Future iPhone May Straight-Up Copy Samsung’s Z Flip

Apple hasn’t even launched its first foldable—a book-style one which’s been leaking out for months—and it’s already reportedly engaged on one other form of cellphone that bends in half.

At least that’s in keeping with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who wrote in his latest Power On newsletter that “a square, clamshell-style foldable phone” is “under consideration” by the iPhone maker.

Gurman says that Apple is anticipating its first foldable, anticipated to launch in September with the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, will generate sufficient curiosity for “additional shapes and sizes.” In different phrases, an iPhone that resembles Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip collection, like the present Z Flip 7, could also be in Apple’s future.

It ought to shock no person that Apple is contemplating a flip-style iPhone. As iPhones have gotten bigger, shoppers have complained that they’re not pocketable. At the identical time, iPhones with smaller screens, just like the iPhone 13 mini, are simply too tiny. A flip-style iPhone could be the one option to give shoppers a giant display that will also be compact.

Sounds nice, proper? The similar means the iPhone mini, iPhone Plus, and iPhone Air haven’t been gross sales hits, there’s no assure a flip-style iPhone could be successful. Samsung has been releasing new variations of its Z Flip collection yearly since 2020. The type issue is extra sturdy than ever, and the most recent Z Flip 7 pushes the exterior display to its edges, nevertheless it’s nonetheless essentially the identical as Samsung’s earlier fashions. The crease within the foldable display is much less seen than ever, nevertheless it’s nonetheless one thing you may really feel when your finger swipes over it. The design additionally hasn’t gotten a lot thinner or lighter; evaluate that to Samsung’s Z Fold 7, which has shed appreciable heft technology over technology. Battery life within the Z Flip 7 hasn’t improved a lot over its predecessor, both.

Apple’s flip-style iPhone might, in fact, clear up these “downsides.” Its first foldable reportedly received’t have a visual crease. And if Apple could make the machine as skinny as two iPhone Airs stacked collectively and even slimmer, then it might have one thing that reveals it was price ready for. And then there’s iOS—Apple customers who’ve been unwilling to change to Android regardless of the engaging design may very well contemplate an Apple-made flip-style iPhone. Together with Apple silicon, a flip-style iPhone might not have the identical battery restraints as an Android-powered flip foldable.

And greater than ever—particularly now that the common iPhone 17 is such an incredible worth—pricing will finally decide whether or not or not any iPhone foldables succeed or not. In this economic system, no person is leaping to pay extra for a gimmick, even when that gimmick is one thing that makes the iPhone match higher in a pair of thin denims or a handbag.

Consumers have been ready for Apple to launch each book-style and flip-style variations of the iPhone. But can Apple provide one thing really new or will it come off wanting like a copycat for type elements that Android cellphone makers have been promoting for years?

In Apple’s Q1 2026 earnings final month, CEO Tim Cook stated, “… we’re excited for all the opportunities we’ll have in the year ahead to deliver innovations that have never been seen before.” Was he teasing the iPhone foldable, the redesigned tandem OLED MacBook Pros with touchscreens, low-cost MacBook, or one thing else? The reality to “innovations that have never been seen before” in all probability lies nearer to “on Apple devices.” Because let’s be actual, any iPhone foldable—whether or not book-style or flip-style—will not be going to be a brand new thought, even when it’s a higher product.