Picture this. You’re reaching for your phone, but instead of pulling out another tall, narrow slab, your fingers find something different. Something that feels more substantial, yet somehow more pocketable. That’s the promise of Apple’s first foldable iPhone, and thanks to a fresh CAD leak, we’re getting our clearest look yet at what could be the most significant iPhone redesign in over a decade.
| Metric | Value | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer Display Size | 5.5 | inch | 83.8mm wide × 120.6mm tall when folded |
| Inner Display Size | 7.76 | inch | 167.6mm × 120.6mm unfolded |
| Inner Display Resolution | 2,713 × 1,920 | pixels | Nearly matches iPad mini pixel density |
| Thickness (Folded) | 9.6 | mm | Includes hinge mechanism |
| Thickness (Unfolded) | 4.8 | mm | Excluding camera bump |
| Target Launch | September 2026 | — | Codenamed V68 |
The Pocket-Sized iPad Mini Experience
What makes this Apple foldable CAD leak so compelling isn’t just that Apple is finally entering the foldable market. It’s how they’re doing it. Instead of chasing the absolute thinnest profile, Apple appears to be prioritizing something more valuable. A truly crease-free display experience.
When you unfold this device, you’re not getting a compromised screen with a visible seam down the middle. You’re getting what feels like a miniature iPad mini that just happened to fold in half. At 7.76 inches with a 2,713 × 1,920 resolution, the inner display offers nearly identical real estate to Apple’s beloved small tablet. Imagine splitting your screen for notes and reference material during a meeting, or watching a video while checking messages. The dimensions suggest Apple wants this to feel like productivity tool first, phone second.
Engineering Over Thinness
Here’s where Apple’s approach diverges from what we’ve seen from Samsung and other foldable manufacturers. The leaked measurements show the device at 9.6mm thick when folded and 4.8mm when unfolded. Compare that to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 at 8.9mm closed and 4.2mm open, and you might think Apple is behind.
But that extra millimeter tells a story. It’s the engineering margin needed for what sources describe as laser-drilled microstructures in the display panel. This isn’t just another UTG (ultra-thin glass) solution with a protective layer. This appears to be Apple’s answer to the crease problem that’s plagued foldables since their inception. They’re trading absolute thinness for a display that might actually feel like a single, continuous surface.
The build materials reinforce this premium approach. A mixed titanium and aluminum frame suggests Apple is applying lessons from its recent Pro iPhone models. Titanium offers that perfect balance of strength and weight reduction, while aluminum likely handles thermal management and structural integrity around the hinge. It’s the kind of material choice that tells you this won’t feel like a compromise device.
How It Fits in Your Life (And Your Pocket)
Let’s talk about the folded form factor, because this is where Apple’s design philosophy shines through. At 83.8mm wide and 120.6mm tall, the closed device has a wider, squarer profile than today’s towering smartphones. This isn’t an accident.
That width makes it easier to grip one-handed when closed. Your thumb can actually reach across the screen for basic tasks. More importantly, that shape slips into side pockets and smaller bags more naturally than the narrow, tall phones we’ve grown accustomed to. It feels less like you’re carrying a phone and more like you have a compact digital notebook with you.
When you do open it, the transition matters. The hinge mechanism needs to feel substantial without being stiff. It needs to support the display at multiple angles for laptop-style use. And it needs to survive thousands of openings and closings. Given Apple’s track record with iPad Smart Connectors and MacBook hinges, there’s reason to believe they’ve been working on this engineering challenge for years.
The Display That Could Change Everything
If the laser-drilled microstructure technology delivers what it promises, we’re looking at a potential game-changer for foldable displays. Current foldables use a thin polymer layer over flexible glass, which creates that inevitable crease. Apple’s approach seems to involve modifying the display panel itself at a microscopic level, allowing it to bend without creating a permanent deformation line.
Think about watching a movie on this screen. No distracting line down the middle. No uneven brightness where the fold happens. Just a continuous, vibrant OLED panel that happens to bend. For reading, writing, or creative work, that seamless experience could finally make foldables feel like premium tools rather than tech novelties.
The inner screen also features an under-display selfie camera with no visible notch or punch-hole. That means an uninterrupted viewing area whether you’re video calling or just consuming content. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference in immersion.
Camera Philosophy and Daily Use
On the camera front, the leaks point to a dual rear setup similar to what we expect from the iPhone 17. That suggests Apple is prioritizing sensor quality and computational photography over adding more lenses. Given how good Apple’s dual-camera systems have become, this makes practical sense.
What’s more interesting is thinking about how you’d use these cameras on a foldable. The wider form factor when unfolded creates a more stable platform for photography, almost like a mini tripod. And the larger screen gives you a better viewfinder for framing shots. It turns photography from a quick point-and-shoot affair into something more deliberate and creative.
Battery life remains the big question mark. Foldables need to power two displays while maintaining reasonable thickness. Apple’s chip efficiency could give them an advantage here, but we won’t know until we see actual battery capacity numbers. What we do know is that Apple typically optimizes for all-day use, so expect their solution to prioritize longevity over charging speed.
The Competitive Landscape
When this device potentially launches in September 2026, it won’t be entering a vacuum. Samsung will likely be on its eighth generation of foldables by then, and Chinese manufacturers will have refined their offerings significantly. But Apple has always played the long game.
While competitors raced to market with increasingly thin Samsung foldables, Apple appears to have been studying the pain points. The crease. The durability concerns. The awkward outer displays. This leaked design suggests they’re addressing each systematically rather than chasing specs.
There’s also the software question. iOS isn’t currently optimized for foldables, but Apple has years of experience with iPadOS multitasking. The transition could be smoother than we expect, especially if they treat the unfolded state as more of a tablet experience than a phone one.
Why This Matters Beyond the Spec Sheet
Looking at these CAD renders, what stands out isn’t just the technical achievement. It’s how Apple seems to be rethinking what a foldable should be. This isn’t a phone that turns into a small tablet. It’s a pocketable device that gives you iPad mini functionality when you need it.
For students, it could replace both a phone and a tablet for note-taking and reading. For professionals, it could be the perfect companion device for quick reference and communication on the go. And for everyone else, it might finally make foldables feel like a natural evolution rather than a compromise.
The timeline suggests we’re still a couple of years away from seeing this in stores, and as with any Apple production reality check, there could be delays. Manufacturing a crease-free display at scale won’t be easy, and Apple’s quality standards mean they won’t ship until it’s right.
But what’s clear from these leaks is that Apple isn’t just copying existing foldable designs. They’re applying their particular philosophy of integration and user experience to a new form factor. If they can deliver on the promise of a truly seamless display and build it to their usual standards of quality, the wait might just be worth it.
In the meantime, these CAD leaks give us a fascinating glimpse into what could be the next major shift in how we interact with our devices. Not just thinner, not just faster, but fundamentally more adaptable to how we actually live and work.
