Don't expect a folding iPhone any time soon — 20-inch foldable MacBook is the only product with a "clear development schedule" according to top insider

MacBook Pro logo
(Image credit: Future)

Apple fans have been clamoring for a folding iPhone for years, but it looks like there’s only one foldable device in the company’s development schedule at the moment — a 20-inch MacBook.

According to top insider Ming-Chi-Kuo, “currently, Apple's only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027.”

The foldable MacBook has been a long-standing rumor, with previous reports claiming that the 20.3-inch foldable displays would be sourced from Samsung and LG. The timeline was based on a 2025 or 2026 release, but it sounds like the folding concept won’t join the ranks of the best Macs for quite a while longer.

For years, we’ve hoped for a folding iPhone like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold or Flip series of smartphones, but according to Kuo, there’s no clear development plan. That means if you’re hoping for Apple’s attempt at a foldable smartphone, you’re probably going to have to wait quite a while. That said, the company will use the first foldable product release to learn and adapt to a smaller size.

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A foldable MacBook

Considering we don’t expect to see this foldable Mac release for at least another three years, information on what to expect from the iMac-sized display is very limited.

The idea of a 20-inch foldable display makes me think of a hybrid Mac/iPad concept that essentially brings the iPad's multitouch capabilities into the world of macOS. What Apple envisages as a folding device is anyone’s best guess, but a folding touchscreen display gives users flexibility in a way we’ve never seen before on an Apple product. 

With a few years until we’re likely even to see prototypes of this foldable MacBook, the product could be so far from the idea we have in our heads when thinking of a folding-display laptop. At the moment, products like the Asus Zenbook Fold give users the ability to quickly switch between multiple forms, whether that’s using a touchscreen keyboard or folding into a small form factor to throw into your bag. Whether Apple has plans to continue that trend or create something entirely different, only time will tell.

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John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself.

Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings.

John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. 

John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit. 

  • FFR
    No logical person was ever expecting a foldable iPhone.

    Can’t say I’m surprised it’s not happening
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    I've been completely ambivalent about the possibility of a foldable iPhone. I remain that way! ;)
    Reply