This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
iPhone Fold representation. | Image by Jon Prosser
We just spent the better part of a week going back and forth about whether a 35% smaller Dynamic Island is enough to justify the iPhone 18 Pro as a worthy upgrade. I was right there with everyone else, picking apart screen protector leaks and questioning whether Apple is doing the bare minimum. But I think we've all been looking at the wrong phone.
The iPhone Fold is coming this fall (or by December if rumors are correct), and it's about to make the entire iPhone 18 Pro conversation feel like a footnote.
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Apple's first new iPhone shape in almost two decades
Think about this for a second. The last time Apple gave us a genuinely new iPhone form factor was 2007. Every model since has been some variation on the same rectangular slab. The iPhone Fold changes that.
According to multiple reports, Apple is going with a wide, book-style design that opens up to a 7.76-inch inner display, roughly iPad mini territory. Fold it shut, and you get a 5.49-inch outer screen that works like a regular (if compact) phone.
Bloomberg's lead Apple reporter Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, called it "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history" (subscription required to view). And when you look at what's reportedly going into this thing, that tracks.
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A nearly crease-free foldable display, a titanium frame, the same A20 Pro chip expected in the iPhone 18 Pro, and what could be the largest battery Apple has ever put in an iPhone at around 5,500 mAh.
The wide form factor already has people sold
Leaked render of the iPhone Fold with wide-body dimensions very similar to the original Pixel Fold. | Image by Sonny Dickson
I've seen this play out firsthand. I have several friends in the tech field who are already fully committed to buying the iPhone Fold based on the leaked renders alone. Not "interested." Not "keeping an eye on it." Committed.
The wide, book-style form factor is what's driving that excitement, because it promises something that no slab phone can: a device that feels normal in your pocket but opens up into a genuine multitasking machine. I know this isn't a new concept as we have had foldables in the Android world for many years now, but it is a first for the iPhone and that in itself is kind of a big deal.
And here's the part that really puts things in perspective: not one of those friends has brought up the iPhone 18 Pro or the Dynamic Island shrink. Not once. They want Apple's newest, most ambitious product, and that's not going to be the 18, the 18 Pro, or the 18 Pro Max. It's the Fold.
The only question that keeps coming up in those conversations isn't whether they'll buy it (that's already settled), it's how Apple will adapt iOS for a foldable screen. And honestly, that's the thing I'm most curious about too.
Apple has years of iPadOS experience and large-screen optimization under its belt, but translating that into a phone that shifts between two very different display sizes is a different thing altogether.
The $2,000 question
Leaked iPhone 18 renders. | Image by MacRumors
The iPhone Fold is rumored to start at around $1,999, with the 1 TB version potentially reaching $2,399. That's a lot of money, no way around it. But the Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched in the same price range, and Samsung has been at this for years. If any company can get people to spend $2,000 on a phone, it's Apple.
There's a practical side to this too. If you're someone who carries both a phone and a tablet (or constantly wishes your screen were bigger for reading, multitasking, or watching stuff), the iPhone Fold could genuinely replace two devices. That completely reframes the cost, in a way that a trimmed Dynamic Island never could.
If you had to pick one Apple phone this year, which would it be?
Not everyone is convinced, and that's fair
Some of my colleagues here at PhoneArena have raised valid concerns. One recent piece argued that the Fold's compact form factor and steep price could lead to a slow start. Another noted that Apple may drop Face ID from this device entirely, going with a side-mounted Touch ID button to save space inside the thin chassis, which we have seen before with existing Android foldables.
Fair points, both of them. But I think they underestimate something Apple has done over and over again: showing up late to a category and still defining it. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player. The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone. AirPods weren't the first wireless earbuds. Apple lets others go first, studies what works and what doesn't, and then sets a new bar.
I say that as a proud Android user looking at the Pixel 10 Pro Fold that's on my desk right now. I use everything, and I like to call a spade a spade.
The Fold is the real headline of 2026
The iPhone 18 Pro will be a great phone. A 2nm chip, a bigger battery, a variable aperture camera, steady pricing. All good stuff. But those are refinements to a formula we already know well. The iPhone Fold is something we haven't seen from Apple before, and it's the kind of product that gets people talking in a way that no Dynamic Island tweak ever will.
It's been a while since I felt this kind of genuine excitement around an Apple product. The Fold is the real story of 2026, and everything else, including the article I published last night, is the warm-up act.
Johanna 'Jojo the Techie' is a skilled mobile technology expert with over 15 years of hands-on experience, specializing in the Google ecosystem and Pixel devices. Known for her user-friendly approach, she leverages her vast tech support background to provide accessible and insightful coverage on latest technology trends. As a recognized thought leader and former member of #TeamPixel, Johanna ensures she stays at the forefront of Google services and products, making her a reliable source for all things Pixel and ChromeOS.
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