APPLE MAY BE TESTING IPHONE FOLD FEATURES WITH THE IPHONE AIR
iPhone Air: Apple’s Ultra-Thin Foray as a Stepping Stone to 2026’s Rumored iPhone Fold
Apple’s newly launched iPhone Air—on the market for less than a month—may not just be a standalone ultra-thin flagship, but a critical design testbed for the company’s long-awaited foldable smartphone, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The analyst argues that the iPhone Air’s foray into the ultra-thin segment represents an incremental step before Apple makes its “ultimate leap” into foldable territory with the rumored iPhone Fold.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman detailed that the anticipated iPhone Fold is poised to feature a design best described as “two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side.” This aligns with widespread speculation that the sleek iPhone Air—headlined by its titanium frame and IP68 water and dust resistance—was built to validate technologies for Apple’s future foldable device. A key milestone of the iPhone Air is its 5.6mm thickness, making it the thinnest iPhone ever produced. Gurman notes that Apple will likely surpass this record with the upcoming foldable.
The iPhone Fold is expected to debut in 2026 during Apple’s typical fall launch window, with Gurman hailing it as “the star of Apple’s 2026 product lineup.” He added that the device is set to be “super thin and a design achievement,” though official dimensions remain unconfirmed. For context, current foldable smartphones already push the boundaries of slimness, and Tom’s Guide cites circulating rumors suggesting the iPhone Fold could measure between 4.5mm and 4.8mm when unfolded, and 9mm to 9.5mm when folded.
Apple’s rollout strategy for the foldable could mirror that of Samsung, which first launched an ultra-thin flagship before its latest foldable. Samsung released the 5.8mm-thick Galaxy S25 Edge—featuring a titanium frame—in May, ahead of June’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. The latter, Samsung’s thinnest foldable to date and one of the slimmest on the market, measures just 4.2mm when laid flat. This sequential launch pattern suggests Apple may use the iPhone Air to acclimate consumers to its ultra-thin design language before introducing the more radical foldable form factor.
Gurman also forecasts the iPhone Fold will be “ridiculously expensive compared with past iPhones,” with a starting price of at least $2,000. If accurate, this would make it the priciest iPhone ever released—though Samsung has already established this price point as the standard for high-end foldable flagships.
Additional rumors paint a clearer picture of the iPhone Fold’s potential specs: a 7.8-inch main inner display and a 5.5-inch outer cover display, with Apple said to be prioritizing a creaseless folding screen—a longstanding pain point for foldable devices. Battery capacity is expected to land between 5,000 and 5,500mAh, on par with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Beyond its rumored titanium frame, details on the iPhone Fold’s outer panel materials remain scarce. It’s unclear if the device will follow the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 series in adopting Ceramic Shield 2 for front and back protection. However, Gurman notes that, like high-end Android foldables, Apple will likely prioritize premium materials to ensure the device exudes sophistication—consistent with its positioning as a flagship innovation.
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