Apple is poised to unveil its first-ever foldable smartphone tomorrow. According to an extensive report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the device has been in development for nearly a decade and was personally accelerated by Tim Cook.
Project V68: From Foldable iPad Mini to Flagship iPhone
Known internally by the codename V68 and often referred to during development as the iPhone Ultra, the project originated under former hardware engineering head Dan Riccio.
Early conceptual explorations revolved around an iPad mini that could unfold into a larger tablet canvas before leadership pivoted toward a pocketable phone format.
Following a 2020 visit to Asia where folding devices from Samsung and Huawei were gaining traction, Tim Cook pushed Apple engineering to accelerate its foldable roadmap.
The launch will also serve as a high-profile debut for John Ternus, who officially assumed the chief executive role on September 1, while Cook observes the keynote as Executive Chairman.
Passport Form Factor and Magic Trackpad Proportions
Departing from the tall and narrow aspect ratio common in earlier foldables, Apple’s industrial design studio settled on a short-and-wide passport-inspired footprint.
When closed, the handset offers a compact 5.5-inch exterior cover screen designed for effortless thumb navigation and pocketability.
Unfolding the chassis reveals an expansive 7.8-inch flexible OLED interior display whose proportions evoke Apple’s desktop Magic Trackpad.
To minimize the crease, Apple engineered an advanced titanium and aluminum hinge assembly paired with custom flexible glass developed alongside Corning.
Compromises, Trade-offs, and Software Refinements
Creating the ultra-thin folding body introduced deliberate engineering trade-offs compared to traditional slab flagships like the iPhone 18 Pro.
The handset carries a streamlined dual-camera setup without a dedicated periscope telephoto lens and features a smaller battery capacity relative to its screen surface area.
To compensate for hardware constraints, Apple tasked software teams with reworking first-party iOS applications to support enhanced split-screen multitasking and flexible window scaling.
Internal forecasts remain highly optimistic, with Wall Street analysts projecting sales of 7 million to 10 million units throughout 2026.
Pricing Shock: Starting at $2,199 Amid Memory Shortages
While Apple initially targeted an introductory price of $1,999 to skirt the $2,000 threshold, escalating component costs and industry-wide memory shortages altered internal plans.
The foldable iPhone is now projected to start at $2,199, with top-tier configurations packing high storage capacities approaching $3,000.
To ease consumer sticker shock, Apple will rely heavily on its newly introduced Apple Upgrade leasing program alongside aggressive wireless carrier trade-in promotions.
Industry analysts at IDC anticipate strong demand, suggesting the device could establish itself as a luxury status symbol across major markets including China.
Source: Mark Gurman / Bloomberg
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