New iPhone Air could hold clues to Apple’s first | Tech News

The mud has barely settled on this month’s announcement and release of the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, however rumours are already swirling about subsequent yr’s Apple smartphones, together with the potential to lastly see a foldable iPhone unveiled.

Bloomberg’s Apple reporter Mark Gurman has a superb observe report when it comes to iPhone rumours thanks to his intensive sources within Apple and its provide chain. According to his newest e-newsletter, we don’t have long to wait till Apple lastly lifts the lid on a foldable iPhone to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold vary.

“The foldable iPhone will be the star of Apple’s 2026 product lineup and work continues in Cupertino as well as with the company’s supplier and assembly partners overseas,” Gurman stated. He expects Apple to save the announcement for its common September occasion, so we nonetheless have a yr to wait – however within the grand scheme of issues that’s not too long.

Samsung launched the first Galaxy Fold means back 2019. Apple is biding its time earlier than probably launching its own folding system, presumably to attain the company’s high requirements of {hardware} match and end.

I’ve examined a number of folding Android telephones, and whereas the tech has all the time been spectacular, solely within the final yr or so have the telephones slimmed down to the scale of common smartphones. THe previous few years have seen chunky, fragile units with beig screen creases. Apple will certainly need to keep away from any of that.

“As for how the foldable iPhone will look, I am increasingly told that users should imagine two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side,” Gurman stated. “In other words, it’s going to be super thin and a design achievement.”

The new iPhone Air is 5.64mm thick, the thinnest iPhone ever. The concept that the folding iPhone will intently resemble two of these telephones is sensible, although if Apple desires to one-up Samsung, it’ll have slim issues down additional.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a wafer-thin 4.2mm when unfolded. You can’t get a lot thinner because the USB-C port is about that broad prime to backside, and let’s not overlook all of the elements nonetheless need someplace to reside.

It’s all the time attention-grabbing to see when Apple waits and when it leads in tech innovation. After all, the 2016 introduction of AirPods popularised wi-fi earbuds, although the firm additionally accelerated this trend by eradicating the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 that very same yr.

Foldable telephones are firmly within the reverse camp for Apple, with the firm in all probability mulling whether or not or not it might make one at all around the previous few years.

If we do see a foldable iPhone in a yr’s time, then you may want to begin saving now. Girman reckons the system can be “at least $2,000”, which could simply translate into more than £2,000.

The Z Fold 7 retails for £1,799, with Google’s upcoming Pixel 10 Pro Fold at £1,749 and Honor’s Magic V5 at £1,699. These e book model folding telephones resemble what the iPhone is predicted to be like. The various is flip cellphone model folding units comparable to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip vary, that are smaller and value much less at about £1,000.