In summary
- iPhone Fold could cost $2,399
- $400 more than Galaxy Z Fold 7
- Tipped to eliminate hinge crease
The iPhone Fold might well push the foldable phone format mainstream, but don’t expect that mean accessible pricing.
An analyst for Fubon Research has speculated on the consumer cost of Apple’s forthcoming bendy phone, based on supply chain data, so it’s a little more than just a guess.
Arthur Liao reckons that the so-called iPhone Fold will cost $2,399.
In case you don’t happen to think in US dollars, the current king of the foldables – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – starts from $1,999, while the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold costs $1,799. And neither of those phones are considered cheap.
Apple’s material costs are reportedly set to be through the roof, with a general rise in prices recently predicted by Xiaomi President Lu Weibing.
Throw in Apple’s expected innovations in its first foldable’s display panel and hinge components – not to mention its demands for a decent profit margin – and you have a recipe for an extremely expensive phone.
Luke Baker
More iPhone Fold supply chain rumours
Another recent analyst report, this time from JP Morgan (via MacRumors ), has claimed that the iPhone Fold will boast an industry-first 24Mp under-display front camera.
We haven’t had a good experience with under-display cameras to date, but this higher-resolution example could represent a technological breakthrough with six plastic lens elements and greater light transmittance.
Conversely, the report claims that Apple is ditching LiDAR and optical image stabilisation from its first foldable in a bid to keep it relatively light.
Still other supply chain sources (this time of UDN ) claim that Apple has made a breakthrough with the aforementioned display crease. This could be the first foldable phone with no perceptible hinge element down the middle of the main screen.
Would that be enough by itself to justify a $400 premium over the current foldable champ? With reports of a 2026 launch for the iPhone Fold, we could have a solid answer within a year.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.
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