Folding and curved iPhones both predicted in 2027 ‘product blitz’

Macworld

The iPhone hasn’t seen a truly radical change in design since the switch from Home button to a notch in 2017, and some models have been almost indistinguishable visually from their predecessors. (Line up the iPhone 14 Pro, 15 Pro, and 16 Pro on Apple’s comparison page and you’ll struggle to see much evolution.) But that’s all reportedly set to change in the near future.

Later this year, as regular readers will know, we expect to see the launch of the iPhone 17 Air, a handset far slimmer (and in certain respects potentially far less practical) than any smartphone Apple has previously sold. But this bold move will pale in comparison with the “product blitz” the company has planned for 2027, according to a new report.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman predicts that 2027 will be a “monumental year for new devices” at Cupertino, with launches ranging from the company’s first smart glasses to tabletop robotics. But the new products most relevant to the average consumer will be foldable and curved iPhones.

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, Gurman writes, “should be on the market by 2027.” That hints very delicately that we might not have to wait until 2027, and also hints rather more strongly that we might have to wait until later—but that’s true of any product plans this far out.

The timeframe does seem strengthened, however, by Gurman’s claim that Apple insiders regard the foldable as one element of the iPhone’s 20-year anniversary celebration, which wouldn’t really fly if it came out in 2028. It could in principle be announced in January 2027, to match the date when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in January 2007, with a launch to follow in June, but an 11-month wait would be distinctly underwhelming.

We’ve heard a great deal about foldable iPhones over the years and it’s one of Apple’s most long- and eagerly awaited products. Part of the issue, after all this time, is that Samsung, Motorola, and others have built up years of experience releasing high-quality foldables, making it hard for Apple to break into the market. But Gurman thinks the iFold will be set apart by its superior build quality, and specifically the fold line, which, unlike those of most rival products, will be “nearly invisible.”

The foldable iPhone will be followed later in 2027, according to the report, by a redesign to the classic iPhone look that has also been rumored but far less often: a “mostly glass, curved iPhone — without any cutouts in the display.” This won’t be the first-gen iPhone’s 20-year anniversary, but Gurman says the company will tie it in with the 10-year anniversary of that groundbreaking iPhone X mentioned earlier.

The report offers few details of this device, but we probably shouldn’t expect an extravagant curve across the full surface of the screen in the manner of a curved monitor. It seems more plausible that it will curve only towards the edges, with the majority remaining flat and functional. But again, time will tell how Apple tackles this concept. And whether 2027 is a realistic goal, or only the latest in a long series of rumored launches that come to nothing.