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Apple’s first foldable iPhone might disappoint some because of its screen size

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Foldable iPhone mockup.
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This year’s iPhone lineup is about the iPhone 17 Air, expected to arrive this fall. Next year, however, Apple’s first foldable iPhone could debut. Today, we’ve heard more information about this new handset. Whether it’s good or bad will depend on your expectations.

According to Android Headlines, Digital Chat Station has revealed that the upcoming “iPhone Fold” will have a 5.49-inch cover display and a 7.74-inch inner display. If correct, this would make it Apple’s smallest non-iPhone SE since the iPhone 8 Plus in 2017.

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By comparison, the current iPhone 16 features a 6.1-inch display, the iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, the iPhone 16 Plus measures 6.7 inches, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display. Even the anticipated iPhone SE 4, which could launch next week,  is expected to have a 6.1-inch display.

How would Apple’s new foldable phone compare to those already on the market? The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold feature 6.3-inch cover displays, while the OnePlus Open has a 6.31-inch cover display. You’d have to return to the Pixel Fold to find a cover display on a foldable in the same neighborhood as the one Apple might offer. That phone’s cover display measured 5.8 inches.

The first iPhone Fold could also have one of the smallest inner displays available. At 7.74 inches, it would be smaller than the 8-inch screen found on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, for example.

It’s almost certainly too early to trust this leak. Even if Digital Chat Station is correct—and it might be—there’s no way to determine whether those are the final dimensions. It could simply be one of many iPhone Fold concepts Apple is testing.

Regardless, it’s always nice to hear more about what will likely be the most important iPhone of next year. Let the rumors flow!

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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