The iPhone Air might be the blueprint for Apple’s foldable iPhone

With the discharge of the iPhone 17 series now underway, focus is already shifting towards subsequent yr’s iPhone launch, particularly the extremely anticipated foldable iPhone. And it appears the clearest trace about Apple’s foldable future comes from this yr’s particular launch: the iPhone Air.

The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever produced. Throughout its “Awe dropping” keynote, Apple showcased the engineering prowess that went into creating the Air, highlighting the way it match all of the Air’s inside elements into its digicam plateau to accommodate a bigger battery, all whereas sustaining a slim and light-weight design.

Following the iPhone Air’s reveal, many individuals, myself included, noticed it as a significant stepping stone towards the foldable iPhone. In keeping with a current report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this hypothesis seems to be correct. In his Energy On e-newsletter, Gurman states that the foldable iPhone will share similarities with the iPhone Air and that, based mostly on his sources, “customers ought to think about two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side” for the way it will look.

The iPhone Air is a testbed for the foldable iPhone

It’s going to seemingly be Apple’s costliest iPhone ever

Credit score: Apple

After holding the iPhone Air myself the opposite day, I used to be really amazed by its weight and the way it felt in my hand in comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional Max. Whereas I am unsure how properly it should promote in opposition to Apple’s redesigned Professional fashions, it would appeal to many individuals who aren’t involved about having the most effective cameras and simply desire a moveable but highly effective iPhone.

For the foldable iPhone, I can simply think about Apple primarily combining two iPhone Airs to create the expertise it goals for, and it’ll absolutely apply a lot of what it has discovered about producing the Air to its foldable.

Moreover, with the bigger floor space a foldable cellphone supplies when unfolded, the foldable iPhone might be even slimmer than the iPhone Air. Gurman already reported earlier this yr that the foldable iPhone will “provide an identical design” to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, so contemplating how skinny the iPhone Air is — and the way skinny the Fold 7 is — the foldable iPhone might provide the most effective of each worlds.

For reference, the iPhone Air measures 5.6mm thick (excluding the digicam bar) and the Fold 7 measures 4.2mm thick when unfolded. In comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional Max, which is 8.75mm thick, the iPhone Air and the Fold 7 are remarkably totally different. Nevertheless, just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, one problem the foldable iPhone will face is the worth. Gurman believes the worth might be at the least $2,000, the identical value the Fold 7 begins at, which is able to make it the costliest iPhone ever.

As for when the foldable iPhone is predicted to be introduced, Gurman believes it will likely be on the “standard fall iPhone launch interval, give or take.” To me, this implies Apple might probably announce the foldable iPhone in September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 sequence, however then launch it a bit of later, probably in October or November.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is well my favourite Android cellphone of all time, so I am very excited to see Apple’s foldable iPhone take form. With the cellphone seemingly a yr away now, there’s sure to be tons extra hypothesis and leaks about it coming quickly. For now, if you wish to get a glimpse of what Apple’s foldable future might be like, the iPhone Air is your greatest wager.