Apple's Foldable Ambitions: From iPhone Fold to an 18.8-Inch Tablet
We've all heard whispers of Apple finally going foldable on phones, possibly as soon as next year with an "iPhone Fold." But Apple's flexible-screen ambitions don't seem to stop at your wallet. The rumor mill suggests they're also cooking up a much, much larger canvas – an 18.8-inch foldable tablet. Is it a brand-new revolutionary iPad, a flexible MacBook, or something in between.
A New Device Category or a Savor of Things to Come?
While the hard realities remain shrouded in secrecy, high-profile analysts are speculating that this significant foldable from Apple won't see mass production until the latter part of 2027 or maybe 2028. That's a wait, and it looks like Apple won't be alone in this new big-format foldable space.
It's enjoyable to imagine what an 18.8-inch fold-up from Apple could look like. Imagine a device that is a neat 13-inch laptop when folded, but then springs out into this massive tablet. That would seriously mess with product categories.
The Competition is Already Brewing
Even as Apple has not formally unveiled anything as yet, the competition has already begun to heat up. Huawei has already shown the world its MateBook Fold, whose concept is the same as Apple's rumored monstrous tablet. The head start of Huawei could prompt other tech players to join the game.
And it's not Huawei alone. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Amazon is also said to be developing a rival massive-screen foldable tablet. Kuo even believes Amazon will beat Apple to market, perhaps starting mass production on its 18-inch tablet by late 2026 or early 2027. That would mean the market would already have entrenched players by the time Apple's larger foldable arrives.
Apple's competitors in the large-sized foldable device market may not be limited to Huawei. My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not yet officially kicked off. If development progresses as planned, it is projected to enter…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 20, 2025
Don't Forget the Foldable iPhone
While the foldable behemoth is an enticing prospect, let's not forget Apple's more immediate foldable plans. The oft-rumored iPhone Fold has been rumored to have a 5.5-inch outer screen and a 7.8-inch inner screen when unfolded, pitting it head-to-head against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line. Rumor is mum regarding a clamshell-design foldable iPhone, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Incidentally, this foldable iPhone may come out around the same time as the 20th-anniversary iPhone, which will probably get the same kind of overhaul. Apple is also apparently gearing up for some big device lineup revamps.
Of course, at this stage all of these are rumor and guesswork on the part of analysts. But it's certainly true that the world of foldable technology is opening up, and Apple does seem poised to make some big plays, even if that means coming in a bit late to the party with its larger devices. We'll have our ear to the ground for further developments.
