Apple doesn't compete on being first—it competes on being right.
In the long arc of technological reinvention, Apple finds itself at a familiar crossroads — watching a category mature before choosing its moment to enter. Reports from late 2022 suggest the company is quietly engineering a foldable iPhone for a 2025 debut, armed with flexible OLED display technology and the hard-won lessons of watching competitors stumble first. Apple's deliberate pace reflects not hesitation, but a design philosophy that refuses to ship imperfection — knowing that for a company of its stature, the cost of a flawed launch far exceeds the cost of waiting.
- Apple is racing against its own reputation — a foldable iPhone is in development, but the company won't ship until it can solve the crease and bulk problems that have plagued Samsung's early Fold devices.
- Timelines keep slipping: analyst Ming-Chi Kuo once forecast a 2024 arrival, but Apple's exacting standards appear to be pushing the target toward late 2025.
- The stakes are unusually high — industry researcher Ben Wood warns that any technical failure at launch would trigger a 'feeding frenzy' of criticism that competitors simply don't face at the same intensity.
- Even as the foldable iPhone gestates, Apple is advancing on a second front — a refreshed iPad Mini with a 120Hz ProMotion display is reportedly targeting a 2023–2024 release window.
- Analysts see no foldable iPad displacing the Mini by 2025 — the production costs alone would make it an impractical substitute for Apple's most accessible tablet.
Apple has spent years quietly developing a foldable iPhone, and by late 2022, industry reports pointed to a target launch date near the end of 2025. The device would feature a flexible OLED display, placing Apple squarely in a category Samsung has led with its Galaxy Fold line. The precise form factor — whether it folds inward or takes a different shape — remains unresolved, as the underlying display technology continues to be refined.
The timeline has already shifted at least once. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who monitors Apple's supply chain with unusual precision, had previously suggested 2024 as a possible arrival date. That window appears to have closed. Apple's design philosophy has long been at odds with the current generation of foldables, which carry bulkier frames and visible creases — imperfections the company is unlikely to accept at launch.
The pressure is real. Ben Wood of CCS Insight cautioned that Apple would face a disproportionate wave of criticism if its foldable debut encountered durability or display issues — a 'feeding frenzy' that competitors might survive more easily. Apple's reputation for polish makes any stumble more costly.
Meanwhile, the company is also advancing its iPad lineup. A new iPad Mini with a 120Hz ProMotion display was reportedly in development for a 2023–2024 release. Kuo noted that a foldable iPad was unlikely to replace the Mini by 2025 — the manufacturing costs would make it an unreasonable substitute for a product valued precisely for its affordability and practicality.
What emerges is a portrait of a company moving deliberately across multiple fronts, absorbing the lessons of competitors' early foldable struggles before committing its own name to the category. Whether the 2025 target holds — and whether the result justifies the patience — is a question only time will answer.
Apple has been quietly working on a foldable iPhone for years, and according to industry reports circulating in late 2022, the company is aiming to bring a Samsung Fold-like device to market by the end of 2025. The phone would feature a flexible OLED display, marking Apple's entry into a category that Samsung has already established with its Galaxy Fold line. The exact form factor remains unclear—whether it will fold inward like Samsung's design or take a different approach—but the underlying flexible display technology is still being refined.
The timeline has shifted several times. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who tracks Apple's supply chain closely, had previously suggested a foldable iPhone might arrive as early as 2024. But that prediction appears to have slipped. Industry observers note that Apple's design sensibilities have always clashed with the current generation of foldable phones, which tend toward bulkier frames and visible creases. The company is unlikely to launch a foldable device until it can deliver something that meets its own aesthetic standards—which means more development time than competitors might need.
CCS Insight, an industry research firm, predicted in October 2022 that Apple would begin experimenting with foldable technology soon. The company has the resources and expertise to eventually crack the problem, but the stakes are high. Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight, warned that Apple would face a "feeding frenzy" of criticism if the foldable iPhone encounters technical issues at launch. The company's reputation for polish means any durability problems or display defects would draw intense scrutiny—more so than similar issues might for competitors.
While the foldable iPhone remains in development, Apple is also working on other hardware. Reports from the same period indicated the company was developing a new iPad Mini variant, with plans to release it by late 2023 or early 2024. This smaller tablet would reportedly feature a 120Hz ProMotion display, an upgrade from the current 60Hz refresh rate. Kuo, the same analyst tracking the foldable iPhone, weighed in on iPad strategy as well, noting that Apple was unlikely to abandon the iPad Mini in favor of a folding iPad by 2025. His reasoning was straightforward: a folding iPad would cost significantly more to produce and sell, making it an unreasonable replacement for the more affordable and practical iPad Mini.
The picture that emerges is of Apple methodically working across multiple product categories, unwilling to rush foldable technology to market before it's ready. The company has learned from watching Samsung and other manufacturers navigate the early challenges of foldable displays—the creases, the durability concerns, the software optimization required. By targeting late 2025, Apple is giving itself time to solve these problems in its own way. Whether that timeline holds, and whether the final product justifies the wait, remains to be seen.
Notable Quotes
There would be a 'feeding frenzy' among critics who would hold Apple responsible for any technical issues with the foldable phone.— Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight
An iPad mini replacement would be unreasonable given how much more expensive a folding iPad would be.— Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Apple wait until 2025 when Samsung already has foldables on the market?
Because Apple doesn't compete on being first—it competes on being right. A foldable that creases or fails after a year would damage the brand more than arriving late would.
But doesn't that give Samsung and others a three-year head start on the market?
Yes, but Apple's betting that by 2025, the technology will be mature enough that they can do it better. They're watching every failure Samsung and others have had.
What's the actual design challenge here?
Current foldables are thick and heavy because the hinge mechanism is bulky. Apple's design language demands something thinner, more elegant. That's harder to engineer than it sounds.
And if they get it wrong?
They'll face brutal criticism. Ben Wood's point about a "feeding frenzy" isn't hyperbole—Apple's reputation means any defect becomes a referendum on the entire product category.
So they're also working on iPad Mini instead of a folding iPad?
Right. Kuo argued that a folding iPad would be too expensive to replace the Mini. Apple's thinking practically—not every product needs to fold.
Does that suggest Apple is being cautious across the board?
More than cautious. Deliberate. They're not chasing trends. They're waiting until foldable technology stops being a novelty and becomes reliable.