Apple’s Foldable iPhone Tipped for 7.8-Inch Screen and Touch ID

Apple’s foldable could pair a tablet-sized display with Touch ID

Apple’s long-rumoured first foldable iPhone is now tipped to feature a 7.76-inch inner screen and a 5.49-inch outer display, alongside a return for Touch ID in the power button. The new hardware details emerged in reporting and iOS 27 beta discoveries ahead of an expected September 2026 launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro range.

The device is widely referred to as the iPhone Fold in rumour reports, although Apple has not confirmed either the product or its name. iPhone Ultra remains another name in circulation, but neither should be treated as final.

A wide foldable with two screens

One leaker puts the unfolded screen at 7.76 inches with a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution. The cover display is said to measure 5.49 inches, with a 2,088 x 1,422 resolution and a reported 4:3 aspect ratio. Other sources broadly describe the pair as a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer screen.

That would make Apple’s first foldable a book-style handset, but with a shape said to be wider than it is tall. When closed, the outer panel would serve as the conventional phone screen; when opened, the larger inner display would give the device a more tablet-like footprint.

The display is also reportedly designed to tackle the crease that remains one of the defining compromises of current foldable phones. Supply-chain reports say Apple pursued a crease-free result regardless of cost, with the crease described as nearly invisible when the handset is open. Samsung Display has reportedly secured a three-year exclusive agreement to supply the foldable OLED panel.

Touch ID could replace Face ID

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple’s first foldable will skip Face ID entirely and instead use Touch ID integrated into its side button, similar to the implementation on current iPad Air and iPad mini models.

The reported reason is physical space. The foldable is said to be around 4.5mm thin when opened, leaving insufficient depth for Face ID’s flood illuminator, dot projector and infrared camera assembly. That would be a significant departure for the modern iPhone range, which has relied exclusively on Face ID since Apple discontinued the third-generation iPhone SE in February 2025.

Touch ID first arrived with the iPhone 5s in 2013 and remained an iPhone fixture until Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017. Its potential return would not necessarily signal a reversal of Apple’s broader biometrics strategy; in this case, reports suggest it is a practical response to the constraints of an exceptionally thin folding chassis.

iOS 27 offers the clearest public clues so far

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on 9 June that iOS 27 and related software updates contained the clearest public signs yet of Apple’s foldable plans. The software researcher M1Astra found beta code referring to “foldState”, “mechanicalAngleDegrees” and “angleDegrees”, suggesting iOS can identify how far a hinged device is open.

The same software also includes references to a secondary display, a second cover glass and two additional light sensors in an updated Apple service utility for display repairs. Product designer and engineer Sam Henri Gold separately found references to “foldState” and “angleDegrees” in iOS 27 frameworks, with Macworld independently confirming those findings.

None of that constitutes an Apple announcement, but the references are consistent with a handset carrying both internal and external displays and software that changes behaviour according to hinge position.

What else is expected, and what happens next

As previously reported by Gadget Scout, Apple has reportedly raised its 2026 production target to around 10 million units, from an earlier estimate of seven to eight million. Mass production was reportedly moved from June to August, and limited availability remains possible even if the phone appears at a September event.

Other reported hardware includes Apple’s A20 chip, two 48MP rear cameras, an 18MP front camera, a titanium chassis and a liquid-metal hinge. Battery estimates remain uncertain, ranging from roughly 4,700mAh to 5,800mAh across current leaks, although iOS 27 references to “batteries” rather than “battery” point to a split-cell design.

Bloomberg has reported a starting price of around $2,000, with $1,999 the most commonly cited figure. There is no confirmed UK price, though recent Apple pricing patterns make a figure around £1,999 plausible rather than certain. For buyers, the key question is whether Apple can turn its reported crease-free screen and unusually thin design into a reliable first-generation product at that price.