According to the latest predictions of the analyst Jeff Pu, Apple already has two devices with flexible screen on its road map: an 7.8 -inch iPhone Fold and an IPAD FOLD of 18.8 inches.
According to the road map of the Cupertino company, both products should enter the mass production phase during the last quarter of 2026, so its launch could be at the end of that same year or already in early 2027. However, this could not be as likely as it seems.
For years there has been talk of the possibility that Apple enters the market of folding devices, a segment in the impersonated brands such as Samsung or Huawei. However, Apple has chosen to give it another approach, focusing more on technologically maturing its product and offering an immaculate user experience, instead of launching an “experimental” device. And although he folding iPad It would also arrive sooner rather than later, its deadline could be affected and have to delay.
Jeff Pu's prediction about the folding iPhone is not mere chance, and coincides with other weight voices in the Apple ecosystem, such as Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman, who have been pointing at 2026 as the most realistic date for this device. Apple would be working on a design with flexible book type, similar to Samsung's galaxy z fold, but with its own focus on durability, interface and ecosystem.
However, when PU says we will also see an iPad Fold that same year, the speech begins to stagger. Ross Young, one of the most respected analysts in the world of screens, said in December 2024 that we will not see an iPad with folding panel until at least 2027. Even Gurman was more conservative by pointing out 2028 as a possible release date for this device. Kuo himself agrees that a larger product, such as a tablet, presents more technical difficulties, especially when climbing a flexible panel without compromising its resistance and visual quality.
And it is that folding a phone already involves a remarkable engineering challenge, but doing it with a almost 19 -inch screenlike the one mentioned by PU, it is very different. It is not just about folding the glass: it is necessary to redesign hinges, control the wear of the materials, avoid wrinkles or points of tension, and ensure that the operating system adapts without friction to that hybrid format between tablet and laptop.
Everything points, therefore, that yes, we will see a iPhone Fold in 2026but the folding iPad will have to wait. Apple wants to enter the game of flexible devices, but it will do so when you are completely sure of offering an impeccable experience, without commitments. Patience, as always in Cupertino, will be his best ally. Meanwhile, it only remains to imagine what that first iPhone that bends and fits perfectly in your pocket … and if you will really mark a new era in the way of using our devices.
