Foldable phones have, from the beginning, attempted to bridge the weird gap between smartphones and tablets. According to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to make that more explicit with the forthcoming iPhone Fold.
When unfolded, the new iPhone would feature an iOS version that would enable iPad-esque layouts and side-by-side apps. The interior display is expected to be around 7.8 inches, roughly the same size as an iPad mini.
The difference is that the Fold is supposed to feature a 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display, similar to that of last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Apple reportedly wants the 4:3 ratio to make the Fold more appealing for watching videos and to make it easier to redesign iPhone apps to be closer to iPad versions.
Apple is supposed to debut a more iPad-esque version of iOS at WWDC 2026 later this year. It would include sidebars on the left side of the screen, similar to iPad apps. However, this won't be iPadOS on a phone; it's supposed to be a modified version of iOS.
That means there will be sacrifices. The foldable iPhone won't be able to run several windows at once like the iPad mini, aside from handling two side-by-side apps. It also won't have some of the more desktop-like features in iPad OS.
FaceID and cameras
According to Gurman, Apple is forgoing Face ID for the iPhone Fold because the front panel is too thin to accommodate the sensor array. Instead, it will feature a hole-punch design with Dynamic Island.
Similarly, the interior display will feature a small hole-punch cutout for a camera. The rear of the phone should feature two cameras similar to the vanilla iPhone 17.
Like Samsung's offerings, the iPhone Fold won't come cheap and could start at around $2,000.
