Foldable iPhone will be the first of many yearly successors
*Image credit — ConceptsiPhone The almost mythical foldable iPhone is finally seeming like a reality as more and more reports from inside the industry start making their way to us. And now a new source reveals that — just like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and its predecessors — the foldable iPhone will be a yearly release.Apple doesn't want to differentiate its foldable phone as a separate niche product category. Instead insiders claim that the foldable iPhone will be marketed as the top of the line iPhone going forward: snatching the crown from the Pro Max models. With that in mind I think we can also expect Apple's foldable to feature even better hardware than the Pro and Pro Max phones.
After such a long wait filled with rumors and speculation it should be reassuring for Apple fans that the foldable iPhone won't be a one-and-done treat. Nor will it be a unique phone that only sees a successor every few years like some other Apple products. No, Apple is determined to make the foldable iPhone a new stream of revenue and what better way to do that than to make it a yearly spectacle.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is currently the best Apple smartphone you can get. | Video credit — Apple
Apple has taken ages to finalize its foray into the foldable smartphone market. This is because the company reportedly wanted its entrance to be perfect and wants the foldable iPhone to be the talk of the town. It primarily hopes to achieve this by making a foldable phone that has an almost completely invisible crease. Apple is also hoping that its phone will rejuvenate the decaying foldable industry.
There are still conflicting reports of when the foldable iPhone will launch. Some reports claim that the phone will debut alongside a new mostly glass-based Pro model in 2027 for the 20th anniversary of the iPhone. Others, like the report about the foldable iPhone being a yearly release, maintain that the phone is coming out in 2026 alongside the iPhone 18.
Major competitors that the foldable iPhone will have to take on include the aforementioned Galaxy Z Fold 7 , the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Oppo Find N5. The Galaxy Z and Pixel Fold phones provide a much more superior AI experience with Gemini compared to Apple Intelligence. Meanwhile the Oppo Find N5 is a super slim and very impressive device that will probably cost less than Apple's offering.
The foldable iPhone is supposed to be another new option for Apple users just like the iPhone 17 Air which is slated to come out this year. Whether any of these two phones stick around or go the way of the mini and Plus models remains to be seen.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
39 minutes ago
- Phone Arena
Another AI project from Apple may just have gotten delayed — and it's one people actually wanted
Back in March, it was reported that Apple was developing an AI health assistant designed to integrate with the Health app. Internally codenamed "Mulberry," the feature was expected to bring more intelligent health tracking and suggestions to iPhone users, possibly as early as 2025. But according to new details shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, that timeline may have slipped now says Mulberry won't be ready in time for this year's WWDC and is currently being targeted for a spring 2026 release as part of iOS 26. That means Apple's first major AI health feature is at least another year away from public is one of several long-term AI projects Apple has been working on behind the scenes. The idea is to use large language models to power more personalized, proactive health support based on the data already stored in the Health app. Think of it as a doctor-like assistant that can identify trends, suggest preventative actions, or help users better understand their health metrics over time. Unlike traditional health-tracking features, which mostly collect and display raw data, Mulberry would likely be able to interpret that data in more conversational and contextual ways. Gurman previously mentioned that this system could also tie into Apple's other wellness tools, including mental health tracking and medication reminders, adding another layer of functionality to the Health app experience. Apple's Health app. | Image credit — Apple This delay is part of a broader trend we are seeing with Apple's AI development. Several of the company's most ambitious features, including an LLM-powered version of Siri and an AI-based version of Shortcuts, have also slipped to 2026. While Apple is still expected to talk about AI at this year's WWDC, the focus will likely be on foundational tools for developers rather than consumer-facing good news is that Mulberry hasn't been scrapped. Apple still sees healthcare as a major frontier for AI, especially as its devices continue to collect more biometric data through Apple Watch and iPhone sensors. But the delay means that any real-world benefits from this initiative are now at least a year away. If the spring 2026 launch holds, Mulberry could arrive as part of a mid-cycle update to iOS 26 , potentially alongside other health-related upgrades. Until then, Apple's AI doctor will remain a work in progress, one that might eventually redefine how we interact with our health data.
Phone Arena
2 hours ago
- Phone Arena
New macOS theme hints at something big
Apple insider Mark Gurman says in the latest edition of his newsletter Power On that macOS is about to undergo a new overhaul, and possibly get the moniker 'Tahoe'. This redesign will be part of the company's major rebranding effort that it will announce at WWDC ( Worldwide Developers Conference ) this macOS has, since 2013, been named after famous places found in the state of California. The company also has a habit of naming macOS with a very popular location's name when there is a major redesign or other overhaul to look forward to. These names also sometimes give a little indication of what users can expect from their MacBook and Mac computers going year, Apple is apparently naming the new version of macOS — macOS 26 — after Lake Tahoe. A gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains, this place is home to resorts and is also a famous vacation spot for people in the U.S. And, Gurman was able to spot something really Tahoe is known for showing the reflection of the sky and the surrounding mountains on its surface. As Gurman notes, this is very likely a hint at the overall redesign that every Apple operating system is getting this year. These redesign will be inspired by the company's visionOS, which powers the Apple Vision Pro headset. The visionOS user interface. | Image credit — Apple Gurman believes that macOS 26 will be a significant change over its predecessor. If I had to guess, we're going to get a lot more productivity-focused improvements. Apple is apparently bringing certain long-awaited macOS features to iPadOS this year, so it only stands to reason that macOS itself is getting new goodies too. While WWDC 2025 will be a much more subdued affair compared to last year's event, Apple is likely going to be announcing Apple Intelligence support for its developer tools. I wouldn't be surprised if similar small-scale AI support for certain features in macOS gets expanded on with Tahoe. Apple is saving its AI advancements for next year, when it hopes to catch up to Samsung and Google in that regard. This year's software overhaul is the company's way of getting the hype going without outright admitting that it has fallen behind in the tech industry's newest craze. Then again, given how most consumers feel about AI, Apple's redesign might be the most interesting announcement we see this year.
Phone Arena
2 hours ago
- Phone Arena
iPad users have been waiting over a decade for this app, and now it might actually happen
Instagram on iPad has long been one of the most requested and most delayed app experiences in the Apple ecosystem. And after years of speculation, it looks like Meta is finally getting close to delivering it. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Instagram for iPad is now in active development, with Meta employees already testing the app internally. If everything goes according to plan, a release could happen before the end of the year. This lines up with what we reported earlier this year, when it became clear that Meta was reconsidering its long-standing resistance to launching Instagram on Apple's tablets. For years, Instagram head Adam Mosseri had downplayed the need for an iPad version, suggesting the user base wasn't large enough to justify the effort. That stance seems to be shifting quickly. One of the reasons for the delay was technical. Instagram was originally built around square images and smaller screens, while the iPad's larger display posed unique design challenges. There were also concerns that low-resolution content might not scale well to a high-resolution tablet. Gurman notes that improved rendering tools and device capabilities have now made these obstacles easier to overcome. A concept of what Instagram could have looked like on an iPad back in 2020. | Image credit — Kevin Bhagat Another sign that things are changing is the recent launch of WhatsApp for iPad. Also owned by Meta, WhatsApp finally made its way to iPad earlier this year, offering full multi-device syncing and a more polished tablet interface. It's likely that Instagram will follow a similar model, whether through a fully native app or an iPad-optimized version of its web creators, the news is especially welcome. The iPad is already a go-to device for photographers, designers, and digital artists. Many of them rely on Instagram to share their work, but have been forced to use the mobile app or web version with limited functionality. A dedicated iPad app could finally offer the kind of full-screen layout and editing tools that make sense for the larger has not made an official announcement yet, and there's no guarantee the app will be revealed at WWDC. Still, internal testing is a strong indicator that the launch is no longer a question of if, but when. After more than a decade of waiting, it looks like the iPad is finally getting the Instagram app it deserves. The only real question left is how soon it arrives.
