Apple’s ‘iPhone Flip’ May Not Be Dead After All

Everything is lining up for 2026 to be the year that we finally see Apple’s long-awaited foldable iPhone, which is expected to be a book-style foldable similar in design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Google Pixel Fold. However, there may be some good news for those who were hoping Apple would go with a clamshell “flip” form factor instead, as it appears that’s still on the table.

While both designs are now well-established in the Android world, Apple has taken its time. Some sources have suggested the company wanted to make sure foldable phones weren’t just a passing fad before investing meaningful resources into creating one, while others suggest that Apple also wanted to take the time to get it right by waiting for the technology to evolve to the point where it could create more durable hinges and crease-free folding screens.

Apple has reportedly been testing hinge and screen designs for years, but for a long time it wasn’t clear which direction the company would go in. Would the first foldable iPhone be a book-style “iPhone Fold” or a clamshell “iPhone Flip.” Evidence pointed to either or both as possibilities, and it looks like the company may have started on the “flip side.”

In early 2024, several reports said Apple was prototyping two clamshell iPhone models, even supposedly approaching suppliers in Asia to source the necessary components. These were backed up a subsequent report from The Information in the summer of 2024 that pointed to a tangible product, codenamed V68. However, Apple seemingly took a sharp left turn after that.

As early 2025 rolled out, reports began piling up from  Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu, and display industry analyst Ross Young, all of which said that we should expect a book-style design.

Those reports remained remarkably consistent throughout the entire year, and have gelled to give us a pretty good idea of what to expect: an pro-level iPhone that unfolds into a 7.8-inch creaseless display and may even herald the return of a Touch ID sensor to avoid the trouble of packing in two Face ID sensors. Essentially, an iPad mini that folds up into something that roughly resembles two iPhone Air devices stack on top of each other, possibly with an even larger battery; a report this morning from Weibo leaker Instant Digital points to a 5,500 mAh cell, which wouldn’t just be the highest capacity ever placed in an iPhone, but would also beat out the 5,078 mAh cell in the current iPad mini, perhaps ironically turning it into the “iPad mini Pro” that we once heard rumors of.

The ‘Flip’ Side

However, just because Apple is leading with an “iPhone Fold” doesn’t mean it’s put all its eggs in that basket. There was enough noise in 2024 to suggest that Apple had a tangible “iPhone Flip” in the works — even a product codename — and while not everything that gets prototyped sees the light of day, we were always pretty confident that Apple had merely put it on the back burner to simmer for a while, rather than cancelling it outright.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has confirmed these suspicions in his latest Power On newsletter, noting that the device is not only still on the table, but it could be the company’s second foldable, arriving even before the mythic iPad Fold, which is still believed to be years away.

Gurman hasn’t provided too many insights on what we can expect from an “iPhone Flip” other than to describe it as a “a square, clamshell-style foldable phone,” similar to what we’ve already seen from Motorola and Samsung.

He also hedges by adding that it’s not anywhere close to a sure thing yet, but believes that Apple sees a place for it once the idea of foldable iPhones takes off.

There’s no estimated timeframe for when an “iPhone Flip” might show up, so we wouldn’t get our hopes up just yet. The “iPhone Fold” has yet to launch, and it remains to be seen if Apple will turn that into an annual event. If Apple is serious about a clamshell design, it’s possible we could see it launch in 2027, creating a staggered approach with folds in even years and flips in odd ones, but that’s purely speculation.

Still, the fact that it was reportedly prototyping an “iPhone Flip” two years ago means it’s already sunk some effort into developing the new design, which suggests it wouldn’t take much to have a clamshell foldable ready for prime time, and considering that the “iPhone Fold” is expected to carry a $2,000+ price tag, the “iPhone Flip” could offer a much more affordable option — an “iPhone 18” to the “iPhone 18 Pro” — but Apple might be waiting for the supply chain to stabilize in the aftermath of the current “RAMageddon” global memory shortage before moving forward. It’s in good shape to weather rising memory costs, but it’s also working hard to use that leverage to ensure its iPhone 18 pricing remains stable.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]