Apple’s first foldable iPhone hasn’t even launched yet, but the company is reportedly already working on a third-generation model that could arrive as soon as 2028.
The long-term planning shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Apple is expected to introduce the much-rumoured iPhone Fold this fall as part of its usual September iPhone launch. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims the company is already looking beyond the first generation.
According to Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple is developing not only a second-generation foldable for 2027, but also a third-generation model that could launch in 2028.
There’s very little known about what Apple has planned for that distant model. Gurman reports that the third-generation iPhone Fold could feature slightly larger displays, both the internal folding screen and the smaller external display.
That’s about as far as the current details go, and it’s worth remembering just how far away 2028 is. Apple could change its plans considerably before a third-generation foldable gets anywhere near a retail launch.
The report follows an earlier claim from Gurman in June that Apple is preparing a second-generation foldable iPhone for late 2027. That model is expected to form part of Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone plans, though specific details remain limited.
Furthermore, Apple working on an iPhone Fold 3 before the original has even gone on sale might sound like the company is already assuming its first foldable will be a success. In reality, it’s more likely to be a consequence of how far ahead Apple has to plan its hardware.
A company with Apple’s scale and complex supply chain can’t simply decide on a new iPhone design a few months before launch. Major hardware changes can take years to develop, and even more iterative updates still require lengthy development and manufacturing planning.
That means Apple can have several generations of the same product in development simultaneously. The first iPhone Fold is approaching launch, so engineers are already considering what comes next. Even so, those later projects remain in the early stages of development.
And if the first foldable doesn’t perform as expected, Apple isn’t necessarily locked into releasing every subsequent version. A third-generation model, still several years away, could be cancelled or substantially changed before it reaches production.
So while iPhone Fold 3 sounds premature, it’s actually fairly normal for Apple’s product development process.
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