Folding iPhone: Tim Cook’s Bold Decade-Long Bet
The folding iPhone represents one of Apple’s most ambitious hardware projects in years, and new reporting suggests the device was more than a routine product experiment for former CEO Tim Cook. After years of research, prototypes, supply-chain work and design challenges, Apple is now preparing to bring its first foldable smartphone to the market.
The timing is especially significant. Apple is entering the foldable-phone market just as Tim Cook leaves the CEO role after more than a decade at the company’s helm. John Ternus has now taken over as chief executive, making the folding iPhone one of the first major products to define Apple’s next leadership era.
Recent reporting says Apple engineers began work on the project years ago, with development reportedly dating back to around 2016. A separate report citing Mark Gurman said Cook became particularly energized about foldable technology after returning from a trip to China in 2020 and pushed Apple’s hardware teams to accelerate development. 9to5Mac
That long development timeline helps explain why Apple’s first foldable smartphone could arrive with a very different philosophy from many earlier foldable devices.
Folding iPhone marks a major Apple gamble
Apple has never been particularly interested in being first simply for the sake of being first.
Samsung introduced its first Galaxy Fold in 2019, while other manufacturers including Huawei and Xiaomi have spent years developing increasingly sophisticated foldable phones. Apple, meanwhile, continued selling conventional iPhones while reportedly working behind the scenes on its own approach.
That strategy has been consistent with Apple’s broader product philosophy.
Rather than immediately entering a new category, Apple often waits until the technology is mature enough to deliver the experience it wants. The Apple Watch, AirPods and even the original iPhone followed different versions of this strategy.
The folding iPhone therefore arrives after competitors have already exposed many of the technology’s weaknesses.
Early foldables faced criticism over bulky designs, visible display creases, fragile screens and hinge durability. Apple appears determined to address those issues before committing its name to the category.
Reuters reported that Apple’s expected foldable phone is positioned as a premium device and could cost more than $2,500, while analysts believe the product could become a major new revenue source for the company. Reuters
Tim Cook reportedly pushed the project forward
The connection between Tim Cook and the folding iPhone is particularly interesting because Cook’s leadership at Apple has often been associated with operational discipline rather than headline-grabbing product experimentation.
According to reporting summarized by 9to5Mac, Apple engineers began working on the foldable iPhone around 2016. The report also says Cook returned from China in 2020 unusually energized about foldable phones and pushed Apple’s hardware teams to accelerate the project. 9to5Mac
That makes the device more than another addition to the iPhone lineup.
For Cook, the project appears to have represented a long-term opportunity to reshape the iPhone’s physical design after years of incremental changes.
The standard iPhone has become increasingly mature. Screen sizes, camera systems, processors and software features have improved substantially, but the fundamental smartphone design has remained largely unchanged.
A foldable iPhone offers Apple something different.
It can function as a conventional phone when closed while transforming into a larger productivity and entertainment device when opened.
Apple waited while competitors experimented
Apple’s decision to enter the category late could ultimately become an advantage.
Samsung spent years refining foldable phones through multiple generations. Other manufacturers also experimented with different screen sizes, hinge designs and folding mechanisms.
Apple has had the opportunity to watch the market develop without immediately carrying the cost of being an early adopter.
That is important because foldable phones remain a relatively small part of the overall smartphone market.
The Verge reported that foldables accounted for only about 1.6% of smartphone sales in 2025, but analysts expect Apple’s entry to significantly expand the category. The Verge
In other words, Apple does not necessarily need to convince existing foldable-phone enthusiasts to switch.
It could instead persuade millions of traditional iPhone owners that folding technology is finally mature enough to justify upgrading.
What could make the folding iPhone different?
Reports indicate that Apple’s first folding iPhone could use a book-style design rather than the smaller flip-phone format seen on devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip.
The device is expected to open into a much larger internal display, reportedly approaching the size of a small tablet. Some reports have described the design as having a passport-like shape when opened.
That could give Apple an opportunity to blur the traditional distinction between an iPhone and an iPad.
When closed, users would have a relatively conventional smartphone. When opened, the larger screen could provide additional space for multitasking, video, gaming, web browsing and productivity applications.
Apple’s software will therefore be just as important as its hardware.
A folding screen alone does not create a compelling product. Apple needs iOS to take advantage of the larger canvas without making the experience confusing or cumbersome.
The screen crease could be Apple’s biggest test
One of the most noticeable weaknesses of many foldable smartphones is the crease.
Flexible OLED displays need to bend repeatedly, creating engineering challenges that conventional smartphone screens do not face.
Reports surrounding Apple’s device suggest the company has placed considerable emphasis on minimizing the visible crease.
Reuters recently reported that Apple’s foldable iPhone is expected to feature a robust hinge and a relatively minimal screen crease. Reuters
If Apple succeeds, the result could be one of the device’s strongest selling points.
Consumers who have avoided foldables because of visible creases or concerns about durability may be more willing to consider Apple’s version.
That would fit Apple’s traditional strategy of turning a technically complicated feature into something that feels simple to the customer.
Price could become a major obstacle
The biggest challenge for the folding iPhone may not be the technology.
It could be the price.
Recent reports have pointed toward a starting price above $2,000, with some estimates going significantly higher depending on the configuration. Reuters reported expectations of a price above $2,500 for the premium foldable, while other market estimates have placed the device around the $2,000 level. Reuters+1
That would make the device dramatically more expensive than mainstream iPhone models.
Apple could argue that customers are effectively buying two products in one: a smartphone and a larger-screen device.
However, consumers may not see it that way.
For someone who already owns a high-end iPhone and an iPad, spending more than $2,000 on another device could be difficult to justify.
Apple therefore needs the folding experience to feel substantially better than simply owning two conventional devices.
The folding iPhone arrives during a leadership change
The launch is also unusual because it comes immediately after a major transition at Apple.
John Ternus has succeeded Tim Cook as CEO, making the folding iPhone one of the most important early tests of Apple’s new leadership era.
Reuters described the product launch as a major test for Ternus, particularly because the foldable iPhone is arriving alongside Apple’s efforts to strengthen its artificial-intelligence strategy. Reuters
That puts considerable pressure on the product.
A successful launch could demonstrate that Apple remains capable of creating major new hardware categories.
A disappointing launch, meanwhile, could raise questions about whether Apple can generate another major growth engine beyond the traditional iPhone cycle.
Apple may be trying to restart smartphone excitement
The conventional smartphone market has matured.
For many consumers, upgrading from one generation to another does not necessarily produce a dramatic visual change.
The folding iPhone changes that equation.
A customer moving from a traditional iPhone to a foldable model would experience a fundamentally different form factor.
That could create a new type of upgrade cycle.
Instead of selling customers a faster processor or a better camera, Apple can sell a completely different way of using the device.
This is one reason analysts are paying so much attention to the product.
The Financial Times reported that Apple’s foldable project has been in development for years and could help revive consumer interest in the foldable category. Analysts cited by the publication have predicted that Apple could capture a substantial portion of the foldable market after entering the segment. Financial Times
Samsung has already built the market
Apple is also entering a category that Samsung helped establish.
Samsung has spent several years refining its Galaxy Z Fold line, improving hinge mechanisms, screen durability, weight and overall usability.
That means Apple will not be introducing consumers to the concept of a folding phone.
Instead, it will be competing with products that already have multiple generations of development behind them.
Interestingly, Samsung appears to welcome the competition.
Recent reporting from WIRED quoted Samsung executives discussing Apple’s upcoming entry while emphasizing the importance of making foldable phones lighter and more practical. Samsung’s latest foldable generation has continued to focus on weight reduction and structural improvements. WIRED
Apple’s arrival could therefore benefit the entire market.
A successful folding iPhone could encourage more consumers to try foldable phones, increasing demand for competing products as well.
The decade-long project could finally pay off
The story of Apple’s folding iPhone is ultimately a story about patience.
Apple appears to have spent roughly a decade moving from early research toward a consumer product.
That is a long time in the smartphone industry.
But the company may have had a reason to wait.
Foldable technology needed thinner displays, better hinges, improved durability and stronger manufacturing processes before it could become an Apple-quality product.
The company also needed enough confidence in consumer demand to justify the enormous investment required to create a new iPhone category.
Now, those conditions appear to be converging.
Apple has a new CEO, a mature foldable market to enter, and a product that could potentially become one of its most important new hardware launches in years.
What comes next for Apple
The immediate question is whether consumers will embrace the device.
Apple is expected to unveil the folding iPhone at its September 9, 2026 event, alongside new high-end iPhone models. Multiple reports have identified the foldable device as one of the headline products for Apple’s first major launch event under John Ternus. Axios+1
The launch could also clarify several questions that remain unanswered.
Apple will need to explain the device’s final name, pricing, battery life, cameras, hinge durability, screen technology and software capabilities.
Most importantly, the company needs to explain why consumers should pay a premium for a foldable iPhone rather than buying a traditional iPhone and iPad separately.
That answer could determine whether the product becomes a niche luxury device or the foundation of Apple’s next major product category.
A new chapter after Tim Cook
The folding iPhone may ultimately become one of Tim Cook’s most interesting legacies at Apple.
Cook is leaving the CEO position, but his influence on the company is not disappearing overnight. He remains closely connected to Apple as executive chair, while Ternus begins a new chapter for the world’s most valuable consumer technology brands.
The foldable project illustrates how long Apple’s product cycles can be.
What consumers may see as a new iPhone arriving in 2026 could actually be the result of years of engineering decisions, leadership involvement and technological experimentation.
That is what makes the product so important.
Apple is not simply adding another model to the iPhone lineup. It is attempting to redefine what an iPhone can be.
If the company’s engineering and software work delivers on the promise, the folding iPhone could become the device that changes Apple’s smartphone strategy for the next decade.
And if the reports about Tim Cook’s long-running interest in the project are accurate, it could also become one of the clearest examples of a product idea that survived years of development before finally reaching Apple’s customers.
For a company preparing for life after Tim Cook, that timing could hardly be more significant.
