Revealing groundbreaking features on Apple's first foldable iPhone

According to Mark Gurman, Apple's first foldable iPhone will be designed to open like a book, revealing a large inner screen, similar to existing Android foldable smartphones.

The highlight is the 4-camera system, including 1 on the front, 1 inside and 2 on the back. This arrangement allows the flexible device to operate like a regular iPhone when folded, with an external screen of about 5-6 inches and an accompanying selfie camera.

When opened, the large 8-inch screen activates an additional camera inside that acts as an active front camera. Meanwhile, the rear camera cluster includes a high-resolution main lens and a secondary lens, most likely ultra-wide or telephoto.

Notably, Apple may return to Touch ID instead of Face ID for biometric security. The reason comes from the challenge of thinness, the device when folded is predicted to be only about 9.5mm, meaning each half is less than 5mm - thinner than any previous iPhone model. With this limit, the complex TrueDepth system used for Face ID is difficult to integrate, and Apple will most likely put Touch ID in the power button on the side.

In terms of connectivity, the foldable iPhone will use an in-house cellular modem developed by Apple. After the C1 modem chip is already present on the iPhone 16e and the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, the foldable screen version is expected to be equipped with the next-generation C2 modem, supporting higher speeds. Like future iPhone models, this device will completely eliminate the physical SIM slot, only supporting eSIM.

While groundbreaking, the popularity of a foldable iPhone will largely depend on its price. High-end Android foldables currently cost $1,800 or more, and Apple is unlikely to go lower.

According to Gurman, the device will only come in two basic color options: black and white. Manufacturing partners are expected to start ramping up production lines early next year, preparing for a fall 2026 launch.

This is just the beginning of Apple's bold design roadmap. After the foldable iPhone, the company is expected to introduce an all-glass professional iPhone in 2027.

This year, users can expect the iPhone 17 with a design almost unchanged from the iPhone 16, except for the new rectangular camera cluster and the appearance of the iPhone 17 Air - the thinnest iPhone ever./.