Apple's Already Working On A New Foldable Phone With A Different Design

Apple is expected to release its first foldable iPhone later this year. With a similar design to that of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, the company has reportedly developed an iPhone that can be unfolded to about the size of an iPad mini. However, in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that the company is exploring a follow-up to this foldable device in a smaller, clamshell form factor.

In the long run, Apple's future iPhone Fold could therefore come in two different formats: one that folds like a book, and another that folds like a Galaxy Z Flip. Interestingly enough, previous rumors suggested that the company was exploring both possibilities, as some reports claimed that the first iPhone Fold would be like a Galaxy Z Flip-like product, but eventually leakers pointed to a Galaxy Z Fold-like device instead.

Still, depending on the success of this first-generation device, Apple might consider switching up its iPhone portfolio to not only offer "e," base, Pros, and Air models, but its own foldable lineup as well. These will likely be the most premium offerings. While Gurman didn't share many details, we already know a fair amount about the first iPhone Fold.

Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to have a 5.5-inch cover display with a 7.8-inch, crease-free inner screen. When folded, the iPhone Fold will look more like a passport, so it's shouldn't be as tall as competitors. One of the most notable innovations will be a crease-free display, which rumors suggest Samsung has been developing and even showing off. Samsung has also allegedly developed an even more advanced display that will debut on the next Galaxy Z Fold.

Apple is expected to equip the iPhone Fold with an outer 18MP selfie camera, an inner 18MP selfie camera, and two 48MP sensors for the wide and ultrawide lenses. Instead of Face ID authentication, the company is rumored to bring back Touch ID, but on a side button. This will mark the return of Touch ID to the lineup, after the company removed the 2022 iPhone SE from its offerings.

Internally, the iPhone Fold should feature the A20 Pro chip, Apple's upcoming C2 modem for 5G capabilities, and its N1 modem for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Bloomberg previously referred to the iPhone Fold as two iPhone Airs stacked on top of each other. Just recently, another rumor suggested that the iPhone Fold could have a battery capacity of at least 5,500 mAh, making it the largest battery in an iPhone to date.

Rumors about a clamshell foldable iPhone are still relatively new. However, it's possible that Apple will take inspiration from the Galaxy Z Flip. If Apple does take a page from Samsung, the clamshell iPhone could have two main sensors that could be used to take selfies when the phone is folded and an 18MP selfie camera when unfolded. Then again, one of the main appeals of the Galaxy Z Flip is its more affordable price point, which Apple might struggle to match.

Samsung, for example, features a more robust camera system on the Galaxy Z Fold than on the Z Flip, and the Z Fold also has more multitasking features, a better cooling system, and higher sustained performance than the Z Flip. With that in mind, Apple could target its "iPhone Flip" at creators, while its "iPhone Fold" could be focused on professionals who need multitasking capabilities and other "pro" features.

We should have a better understanding of Apple's future plans once the company introduces its first-generation foldable in September. In the meantime, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more leaks and rumors about what should be a very busy year for Apple.