Apple’s foldable iPhone could be just around the corner

Apple’s long-awaited foldable iPhone could be on track for a fall release, according to hidden files found by researcher @M1Astra in iOS developer beta 27. This could mean that when Apple unveils its latest device in September, we might finally see it move towards a foldable device.

Although Apple doesn’t have foldable phones yet, the iOS 27 code includes references to “foldState,” “mechanicalAngleDegrees,” “angleDegrees,” and “MGGetLogicalDeviceDisplayCount.” This suggests that the software can interpret whether the phone is folded, to what degree it is opened, and how many displays the device uses. The implication is that the potential foldable device will run iOS 27, which was revealed at the WWDC keynote on Monday.

While Samsung and Huawei (banned in the US) have been making foldable phones for more than five years, Apple’s first attempt will meet high expectations. For consumers, the thickness of foldable devices matters — the appeal of a second screen may not be as compelling as the ease of slipping a phone into your jeans pocket (especially if you’re wearing women’s clothing, which seems to have been created on the idea that women don’t carry things).

But Apple has made its fair share of progress in condensing the iPhone into the smallest device possible. Last year, Apple unveiled its iPhone Air, which is just 5.6mm deep (about the thickness of four stacked dimes). As a foldable, the iPhone Air’s two screens will be about 11.2mm deep, which is thinner than any foldable Samsung phone other than the latest dual-screen model, the Galaxy Z Fold7.