If the iPhone Fold does arrive in September 2026, it’ll likely be facing even tougher competition as we’d expect Samsung to have launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, and Google to have announced the Pixel 11 Pro Fold ahead of September.

Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldables space will finally take place next year, according to the latest analyst report. In a client note seen by CNBC earlier this week, JPMorgan said the “fairly limited” iPhone 17 release will be followed by the more compelling launch of the first “iPhone Fold” in the fall of 2026.

“When the company introduces its first foldable iPhone at the end of next year, it will be entering a product category that’s already seven years old—pioneered and dominated by its biggest hardware rival, Samsung Electronics Co. And this time, Apple won’t be debuting a radically new interface or transformative hardware,” writes Gurman.