A foldable iPhone could be the most expensive of Apple

• Apple Ming-Chi Kuo’s notable analyst predicts that Apple’s foldable iPhone could be launched at the end of 2026 and cost more than $ 2,000.
• The first foldable iPhone would probably be a luxury offer, balancing Apple low prices.
• The CEO, Tim Cook, said “there is a lot of innovation on the smartphone.”

The chatter around the long -term foldable iPhone resumes.

If that turns out to be true, the device seems expensive – and impressive.

To be clear, Apple did not confirm its plans to build an iPhone foldable. However, analyst Apple Ming-Chi Kuo by TF International Securities published a note on Wednesday with more details on a foldable iPhone design that he had already heard.

Kuo, known for its Apple predictions and its supply chain supply, described the mysterious project as a “high -level iPhone” with a “Interior display without strike ” And an expected retail price of more than $ 2,000. The device could start mass production in the last quarter of 2026, said Kuo.

Such a price would make it more expensive than any of its predecessors and many MacBook models, but Kuo said that the “essential” status of the iPhone would attract high demand for a premium device if the quality was up to it. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is currently the most expensive that Apple offers from $ 1199.

“A phone with such a high price offers Apple a real high -end luxury offer to balance alternatives at low prices like the iPhone 16th,” said a forrester analyst.

Apple is currently faced with fierce competition on the smartphones market, because Chinese competitors offer lower cost phones and high -end models with new form factors.

However, it is important to note that Apple could still change course and not free such a device. It is not unusual for Apple to put significant resources behind major projects and, ultimately, to eliminate them. The technology industry has buzzed discussions on an apple car for years until the technology giant has abandoned the project.

“I really believe it is being developed. I am less sure that it will never see the light of day,” Morningstar’s foldable iPhone, analyst William Kerwin, told Bi.

Kuo said the foldable iPhone would bring Touch ID to potentially replace the Face ID, but this time the button would be on the side of the device. He would have a “book style design” and a 7.8-inch interior screen, he added. Apple also pursues a “without strike” screen, according to Kuo – something other manufacturers of phones like Samsung also continue.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comments from Business Insider.

Although Bloomberg and the information indicated that Apple is planning foldable screen devices, Kuo’s planned chronology should be taken with a grain of salt. A note from Kuo in 2023 said that foldable iPad would come out in 2024, for example, which has not yet materialized.

A bet like a foldable iPhone, in an area where competitors like Samsung and Huawei have already ventured, is a “significant bet” which could cause a device with a low demand, similar to the $ 3500 vision, said Jacob Bourne, analyst at Bi Sister Company Emarketer.

“The best Apple bet could be to focus on other emerging technologies rather than pursuing a factor in shape that may not maintain its long -term appeal,” Bourne BI told BI.

Rumors of intelligent glasses, domestic devices fed by AI and robotics revolved around Apple in 2024. Apple was late for artificial intelligence racing last year with Apple Intelligence Lange Mois or Years, after similar software for competitors.

The CEO, Tim Cook, told investors that he felt “optimistic” about the Apple products pipeline when he calls financial results in the first quarter of 2025.

Asked about the future of the iPhone form factor and where Apple sees opportunities to innovate, Cook did not go into detail but suggested that there was more to come.

“I think there is a lot of innovation on the smartphone,” said Cook.