We’ve been hearing whispers about Apple’s foldable ambitions for years, but newly leaked CAD renders finally give us something tangible to examine. Codenamed V68 and reportedly targeting a September 2026 launch, this isn’t just another folding phone. It’s Apple’s vision for packing an iPad mini experience into a device that genuinely slips into your pocket.
| 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 | Near iPad mini dimensions for split-screen use |
| Thickness (Folded) | 9.6 | mm | Including camera bump |
| Thickness (Unfolded) | 4.8 | mm | Excluding camera bump, thinner than iPhone Air |
| Frame Material | Titanium & Aluminum | — | Mixed construction for durability |
| Rear Camera System | Dual | lens | Similar to iPhone 17, quality over quantity |
| Front Camera | Under-display | — | No visible notch on inner screen |
| Display Technology | Crease-free | — | Laser-drilled microstructures |
| Target Launch | September 2026 | — | Codenamed V68 |
The Pocket-Sized iPad Mini Vision
What immediately stands out about this Apple’s foldable iPhone CAD leak is how Apple rethinks the folded form factor. Instead of the tall, narrow outer displays that dominate current foldables, Apple opts for a wider 5.5-inch screen measuring 83.8mm across. This creates a squarer profile that feels less like a traditional phone and more like a mini tablet folded in half.
That wider stance isn’t just aesthetic. It makes the device easier to grip horizontally and enables better one-handed use when closed. You can actually type on the outer display without feeling like you’re pecking at a narrow strip of glass. When you slip it into your pocket, the orientation means it sits more comfortably in side pockets compared to today’s towering smartphone slabs.
Unfolding the iPad Mini Experience
Open the device, and that’s where the magic happens. The inner screen expands to 7.76 inches with a 2,713 × 1,920 resolution that nearly matches an iPad mini. For context, that’s enough real estate for proper split-screen apps, comfortable note-taking, or immersive media consumption without constantly zooming and panning.
At just 4.8mm thin when unfolded (excluding the camera bump), it’s actually slimmer than even the ultra-slim iPhone Air. But the real engineering story here is what you don’t see: a visible crease. Apple’s reportedly using laser-drilled microstructures in the display panel that Samsung couldn’t quite crack, prioritizing a truly seamless viewing experience over chasing the absolute thinnest profile.
Build Quality That Feels Like Apple
The leaked CAD details reveal a mixed titanium and aluminum frame, a construction choice that speaks to Apple’s typical approach. Titanium provides that premium heft and durability at key stress points, while aluminum keeps the overall weight manageable. At 9.6mm thick when folded, it’s slightly chunkier than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 at 8.9mm, but that extra millimeter accommodates the engineering required for that crease-free display.
This is classic Apple thinking: don’t just match competitors on paper specs, but deliver the experience your engineers believe is right. If that means being slightly thicker to eliminate the most noticeable compromise in current foldables, that’s a tradeoff they’re apparently willing to make.
Camera System and Daily Usability
Camera specs follow Apple’s recent philosophy of prioritizing quality over quantity. The dual rear setup appears similar to what we expect from the iPhone 17, suggesting computational photography advancements rather than sensor count one-upmanship. More interesting is the inner screen’s under-display selfie camera with no visible notch, creating an uninterrupted canvas for video calls or content creation.
Think about your daily workflow with this device. Morning emails on the outer display during your commute, then unfolding to an iPad mini-sized screen for spreadsheet work or document editing at your desk. Evening entertainment on that expansive, crease-free display that doesn’t have a distracting line down the middle. It’s a crease-free iPad mini experience that transitions between contexts more gracefully than carrying both a phone and a tablet.
How Apple’s Approach Differs From Samsung
Comparing these leaked specs to current foldables reveals Apple’s distinct philosophy. Where Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 8.9mm closed and 4.2mm open, Apple’s design comes in at 9.6mm folded and 4.8mm unfolded. That extra thickness tells a story about priorities.
Samsung has been chasing thinness aggressively, but Apple seems focused on solving the crease problem first. It’s the same pattern we’ve seen throughout Apple’s history: enter a category later than competitors, study what users actually complain about, then engineer a solution that addresses those pain points even if it means different compromises.
This approach puts Apple’s foldable in an interesting position against Samsung’s foldable ambitions. While Samsung continues refining an established formula, Apple appears ready to redefine what a folding device should prioritize. The wider outer display for better usability when closed, the crease-free inner screen for media consumption, the mixed materials for durability—these aren’t incremental improvements but fundamental rethinks of the foldable experience.
The Supply Chain and Manufacturing Reality
Looking at these CAD leaks through an industry lens reveals why Apple took so long to enter the foldable space. That crease-free display technology using laser-drilled microstructures represents a manufacturing challenge that likely required years of supply chain development. Apple doesn’t just adopt existing technology; they often work with suppliers to create new production methods that meet their quality standards.
The mixed titanium and aluminum frame suggests similar supply chain considerations. Titanium machining at this scale, for consumer electronics with tight tolerances, requires specialized equipment and processes that don’t exist at the volumes Apple needs. By targeting a 2026 launch, Apple gives their manufacturing partners time to scale up these capabilities.
What This Means for Your Next Phone
If these leaks prove accurate, Apple’s first foldable represents something more significant than just another iPhone model. It’s a statement about how folding technology should integrate into daily life. Not as a novelty that makes compromises obvious, but as a practical tool that expands your screen real estate when needed while remaining pocketable when not.
The device feels like Apple learned from every complaint about current foldables: the awkward outer displays, the visible creases, the durability concerns. Then they engineered solutions that align with their design philosophy, even if those solutions required different tradeoffs than the competition made.
For consumers, this could finally make foldables feel like a mature technology rather than an experimental one. For the industry, it sets a new benchmark for what users should expect from premium folding devices. And for Apple, it represents their characteristic pattern of entering a category not first, but with a product that redefines what that category can be.
