Retro styling plus lessons learned from the modern flip phone industry combine. Will Apple’s typical reticence to jump on a trend early pay off?

Phone Fold could feature Touch ID, be thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold, and launch by the end of next year. Here's what a leak reveals.

First, it comes from the almost-always reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who shared his latest predictions in a blog post on Thursday. The foldable iPhone, he writes, is likely to be finalized in late 2025 with sales starting in the last quarter of 2026.

Kuo also says the 1st gen foldable could give Face ID the boot because of the required thickness and internal space constraints (Apple's apparently shooting to keep the profile at 4.5mm to 4.8mm when unfolded, and 9-9.5mm when folded), and will instead bring back Touch ID as a side button.

More speculation continues to build that Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone could debut as soon as next year. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported Wednesday that the company is planning to launch a foldable iPhone at the end of 2026 or early 2027.

New reports suggest Apple's debut foldable phone could be seriously pricey. It may even make the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 look affordable. While the world of foldable phones has been constantly evolving and gaining new players for years now,