Apple Inc’s forthcoming foldable iPhone will include updates to the iOS operating system that enable iPad-like layouts and side-by-side apps for the first time, enhancing the device’s appeal for multitasking.
The product – Apple’s long-awaited entry into the category – will feature an interior foldable display roughly the size of an iPad mini, according to people with knowledge of the matter. There also will be an external screen that’s about the size of the display on a small iPhone.
The inside display will use a wide aspect ratio, a departure from the narrower formats of foldable phones currently on the market. That should be a key selling point, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is still under wraps.
Apple is under pressure to show it can bring new life to this format. The arrival of the foldable iPhone this fall will come seven years after chief rival Samsung Electronics Co launched its first model.
The Apple design is intended to make the device more appealing for watching video, the people said. It also should be easier for developers to redesign their iPhone apps to more closely resemble iPad software.
A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
Apple is developing new iOS app layouts and revamping its core iPhone programs to add sidebars along the left edge of the screen, similar to many of its iPad apps. Developers will also be able to adapt their iPhone software for the new interface, which will use proportions similar to an iPad in landscape mode.
Despite offering an iPad-like app experience, the foldable iPhone will run the standard iOS – not iPadOS, the company’s tablet operating system. This means it will retain a simpler multitasking system, rather than adopting the more desktop-like interface introduced in iPadOS 26. It also won’t run existing iPad apps out of the box.
While the foldable iPhone won’t run several windows at once like an iPad mini, it will be able to show two apps side by side. That matches a key feature of the foldable phones offered by Samsung, Alphabet Inc’s Google and others.
During development, Apple concluded that the two biggest shortcomings of current foldable phones were the narrow internal displays and the visible crease – the line that can be seen when the device is open. But fixing these problems hasn’t been easy, and it’s one of the reasons Apple is entering the category so much later than its competition.
The company opted for a new display technology that reduces the crease without eliminating it entirely. Though not perfect, the approach could potentially give the company a marketing advantage.
Another key issue Apple worked to solve is durability, a common concern with foldable devices. The goal was to increase the number of times the screen can be opened and shut before failing.
The outside display, shorter than the screen on most iPhones, will introduce another first for Apple: a small hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera. That element replaces the pill-shaped notch on today’s iPhones. The design is also coming to a touch-screen version of the MacBook Pro later this year, Bloomberg News has reported.
The company was able to adopt this design by removing the Face ID facial-recognition system and instead integrating Touch ID into the side button. That marks the first time Apple will debut an iPhone with a fingerprint sensor since the third-generation iPhone SE in 2022.
Apple was left with little choice to take this approach because the foldable iPhone’s front panel is too thin to accommodate the Face ID sensor array. The hole-punch design will still include the Dynamic Island interface for viewing system alerts and monitoring information from apps.
For the inner display, Apple has tested two approaches. One uses an emerging technology that hides the camera completely beneath the screen. The other relies on the small hole-punch cutout. During testing, the company determined that the under-display approach produced worse image quality.
The back of the phone will include two rear cameras, one fewer than on today’s high-end iPhones. Apple believes the device’s large internal display, better productivity features and roughly US$2,000 (RM7,832) price will still position it at the top of the iPhone lineup. The company also aims to attract fans of foldable Android devices. – Bloomberg
