Apple’s very long-rumored foldable iPhone is finally starting to take shape. Expected to arrive in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, the foldable iPhone is not only supposedly going to have a small-ish external screen when closed, but it’s increasingly looking likely that it’ll have wider dimensions than Android foldables like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
“Unlike other foldable phones made by Samsung and Google, Apple’s product will have an aspect ratio similar to that of Apple’s largest iPads when viewed in landscape mode, meaning it will be more wide than tall when unfolded,” reports The Information (via 9to5Mac).
There are a few reasons why I could see Apple ship a foldable iPhone with a wider aspect ratio compared to its competitors. The first is that Apple needs its foldable iPhone to be recognizable instantly. In a sea of Android book-style foldables that are all taller than they are wide when closed, there would be no mistaking a foldable iPhone.
The second is software. Think about an iPad running iPadOS 26 and how its latest windows-based multitasking works. It’s designed for landscape orientation. An iPhone that opens up to a widescreen tablet device would mean software consistency and familiarity for users. As somebody who has tested nearly every book-style foldable, it’s less cramped running two or three apps on a wider foldable display than it is on a taller one.
I could easily picture Apple next fall touting the benefit of having an iPad app’s sidebar on the left half of the foldable iPhone and content on the right. Notes, Photos, Files—Apple loves trumpeting a sidebar and how it makes it easier to organize your content. I could also imagine a redesigned Apple Books app to feel more like you’re flipping pages on a real book.
A wider foldable iPhone also makes more sense for watching videos and playing mobile games. On the Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold, videos are sandwiched between thick black bars (letterboxing), which makes them look no larger than on a big regular touchscreen phone. The only way to get larger video dimensions with smaller black bars is to rotate the foldable, in which the video will fill up more pixels. Videos in 16:9 or 2:1 would automatically appear much larger on a wider foldable screen. The crease would run vertically down the middle, but apparently Apple has solved that, or at the very least, reduced its visibility. The usefulness of a significantly larger screen for consuming content is arguably the biggest reason why book-style foldables even exist.
This is how the Apple iPhone Fold or the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold looks in my hands
it features a 4:3 inner screen, comfortable! pic.twitter.com/jd9Vr1E9fT
— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) December 22, 2025
Leaker @UniverseIce shared on X what a foldable iPhone with a 4:3 aspect ratio would look like when unfolded. ETNews, another source, which has semi-accurately leaked details on unreleased Apple and Samsung products, also said that Samsung is planning to release its own foldable with a wide aspect ratio in Q3 2026 to compete with the foldable iPhone.
Not a new idea
A foldable phone that’s wider than it is tall when it’s unfolded wouldn’t be an Apple invention. Countless other companies have tried a similar form factor. These “passport-style” devices, like the original Google Pixel Fold and the Oppo Find N, and even the dual-screen Microsoft Surface Duo, all failed to catch on.
© JOSH EDELSON / Contributor / Getty ImagesThe design intent of these devices all seemed logical, but they all either suffered from subpar hardware, poorly optimized software, or both. Consumers preferred foldable phones that worked more like a regular phone when closed, but still allowed for a bigger screen when unfolded. Known for elegantly combining hardware and software, Apple could bring its expertise to the still relatively niche foldables market, so to speak. Smaller dimensions when closed would also make the device more pocketable, something wider passport-shaped foldables were not.
There’s almost 9 months before Apple is expected to announce the foldable iPhone, and more leaks will certainly drip out in the new year. One thing I’m sure about is that the foldable iPhone’s complete schematics haven’t leaked out yet.
Fwiw, the alleged iPhone Fold 'leaked CAD renders' floating around are anything but. They were actually created by a talented MacRumors forum member, based on rumored specs dating back to May. https://t.co/wfkzNSNzTT
— Tim Hardwick (@waxeditorial) December 19, 2025
As MacRumors Senior Editor Tim Hardwick pointed out, the alleged CADs detailing the dimensions are from a concept created by a MacRumors forum member “based on rumored specs dating back to May.”
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