As the old Kenny Rogers song goes, "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."
Still, with Samsung releasing folding phones since 2019, and the Royole FlexPai technically owning the honor of being the first commercially available folding smartphone, Apple is unusually behind the times on this.
The idea of a folding iPhone is nothing new, with reports that testing has been ongoing since 2020. Although unconfirmed, word on the street is that Apple hasn't been happy with the screen durability on the creases of folding iPhone prototypes, meaning the idea has been held back until the tech giant is sure it can deliver a product that warrants its umored lofty price tag.
While some of you are still drooling over the idea of a 'Dark Cherry' iPhone 18, others are looking for even more innovation in the form of the long-awaited iPhone Fold.
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2026 could finally see this origami-themed tech open, but as apparent dummy models leak, it seems not everyone is impressed with what those Apple elves have been working on.
iPhone Fold designs leak
If we didn't already have enough to save for, the iPhone Fold threatens to decimate our bank balance as the biggest evolution of the iPhone line since the OG was released in 2007.
We know that Tim Cook and co. cheered Apple Intelligence as the biggest thing since sliced bread, but there's been recent discontent that iPhones aren't moving quickly enough.
Then again, sluggish sales of the iPhone 17 Air suggest that even consumers don't know what they want, meaning the iPhone Fold is quite the gamble.
Over on X, noted Apple leaker Sonny Dickson shared a look at the 'first dummies' of the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max. With Dickinson previously getting the inside track on last year's releases and correctly unveiling the dummies of the 17 line (including the Air), his latest reveal has got tongues wagging.
With the iPhone Fold dummy going with the classic passport fold and sporting two rear-facing cameras, there's already discontent in the ranks.
The Pro line of iPhones has offered three cameras as standard since 2019, and considering the Fold is considered even more premium than the standard Pro or Pro Max, many were expecting a bit more.
Added to this, the 18 Pro and Pro Max dummies include MagSafe, while the Fold dummy doesn't. Again, as even the budget 17e offered MagSafe, the replies got pretty ugly, pretty fast.
Over on Reddit, one unimpressed Apple fan wrote: "The fold looks extremely disappointing unfortunately.”
Another chuckled: "That right there is an ugly son of a phone."
A third predicted a grim outlook as they concluded: "Hot take. The fold won’t be as popular as ‘experts’ think. This will be due to fewer people actually want/need it. Even in the Android world it’s a niche."
Namely, there was a theme of, "Is that it?" as it was branded unattractive by the vast majority. However, with people calling for a folding iPhone until they're blue in the face, it could just as easily break sales records for Apple.
What do we know about the iPhone Fold?
While it's important to take all of the above and all of the below with a pinch of salt, leaks and rumors are ramping up ahead of the typical September Apple showcase, where we learn which new iPhones are coming in 2026.
The big one is that the iPhone Fold has been delayed until 2027, meaning the September event will only unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, leaving the standard model and the folding iPhone until next year.
Rumored features already spoiled the aforementioned book-style fold, while the first folding iPhone is tipped to have Touch ID instead of Face ID, a snazzy A20 Chip, and 12GB of RAM. Brace yourselves for a supposed 5.5-inch outer cover screen and 7.8-inch inner display, with hopes of achieving that elusive crease-free look and potentially being as thin as 4.5mm when unfolded. Unfortunately, Dickinson's dummies don't reveal how thin the device is.
iPhone Fold sounds a little simplistic, leaving iPhone Ultra as the name that's doing the rounds online. In terms of the big one, the price tag is pitched as anywhere between $2,000 and $2,5000, so you might want to start saving now.