There's a new iPhone shape doing the rounds, and for once it isn't just a bigger camera bump. Rumour has it Apple's building a folding iPhone. Half the internet thinks it's the most exciting thing to happen to your phone in a decade. The other half thinks it's a very expensive gamble. Fitting, for a phone with two sides.
We're somewhere in the middle: cautiously obsessed, and already thinking about what a phone that folds means for how you'll actually carry it, dress it and show it off
iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra?
Nobody's settled on a name yet, so bear with us. You'll see this latest iPhone model called "iPhone Fold" almost everywhere online, but a fair few outlets now reckon the real name might be "iPhone Ultra". Nobody outside Apple knows for sure, and we definitely don't, so treat both names as fair game until Apple says otherwise. We'll stick with iPhone Fold here because that's what you're searching for, but don't be surprised if it lands under something else entirely.
What's actually confirmed, and what's just chat
What we'd bet on, what we're side-eyeing, and what's pure (wishful) guesswork.
Safe bet: it gets announced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro line in September 2026. Plenty of outlets are lining up on this one, so it's about as solid as rumours get this far out.
Side-eyeing: whether you can actually buy it that month. Word is Apple might announce first and sell later. Sound familiar? Same move as the iPhone X back in 2017, which would put a real release closer to October.
Pure guesswork, honestly: anything about the timeline right now. One supply chain report says the hinge and screen durability tests are still causing headaches and could push things back a month or two. An earlier report, from the very same source, said production was humming along beautifully. Two stories, one supply chain, and one obvious conclusion: nobody outside Apple's building knows yet, and neither do we.
On price, analysts are landing somewhere north of two grand. Some say closer to $1,800, others reckon $3,000 for the top storage tier. Either way, plan for a big number, just not a specific one yet.
The bit that actually matters to us
Nobody's really talking about this part, and it's the part we’re excited about.
It's rumoured to be a book style fold, so you open it sideways like a slim little hardback. About 5.5 inches on the outside, 7.8 inches once you've opened it up. Around 4.5mm thin when open, which would make it the thinnest thing Apple's ever made, and closer to 9mm closed. The crease down the middle is apparently nearly invisible, which is the one engineering flex we're fully here for.
Then the plot twist. Leaked case designs reportedly show a camera cutout and a spot for MagSafe, but no Action Button cutout, and possibly no MagSafe ring at all. If that's real, it changes things. No MagSafe means your charging habits, your car mount and your wallet case situation all need a rethink.
We don't know yet whether that's fact or just what the current leaks show. What we do know is that it's the kind of detail that changes how a case has to work, not just how it looks. On the bright side: a new canvas to work with. We're not mad about that.
How it stacks up against Samsung's already-shipping foldable
Apple rumours stay hypothetical until they suddenly aren't. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 is already out there in real hands, and the internet has opinions. Some people are properly won over. Others would like their flat phone back, thank you. Either way it's the closest preview we've got, and worth a look before you decide how you feel about Apple's version.
Where The Dairy stands on all this
We won't pretend to know more than the leakers, and we're definitely not promising you a case for a phone that doesn't exist yet. What we can promise: we're watching the same questions, the same MagSafe question and the same "is it even coming in September" question as everyone else. The moment there's something real to design for, our artists are on it. New shape, same obsession.
Until then, no need to wait on a rumour to treat your phone with TLC. Have a look at what's already live, and join the waitlist so you see the freshest art first.
