The foldable iPhone edges closer to reality, according to a new leak – but there's bad news about the foldable iPad

• Apple has apparently begun prototyping the foldable iPhone
• This leak echoes others in saying a launch in 2026 is likely
• However, development of a foldable iPad has apparently been paused

The foldable iPhone has been rumored for years now, but it might finally be becoming a reality, with the latest leak suggesting Apple has begun producing prototypes.

This is according to DigiTimes (via @Jukanlosreve), which claims that Apple aims to finish prototyping the foldable iPhone by the end of 2025. At that point, the device will enter the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) phase, before a launch in the second half of 2026.

That’s in line with other recent foldable iPhone release date rumors, and would likely mean that the phone lands alongside the iPhone 18 series in September of 2026.

But while that’s still a way off, if the phone really is being prototyped now, it’s likely that we’ll start seeing leaked images of the handset soon, which should give us a much clearer idea of what it will look like.

There might not be a foldable iPad

It’s not all good news for Apple’s foldable ambitions, though, because in another DigiTimes report (also via @Jukanlosreve), it’s claimed that the company has paused development of a foldable iPad.

Apparently, this is likely due to a combination of manufacturing difficulties, increased production expenses, and limited demand for larger foldable devices.

Last we heard, the foldable iPad was possibly going to land in 2027, but if this latest leak is accurate, then we probably won’t see it until even later, if at all. The wording here suggests it’s possible Apple will continue developing the foldable iPad at a later date, but it’s unclear if or when this will happen.

We’d think it’s likely that if development really has been paused, the company will probably wait and see how the foldable iPhone does before deciding whether to resume developing a foldable iPad. In which case, such a device is still probably at least a few years away – and may never emerge.

You might also like

• The foldable iPhone’s cameras might leave it trailing behind the Galaxy Z Fold 7
• The iPhone 17 Pro’s rumored camera bar looks much better than before in new dummy unit photos
• iPhone 17 Pro again tipped to get a vapor chamber – here's why that'd be a big deal