It’s been a few years now since the rumors of the first foldable iPhone surfaced in 2017. Initially, Apple’s foldable phone was expected to arrive in 2020, but it didn’t happen. Analysts and leakers have been constantly pushing the release date down the road to keep the hopes up. In 2024, Samsung is dominating the foldable smartphone industry with the launch of its sixth generation of Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Flip. In this article, we’ve summed up all the rumors and leaks about Apple’s first foldable iPhone- “iPhone Flip”. Here you go!
iPhone Flip Display Rumors
According to rumors, Apple has considered various display sizes for its foldable iPhone. One is the 6.7-inch display size found on the flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will roll out the first foldable iPhone will a huge display that measures 8 to 9 inches. Yes, the rumored iPhone Flip is speculated to be larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that boasts a 7.6-inch display when it’s opened up.
Also, a massive 8-inch display would align the iPhone Flip more with the 8.3-inch iPad mini. Rumors also say that Apple could be working with LG to come up with a 7.5-inch OLED foldable display panel. If Apple takes the 9-inch display route, the first foldable iPhone would dwarf any foldable smartphone available today.
iPhone Flip Design Rumors
Ever since the rumors of the first foldable iPhone came out, people have been speculating what Apple’s Flip iPhone will look like. It’s been a few years now that designers have posted concept renderings depicting the design of the iPhone Flip/Fold. Impressively, Apple seems to have stopped at nothing and has won every patent when it comes to foldable displays, including origami-style folding displays, flip-up displays, as well as a wraparound displays.
At the moment, there’s no solid evidence of which style will make the final out. One of the first reports came from Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman, where they both reported that the first foldable iPhone would have a traditional fold-out design.
In 2021, Apple leaker John Prosser reported that Apple has considered two different kinds of foldable iPhones: a dual-screen model with two displays connected by a hinge, just like the Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel Fold, and second could be a clamshell flip phone design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip models. Also, several other reports corroborated the rumor that Apple is testing fold-out book style and clamshell designs at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China. A fair share of recent rumors claim that Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone with a clamshell design and several fun colorful options.
iPhone Flip Release Date Leaks
Apple has been super secretive and unpredictable when it comes to its foldable iPhone. It’s been almost a decade that the giant has been registering patents for foldable technologies. While there’s absolutely no guarantee, a few dates have been speculated for the iPhone Flip release. Before we big into the rumors, let me break it to you that we won’t see a foldable iPhone in 2024, and not even 2025.
Back in 2021, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that we might see in 2025 or later. The next year, the display analyst Ross Young said the foldable iPhone launch has been delayed until 2025 . Well, we are already in mid-2024, and there are no signs of a 2025 release yet.
Recently, The Information reported that Apple won’t launch a foldable iPhone until at least 2026. Also, Analyst Jeff Pu believes that a foldable iPhone could arrive in late 2026 at the earliest, while TrendForce predicts a 2027 release for the iPhone Flip.
Amidst all the confusion, some rumors have further soured the iPhone Flip release date. In February 2024, a rumor from China suggested that Apple suspended its work on foldable iPhones after displays failed to meet Apple’s standards. Some analysts believe that Apple has completely abandoned the concept of a foldable iPhone. Thankfully, a Digitimes Asia article brought a ray of hope saying Apple has re-allocating some of its Vision Pro headset resources to develop the foldable device. So, all hopes aren’t lost.
To sum up the iPhone Flip release date rumors, we won’t see the Apple foldable phone until late 2026.
With this long gap, Apple is giving its rivals more time to stay at the top of the leaderboard. Between 2019 and 2024, Samsung released six versions of Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. By 2026, Samsung will be ready with two more versions of each design. Also, Google, Motorolla, and other players may offer refined upgrades. That means the competition is only going to level up.
iPhone Flip Possible Price
Foldable smartphones are anything but cheap. At $999, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the most affordable foldable smartphone with a clamshell design. On the other hand, book-style foldables like Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold start at $1799, which is almost double the price of most flagship smartphones. Apple’s foldable iPhone won’t be any cheaper than the competition. The cost of the iPhone Flip largely depends upon which design it will arrive in.
If Apple comes up with a clamshell-style design, the iPhone Flip would cost somewhere around $999 to $1099. Whereas, if we see a book-like fold-style iPhone like the Galaxy Z Fold, the price might exceed the outrageous $2000 mark.
That’s everything we know about Apple’s Flip iPhone. While a foldable iPhone is in Apple’s pipeline, the giant might also surprise us by ditching a foldable option and going for a rollable iPhone. A patent suggests that Apple has plans to consider a rollable phone that could store a part of its display inside the phone, which can be slid out on purpose. Until now, no company has managed to launch a rollable smartphone. While a foldable iPhone is likely to make a debut first, it will be interesting to see if Apple takes a less-traveled road to evolve its iPhones.
Kanika has been a loyal iPhone user since 2014 and loves everything Apple. With a Master’s in Computer Applications, passion for technology, and over five years of experience in writing, she landed at Beebom as an Apple Ecosystem Writer. She specializes in writing How To’s, troubleshooting guides, App features, and roundups for Apple users to help them make the best use of their gadgets. When not writing, she loves to try out new recipes and enjoy some family time.
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- Apple and Google have officially confirmed their team-up for the next-gen Siri AI.
- The Cupertino Giant will be using Google’s Gemini for a more personalized Siri model as well as Apple Intelligence features.
- We can expect the next-gen Siri to come out with iOS 26.4, sometime in March or April.
Apple has officially confirmed joining forces with Google to use its Gemini AI model to power the next-generation Siri. It will offer a more personalized experience and will be coming out with the iOS 26.4 update. Apple also plans to leverage Gemini’s capabilities for other Apple Intelligence features as well, later down the line.
The Next-Gen Siri will be powered by Google’s Gemini AI
Apple officially confirmed that it will be partnering with Google in a statement to CNBC . Here’s what it stated, “After careful evaluation, we determined that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models, and we’re excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users.”
Later, Google also shared a post on X confirming the tie-up, “Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.”
Image Credit: X/@NewsFromGoogle
Both statements clearly mention that the Cupertino Giant will be using Gemini to power its assistant Siri. This was already rumored, as Apple’s attempts to acquire Perplexity went nowhere. With Gemini, Siri will get a major AI update . It will be able to handle more nuanced conversations and provide better results. Something long-time Apple users have been asking for years.
The next-gen Siri will arrive with the iOS 26.4 update, which will launch sometime in March or April. And it is only going to be available for Apple Intelligence-supported devices .
Something else worth noting is how Google’s statement mentions that Gemini will power Apple Intelligence features. This leads us to believe that Apple could use Gemini’s multi-modal capabilities for its Writings tools , Image Playground , and Message summaries, too.
Elon Musk Not Happy With Apple and Google Tie Up
xAI CEO Elon Musk also responded to Google’s announcement post on X, sharing his thoughts on the matter by saying, “This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that they also have Android and Chrome.” Though we don’t expect either Apple or Google to respond to Elon, we will update the situation as it progresses.
It is worth noting that xAI is the company behind Grok, which is in hot water currently due to its inappropriate image generation fiasco , and has been getting backlash from multiple news outlets, X users, and even government authorities.
With over 4 year of experience under the belt, I cover all facets of consumer tech, from smartphones to other consumer electronics, our favorite social media apps, as well as the growing realm of AI and LLMs. As an Apps and AI writer app Beebom, I provide my expertise in all these areas, weaving stories that help you get familiar with the tech around you. But you will find me playing NYT daily puzzles in my free time.
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- Apple is close to finalizing a $1 billion deal with Google to use Gemini to power the next-gen Siri.
- It will use a custom version of Gemini AI, which will be used temporarily until Apple develops its own powerful AI model.
- The new AI-powered Siri is slated to launch sometime next spring.
Apple is reportedly set to close an estimated $1 billion annual deal with its rival, Google, to use a custom version of the Gemini AI model to power the next version of Siri. Apple is lagging behind major companies in the AI race so this might help the Cupertino giant to make a comeback.
Apple Turns to Gemini to Power Its AI-Powered Siri
This detail comes from Bloomberg , which reports that Apple is turning to Google’s Gemini as a temporary solution until its own AI model catches up with the rest of the industry. Once ready, it will be used to power a host of new Apple Intelligence features which the company has in the pipeline.
For context, the custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model has about 1.2 trillion parameters , which far exceeds Apple’s current cloud-based AI model which are trained on 150 billion parameters. This shows that Gemini can handle far complex tasks and commands compared to Apple’s in-house model.
Image Credit: Beebom
Typically, the Cupertino Giant prefers to make things on its own, but it has been lagging in the AI race behind several major companies and startups. Apple had plans to acquire Perplexity , and even held talks with OpenAI , but it seems like Gemini is the best fit the company has found for its AI-powered Siri , which is scheduled to come out sometime next spring.
However, there is still some time till then, and Apple’s plan could still change if the deal doesn’t go through.
With over 4 year of experience under the belt, I cover all facets of consumer tech, from smartphones to other consumer electronics, our favorite social media apps, as well as the growing realm of AI and LLMs. As an Apps and AI writer app Beebom, I provide my expertise in all these areas, weaving stories that help you get familiar with the tech around you. But you will find me playing NYT daily puzzles in my free time.
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