Apple Exploring Clamshell 'iPhone Flip' as Follow-Up to 2026 Foldable [Gurman]

Apple hasn't even released its first foldable iPhone yet, but engineers in Cupertino are already looking past it. While the company prepares to launch a high-end, book-style device next year, Mark Gurman reports that Apple is actively exploring a second form factor: a clamshell folding phone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.



According to the latest Power On newsletter, this flip style device is currently in the conceptual stage. The idea is to create a square, pocketable phone that unfolds into a traditional iPhone size. This would offer a distinct alternative to the larger tablet-hybrid model Apple plans to release first. While Gurman cautions that the product is "far from guaranteed" to hit the market, its existence in the lab suggests Apple sees foldables as a multi-device category rather than a one-off experiment.


This development aligns with a three-year roadmap leaked last year, which claimed Apple was plotting a flip model for 2028. If that timeline holds, Apple would establish the category with a premium, large-screen foldable in 2026, followed by a completely bezel-less standard iPhone in 2027, and finally the more compact clamshell device the following year.

For now, all eyes are on that first device. Expected to launch in late 2026, the book-style foldable is being positioned as a halo product—a hyper-premium device designed to sit at the very top of the lineup. Gurman likens the strategy to the original iPhone X, where a high-priced, cutting-edge model drives aspiration for the rest of the brand.

The device reportedly features an external display measuring approximately 5.5 inches—smaller than the standard iPhone display most users are used to—and opens up into a tablet-like workspace. To justify the expected price tag, which could exceed $2,000, Apple is laser-focused on overcoming the durability and aesthetic issues that have plagued early foldables. Supply chain reports indicate Apple has developed a crease-free display panel using complex lamination and a metallic glass hinge to ensure the screen remains smooth even after repeated use.

Apple is also apparently obsessed with making the device incredibly thin. Prototypes have been described as a super thin design achievement, with some rumors suggesting the chassis is so slim that Apple may have to drop Face ID in favor of side-mounted Touch ID. Powering this thin-and-light convertible is another challenge; the company is reportedly testing massive 5,800mAh batteries to ensure the device can drive two screens without dying by midday.


Interestingly, this focus on foldable phones seems to have come at the expense of other projects. Gurman notes that plans for a giant foldable iPad—originally rumored to be around 18 or 20 inches—have hit significant development snags. It appears Apple has decided that if it's going to bet on a hinge, the iPhone is the safer place to start.

Suppliers have reportedly already begun stocking components for the 2026 launch. If the halo strategy works, the clamshell model Gurman describes could be the device that eventually brings folding screens to the mainstream iPhone buyer.

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