Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone is starting to look less like a science project and more like a calculated bet on the next decade of mobile design. Fresh leaks point to a crease-free inner display and a radically engineered hinge, paired with a price that could push the device into ultra-luxury territory. If the reports hold, the iPhone Fold will try to solve the biggest pain points of current foldables while asking buyers to pay more than for any iPhone before it.
The emerging picture is of a device that treats the fold not as a gimmick but as a flagship feature, backed by custom glass, complex internal plates, and a hinge system that has been years in the making. The question is not just whether Apple can deliver a screen that looks flat, but whether the combination of design, durability, and ecosystem integration will justify a rumored price that rivals a high-end laptop.
Crease-free ambition meets ultra-premium pricing
The central promise of the iPhone Fold is simple: a flexible display that, when opened, looks and feels like a regular iPhone screen rather than a sheet of plastic with a visible groove down the middle. Supply chain chatter suggests that Apple and its partners have been working specifically to eliminate the crease that has defined early foldables, with internal teams reportedly focused on how the panel bends and how stress is distributed along the hinge. That ambition is not just cosmetic, it is an attempt to make a foldable feel like a natural evolution of the iPhone rather than a compromise.
That ambition appears to come with a steep bill. One report pegs the target price around $2,400, positioning the Fold well above the current Pro line and into a bracket usually reserved for fully loaded MacBook configurations. The same reporting links that figure to the complexity of the crease-free display and the hinge, alongside the usual high-end components for chips, memory, and storage. If that pricing holds, Apple will be asking early adopters to pay a premium not just for a new form factor, but for the privilege of being first in line for its most experimental iPhone yet.
How Apple is trying to erase the fold line
Getting rid of the crease is not a matter of wishful thinking, it is a physics problem. When a flexible OLED panel bends, the outer layers stretch while the inner layers compress, and over thousands of cycles that stress concentrates along a narrow axis. Engineers have to decide where that stress goes, how sharply the panel bends, and how much room the display has to move as the device opens and closes. The emerging leaks suggest Apple is trying to spread that stress over a broader curve so the eye no longer catches a permanent line in the middle of the screen.
One detailed breakdown explains that When a foldable display bends along its hinge axis, the material on the outer curve stretches while the material on the inner curve compresses, and that repeated motion is what has produced the visible crease on rival devices. The same analysis points to a hinge and support structure that encourage the panel to bend in a gentler arc instead of pinching along a single tight radius. If Apple can consistently control that geometry, the Fold’s inner display could look closer to a flat slab of glass, even after years of use.
Ultra-thin glass, hidden plates, and the anatomy of the screen
Underneath the marketing promise of a smooth display is a stack of materials that has reportedly been in development for several product cycles. Apple is said to be testing ultra-thin glass that can flex without shattering, while still feeling more like a traditional iPhone panel than the soft plastic covers used on some early foldables. The company is likely transitioning from earlier cover materials to this new glass as it refines manufacturing and long-term reliability targets, a shift that would be essential if the Fold is to avoid the scuffs and dents that plagued first-generation devices from competitors.
Reporting on those tests notes that Apple is likely currently transitioning from earlier cover solutions to ultra-thin glass as it works toward what could become Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever. Separate leaks describe internal plates that sit beneath the panel, made from metal and designed to disperse pressure so that taps and presses do not leave permanent marks on the flexible surface. In one set of renders, the video stresses that Apple is using a long pill-shaped plateau on the back, inspired by the iPhone Air and housing the camera system, while inside, a pressure-dispersing metal plate supports the foldable display, details that surface in Air and focused leaks.
The hinge: from cost driver to strategic component
If the display is the star, the hinge is the unsung co-lead. The Fold’s hinge has to manage the panel’s bending radius, keep dust out, and feel smooth over tens of thousands of cycles, all while staying thin enough to avoid a bulky spine. Industry analysts say Apple has spent years refining this mechanism, not just for durability but for cost, since the hinge is one of the most expensive single components in any foldable phone. The company appears to be betting that a more efficient design can eventually bring prices down or at least protect margins once the first wave of early adopters has passed.
One pricing analysis notes that Whether the reduction in hinge price will reduce the retail price or simply bolster Apple’s margins is still an open question, even as the company works to cut costs on elements such as the hinge. Earlier commentary on the supply chain also highlighted how, In January, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc, described itself as the foremost supplier of applications for zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses and the world’s largest manufacturer of BMG products, a reminder of how specialized hinge materials have become in the broader foldable race. However, based on the available reporting, any direct use of those materials in the iPhone Fold’s hinge remains unverified.
Touch ID, thin sides, and the trade-offs of a new form factor
Beyond the screen and hinge, the Fold is expected to make some notable changes to the way people unlock and hold their iPhones. One of the more striking claims is that Apple may skip Face ID on this model in favor of a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. That would be a significant departure from recent flagships, but it would also align with the physical constraints of a device that needs to work both folded and unfolded, with different screen orientations and bezel sizes.
According to one report, buyers should expect the Fold to feature a thin body and a side-mounted Touch ID sensor, even though the smartphone will still aim for a crease-free iPhone Fold display supported by metal plates beneath the panel. Those plates are said to be made from a robust alloy to spread out pressure, and early pricing chatter in the same report suggests the device could cost up to $2,500 in some configurations. The combination of a thinner frame, side-mounted biometrics, and a complex internal support structure underscores how every design decision on the Fold is intertwined with the engineering needed to make the screen bend without breaking.
From renders to hands-on: what the leaks actually show
So far, the public’s view of the iPhone Fold has come through a mix of CAD-based renders, supply chain diagrams, and at least one alleged hands-on with a prototype. The renders emphasize a tall outer display, a wide inner canvas, and a camera island that borrows from the iPhone Air, with a long pill-shaped plateau on the back that houses the lenses. Inside, the focus is on how the panel meets the hinge, with the video stressing that Apple is using a pressure-dispersing metal plate to support the flexible OLED and reduce the risk of a visible groove.
In a separate clip, a creator claims to have tried a leaked Fold unit alongside an iPhone 17 Pro, noting that the outer screen measures 6.2 inches and comparing the feel of the hinge and display to the current Pro hardware. The side-by-side comparison, even if unofficial, hints at how Apple might position the Fold relative to its mainstream phones: not as a replacement for the Pro line, but as a parallel option for people who want a compact device that opens into a small tablet. Until Apple shows real hardware, all of these glimpses remain provisional, yet they collectively sketch a device that is slimmer and more polished than many first-generation foldables from rival brands.
Conflicting signals on whether the crease is truly gone
For all the confident talk of a flat inner display, not every leak agrees that Apple has fully cracked the crease problem. Some supply chain sources say the company has solved “the crease problem” that has plagued most foldable smartphones, suggesting that the engineering validation phase is going smoothly and that the Fold is on track for a launch in the second half of 2026. Those accounts describe a device that has moved beyond lab experiments into more mature testing, with partners ramping up to support mass production.
Other reporting is more cautious. One fresh leak argues that All the signs are pointing towards the first foldable iPhone shipping sometime during 2026, but that Apple has not quite managed to make the device completely free from creases. Another detailed look at the rumor mill frames the debate under the heading Why This Claim Matters, noting that the crease is not a bug but a natural consequence of bending an OLED panel repeatedly along the same line. Until production hardware appears, the safest reading is that Apple has likely reduced the crease significantly, but whether it is truly invisible in everyday use remains unverified based on available sources.
Launch timing, model lineup, and the wider foldable ecosystem
On timing, the rumor consensus is converging. Multiple reports now point to a debut in the second half of 2026, with one detailed forecast arguing that the strongest consensus points to September 2026 as the moment when the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold arrive together. That would place the Fold alongside Apple’s most popular premium models, signaling that it is not a side project but a core part of the lineup, even if its price and volume keep it niche at first.
One analysis of that roadmap notes that Pro Max and the rest of the iPhone 18 family are expected to launch alongside the Fold, creating a three-tier structure that ranges from standard slabs to the new foldable form factor. Another report, Citing supply chain sources at UDN, says that Apple has solved “the crease problem” and that a 2026 launch as planned is entirely plausible, reinforcing the idea that the device is now in an advanced stage of development. At the same time, broader ecosystem rumors describe an iPad Fold and foldable MacBook concepts, with one overview calling the iPhone Fold “The Flagship of Apple Foldables” and noting that Among all the rumored devices, the Fold is expected to lead the way in a compact, flexible form.
Why Apple is willing to charge laptop money for a phone
Even in a world of four-figure smartphones, a $2,400 price tag stands out. The Fold’s rumored cost reflects not only the complexity of the display and hinge, but also Apple’s strategy of entering new categories at the very top of the market. One detailed breakdown of the supply chain says that Apple has successfully developed a crease-free display and a sophisticated hinge, and that the device is expected to be the company’s most expensive iPhone ever, with a potential release in September 2026. That same reporting suggests that the combination of custom glass, intricate mechanics, and high-end silicon leaves little room for a budget-friendly first-generation model.
Another look at the economics notes that In the process of developing the Fold, Apple mastered the tech behind the hinges and display, but the result is a device that may cost around $2,400 at retail. Separate supply chain chatter mentions that teams from Apple, NewRixing, and Amphenol have been collaborating on key components, with one report summarizing that “Creaseless comes at a cost” as those partners work on the display and hinge systems that enable the foldable design, a point underscored in Creaseless focused coverage. For Apple, the bet is that a subset of users will accept laptop-level pricing in exchange for a device that can replace both a phone and a small tablet, especially once the broader foldable ecosystem of iPad and MacBook concepts begins to take shape.
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