 50% cheaper than the Vision Pro. That would make the Vision Air around half a pound, versus the 1.3-pound Vision Pro. The price would drop from the Vision Pro's substantial $3,500 to around $1,750.
He added that an M5 version of the Vision Pro will launch at some point before the end of 2025.
If all three devices do launch in the next three years, it's a big change to Apple's lineup that has perhaps been a long time coming.
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