Unlike previous iterations, the new iPhone is expected to fold, opening and closing like a passport to double its screen size.
The product release event, titled “Surprise and Shine”, begins at 10am Pacific Standard Time on Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California, south of San Francisco.
While competitors have released foldable smartphones since the late 2010s, the new model will be a first for the iPhone maker and will also serve as the first big test for the company’s new CEO, John Ternus, who assumed the role on 1 September.
Apple is expected to price the phone north of $2000, more than what some of its competitors charge for their foldable phones. A Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, for instance, retails for $1899. Much remains unknown about Apple’s device, including its name, though it is rumored to be named either the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra.
Apple reportedly began testing prototypes of its folding iPhone display in early 2021 – though at the time there were no plans for its launch, according to a Bloomberg report. Ultimately, the phone the company is rumored to launch will be about 5.5in when it’s closed and 7.8in when it opens. It’s also not expected to have Face ID because the device is too thin to hold the camera that would enable the facial recognition scan. Reports indicate it will only offer Touch ID instead.
Apple is also expected to make several more routine announcements, including new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max models. Though the foldable iPhone may take center stage Wednesday, demand for foldable phones makes up only a small sliver of overall mobile device sales. Customers’ interest in standard iPhones, by contrast, remains high, as evidenced in Apple’s most recent robust earnings.
The company is also expected to unveil new iterations of some of its other product offerings at its events and over the next few months, including updates to its Apple Watch and AirPods lines, according to Bloomberg, as well as its first-ever touchscreen MacBook.
Ternus will take the stage as CEO for the first time and mark the beginning of his tenure as the head of Apple, replacing outgoing CEO Tim Cook. In a note to employees on his first day, Ternus said that he was excited about “the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven’t even imagined”.