Apple’s next wave of hardware is starting to take shape, and the leaks point to a very different lineup from the one iPhone and Mac owners know today. A large-format iPhone Fold, a tabletop robot that behaves more like a social companion than a smart speaker, and a refreshed stack of Macs built around new silicon all appear on the horizon. Taken together, the details sketch out a company preparing to stretch iOS and macOS into new form factors while quietly redefining what “personal device” means.
Rather than a single blockbuster product, the emerging picture is a coordinated roadmap that links the iPhone Fold, a coded tabletop robot project, and M5‑class Macs into one strategy. The leaks suggest Apple is not just iterating on screens and chips, but testing how far it can push its ecosystem into foldables, home robotics, and pro‑grade desktops without breaking the familiar experience that keeps people locked into its devices.
The iPhone Fold takes shape as a book-style flagship
The clearest signal in the current batch of leaks is that Apple is finally readying a book-style foldable iPhone aimed at the very top of its lineup. Multiple reports describe a device informally referred to as the iPhone Fold that would sit alongside the iPhone 18 Pro family, rather than replace the standard slab phones, positioning the foldable as a halo product for early adopters and heavy multitaskers. One roadmap even frames the iPhone Fold as arriving with the iPhone 18 Pro models next fall, tying the foldable directly to Apple’s most premium phones and suggesting it will share their camera and processor tier while offering a radically different form factor for people who want a pocketable tablet experience.
Behind that positioning is a long trail of development work that stretches back years, with reports that Macworld has described as Apple’s effort to build a book-style foldable that could be called the iPhone Fold. More recent leaks indicate that the company’s internal roadmap now pegs this device for late 2026 or a launch window tied to the iPhone 18 Pro cycle, with one report explicitly noting that Apple’s first foldable device could debut alongside those Pro models. That same roadmap points to a focus on hinge engineering and a display that aims to minimize creasing, even if it may not be “truly creaseless,” which underscores how central durability and visual quality are to Apple’s first entry into the foldable category.
Conflicting display leaks hint at Apple’s foldable priorities
Display size is where the iPhone Fold leaks get especially granular, and where the contradictions reveal what Apple seems to be optimizing for. One detailed report attributes to Joe Rossignol that Apple’s first foldable iPhone will feature a 7.7-inc inner screen, a figure that appears in a leak tied to Tuesday December and explicitly names Dec, Tuesday December, PST, Joe Rossignol, and Apple as part of the reporting context. A companion version of that leak clarifies the metric as a 7.7-inch inner display paired with a 5.3-inch outer panel, suggesting a compact cover screen that keeps the device usable one-handed while reserving the larger canvas for unfolded multitasking.
Earlier in the rumor cycle, another report described Apple’s first foldable iPhone as having a 7.8-inch inner display, a slightly larger figure that appears in a midyear note about Foldable iPhone display sizes and explicitly labels the story with Jul, Foldable, Display Sizes Leaked, and Apple. A separate rundown of expectations for next year’s iPhone Fold mentions that Estimates of the respective display sizes have varied, with 5.5 inches commonly suggested for the exterior display, reinforcing that the outer screen could land anywhere between 5.3-inch and 5.5 depending on final design choices, as summarized in a piece that literally opens with the phrase Estimates of the. Taken together, the 7.7-inch, 7.8-inch, 5.3-inch, and 5.5 figures all point to a device that unfolds to roughly small‑tablet territory while keeping the outer screen closer to a compact iPhone, which would differentiate it from taller, narrower Android foldables.
Battery, durability, and the “weirdly squat” design
Beyond raw dimensions, the leaks sketch a foldable that leans heavily into battery life and structural strength. One detailed breakdown of the device’s internal hardware notes that the iPhone Fold could carry the largest battery ever fitted to an iPhone, surpassing even the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 5,088 m capacity, a figure spelled out as 5,088 m in a report on breakthrough features that also names Dec and Pro Max. That kind of battery headroom would be critical for a device driving two sizable OLED panels and a complex hinge, and it suggests Apple is trying to avoid the endurance compromises that have dogged some rival foldables.
On the outside, leaked CAD renders describe the iPhone Fold as having a “weirdly squat” profile compared with the tall, narrow designs seen from Samsung and Google, with one analysis pointing out that for context, the iPhone Air has a thickness of 5.64mm and using that as a reference point for how thin Apple might try to make the unfolded chassis. Those same CAD-based reports emphasize a crease-less design for the main display and mention that The Information reported earlier this week that the device could ship as an eSIM-only variant, details that are bundled into a single look at iPhone Fold CAD renders and explicitly name Dec, Air, and The Information. Separately, a leak attributed to Digital Chat Station on Weibo describes the hinge strength as “very strong” and outlines a camera setup that mirrors high-end iPhones, with the report noting that Well-known leaker Digital Chat Station shared several alleged details about the iPhone Fold in a recent post on Weibo, as captured in a specs leak that also names Dec, Well, Digital Chat Station, Fold, and Weibo.
How a leaked iOS 26 prototype blew open Apple’s roadmap
The most revealing thread tying the iPhone Fold, the tabletop robot, and new Macs together is a single prototype device that should never have left Apple’s orbit. According to one detailed account, an Apple prototype running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared internal references to a long list of unreleased hardware. That leak, which explicitly calls out the research methods as a prototype and names Dec and Apple, lists codenames for products ranging from foldable iPhones to accessories and a mysterious Tabletop robot, all pulled from the same early software image and cataloged in a report on unreleased device codenames.
A separate overview of the same iOS 26 build describes how Following months of rumors, MacRumors’ look at an early build of iOS 26 revealed several products coming soon and notes that They include a foldable iPhone, new Macs, and a batch of smart home gear, language that appears verbatim in a rundown of leaked Apple products that also names Dec, Following, and They. Another synthesis of that same build, framed as a list of 20 leaked Apple products to look forward to in 2026, highlights how the software image references Smart home devices and wearables and notes that Finally, the build also mentions a tabletop robot, but this product likely will not ship on the same timeline as the rest, wording that appears in a piece on 20 leaked products that explicitly names Dec, Smart, and Finally. Together, these reports show how a single compromised build of iOS 26 effectively published Apple’s internal hardware roadmap for 2026 and 2027, including the iPhone Fold and the J595 robot.
The tabletop robot J595 and Apple’s push into home robotics
Among the codenames surfaced by that iOS 26 build, the most surprising is J595, labeled as a tabletop robot that looks far more ambitious than a stationary smart speaker. One roadmap describes Tabletop robot (J595) as Apple’s tabletop robot with a thin robotic arm and swivel base, expected to be a more powerful follow-up to earlier experiments and grouped alongside other future products like a set of augmented reality glasses, all in a forward-looking product roadmap that explicitly names Dec, Tabletop, and Apple. That description suggests a device that can move, gesture, and perhaps physically interact with objects on a desk or kitchen counter, rather than simply flashing lights or rotating like a smart display.
Earlier in the year, a separate report on Apple’s robotics research described a tabletop robot prototype that plays music and dances along to it as a social companion, with the team of researchers including Yuhan and others experimenting with lifelike movements and expressive behaviors. That account, which explicitly names Feb and Yuhan, notes that the robot can track faces, respond to people in the room, and shift its posture in ways that feel more like a pet than a gadget, details captured in a look at how Apple prototypes a tabletop robot. When I connect that research to the J595 codename in the iOS 26 build, it looks less like a one-off lab project and more like the early stages of a commercial product that could sit alongside the iPhone Fold as a flagship for Apple’s next hardware era.
From budget iPad to AI robots: how Apple is seeding the ecosystem
The tabletop robot does not exist in isolation, and the same rumor streams that mention J595 also point to a broader push into AI-driven devices that sit between phones, tablets, and traditional computers. One widely shared clip framed as Apple rumors about AI robots, a budget iPad, FaceTime safety, and more explicitly states that Aug 14, 2025 is when the host notes, “Uh Apple’s also cooking up a new budget iPad with the A 18 chip likely not dropping until next spring. Alright, so next…” tying Uh Apple and Alright into a casual but specific description of a cheaper tablet that would still carry a modern A‑series processor, as captured in an Instagram reel that names Aug, Uh Apple, and Alright. That budget iPad, if it arrives on schedule, would give Apple a lower-cost on-ramp for families and students who might later be interested in more experimental devices like a tabletop robot.
At the same time, the broader leak of Apple’s 2026 strategy underscores how the company is thinking about AI and robotics as part of a multi-year plan rather than a one-off gadget. One analysis notes that Dec 16, 2025 is when a major leak arrived alongside internal codenames for dozens of unreleased products, including new MacBooks and that mysterious tabletop robot, and frames the event as Apple just leaking its entire 2026 strategy, with a warning that the company could still change course on any of these unreleased products until official announcements. That perspective is captured in a piece titled along the lines of Apple Just Leaked Their Entire 2026 Strategy, which is linked through a discussion of how this leak arrived and explicitly names Dec. When I put that together with the J595 codename and the earlier robotics research, the pattern looks like Apple is quietly building an ecosystem where iPhones, iPads, Macs, and AI robots all share common chips, software frameworks, and cloud services.
M5 iMacs and the question “do we need them?”
On the Mac side, the leaks point to a busy 2025 and 2026 for desktops and laptops, even as some observers question how much headroom is left in Apple Silicon for everyday users. One detailed analysis of Apple Plans For Mac Computer Releases In 2025 And 2026 explicitly frames the question as “But Do We Need Them?” and notes that During 2024, Apple released M4-based systems that already pushed performance well beyond what most creative professionals require, before outlining According to ET News, posted on Februar, that more powerful M5-class chips are already in the pipeline, as captured in a piece literally titled Apple Plans For Mac Computer Releases In and explicitly naming Aug, Apple Plans For Mac Computer Releases In, But Do We Need Them, According, News, and Februar. The subtext is that Apple is on a relentless two-year cadence for new Mac chips, even if the average MacBook Air owner is still nowhere near saturating an M2 or M3.
Within that roadmap, one of the most intriguing products is a New M5 iMac model aimed at pro users, described in a leak that explicitly names Dec, New, Ryan Christoffel, and Commen and suggests a larger display aimed at professionals who want more screen real estate without stepping up to a separate Studio Display. That report, which is summarized in a piece about a New M5 iMac model, paints a picture of an all-in-one that revives some of the spirit of the old iMac Pro, but with Apple Silicon tuned for multi-stream 8K video editing, 3D rendering, and AI workloads. In that context, the question “do we need them?” becomes less about raw CPU benchmarks and more about whether Apple can carve out clear roles for each Mac in a lineup that now spans everything from fanless MacBook Airs to Mac Pro towers.
The elusive M5 Max iMac Pro and experimental MacBooks
Even more tantalizing is the suggestion that Apple is internally testing an iMac with an M5 Max chip that may never reach store shelves. One summary notes that Macworld reports that Apple is internally testing an iMac with an M5 Max chip, but this device may never be sold to the public, while also hinting at a glimmer of hope that a high-end iMac Pro-style machine could still arrive in the second half of 2026 if plans change. That perspective appears in a piece titled along the lines of an M5 Max iMac Pro reportedly existing but possibly never shipping, which is linked through a discussion of an M5 Max iMac Pro and explicitly names Dec, Macworld, Apple, and Max. If accurate, it suggests Apple is at least exploring how far it can push all-in-one desktops before thermal and cost constraints make them impractical compared with a Mac Studio plus external display.
Alongside desktops, the same data sources that exposed the iPhone Fold and J595 robot also hint at experimental MacBooks that could blur the line between laptop and tablet. One live feed of Apple rumors notes that MacRumors believes this A15 MacBook corresponds to the codename J267 and that In the same dataset, there is also a separate MacBook model with different color options, including pink and yellow, language that appears in a front-page summary on MacRumors’ homepage that explicitly names Dec and In the and references the dataset as the basis for the research. When I connect that A15 MacBook to the broader M5 roadmap, it looks like Apple is testing multiple tiers of portable Macs, some with ultra-efficient chips that prioritize battery life and color variety, and others with M5 Max-class silicon that may never leave the lab.
How all these leaks fit into Apple’s 2026–2027 strategy
Individually, the iPhone Fold, the tabletop robot J595, and the M5 Macs might look like separate product stories, but the leaks suggest they are all chapters in a single 2026–2027 strategy. One comprehensive roadmap explicitly lists the foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Macs, and more as part of Apple’s 2026 and 2027 product plans, tying the iPhone Fold to the same timeframe as the tabletop robot and new Mac desktops and laptops. That roadmap is summarized in a piece that describes Apple’s iPhone roadmap for the next two years and explicitly names Dec, Fold, Apple, and Pro, reinforcing that the foldable is not a side project but a pillar of the company’s near-term plans.
Another synthesis of the same leaks frames them as 20 leaked Apple products you should look forward to in 2026, highlighting how the iOS 26 build references everything from Smart home devices and wearables to the tabletop robot and new Macs, and noting that Finally, the build also mentions a tabletop robot, but this product likely will not ship on the same schedule as the rest. That framing appears in the same 20-product overview that names Dec, Smart, and Finally, and it underscores how Apple is staggering its most experimental hardware so that the ecosystem can absorb each new form factor in turn. When I step back from the individual rumors and look at the pattern, the message is clear: Apple is preparing to stretch the iPhone and Mac playbook into foldables and robotics, but it is doing so on a roadmap that keeps its core devices, from iPhone 18 Pro to M5 iMacs, firmly at the center of the story.
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