Apple "exploring" iPhone Flip as a follow-up to iPhone Fold, says expert
Now you're talking – Apple's future foldable plans sound even more impressive
Quick Summary
Apple is reportedly considering a flip style folding iPhone.
It's claimed the device could be a follow up to the iPhone Fold due this year, but that it is currently in the very early stages.
The idea of Apple launching a foldable phone isn’t new – we’ve been hearing those rumours for years now. Literally years. But despite Samsung now being on its seventh generation of Galaxy Z Fold, and having even announced the Galaxy Z TriFold in the meantime, there’s still nothing official from Cupertino.
Most rumours suggest Apple is only months away from the launch of its first foldable, and more commonly claiming that we'll see a book-style folding iPhone this year – an iPhone Fold, if you like. However, the latest claims that may not be the last foldable we see from Apple.
In the latest edition of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, it’s claimed Apple is considering a clamshell flip phone as a follow up device.
Bloomberg's Gurman has a very good track record with Apple leaks, and so his comments are always worth noting. He wrote: “Now there’s another foldable device under consideration inside Apple labs: a square, clamshell-style foldable phone.
“The product is far from guaranteed to reach the market. Still, Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones.”
When could we see a clamshell folding iPhone?
If you follow Apple rumours, you’ll know this isn’t the first time we have heard a clamshell foldable mentioned. The Information reported in 2024 that Apple had a couple of prototypes on the go, though it was said that the book-style design won for the first folding iPhone.
It’s also likely this clamshell idea could be years out.
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Given how long we have been hearing about a folding iPhone with still no sign of the real thing – and no guarantees for this year either – it’s possible we will hear much more speculation about this model too before anything surfaces.
I love the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 though, so I’d be all for an iPhone version of that cute, pocketable format. Fingers crossed.
Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.
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