A clamshell iPhone could be Apple’s second foldable

The iPhone Fold hasn’t shipped yet, but Apple is still considering its future releases. That follow-up may be that long-rumored smaller clamshell-style iPhone.

Apple is currently working on a foldable version of the iPhone, referred to by the rumor mill as the iPhone Fold. However, the book-style foldable may not be the only one that Apple ships, as its attention turns to what it could release after its first folding smartphone.

In Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman is still months away from its iPhone Fold launch, but its labs are looking at another foldable device. This time a small, square, clamshell-like iPhone.

The thinking behind its development is one based on typical customer demand. If the first iPhone Fold is a success, that could generate enough demand in the product category, which could mean consumers seeking out other device styles and sizes.

Gurman goes on to propose that smaller may not be the only direction Apple could take. A larger book-style foldable iPhone could also be on the cards, giving consumers a larger option closer to that of existing models available from Samsung.

Not a new rumor

Recent rumors have all predicted an iPhone Fold that opens like a book, so folding along the middle. But in the many years of conflicting claims, including scrollable iPhones instead of folding ones, there has been evidence of a clamshell design.

There are some benefits to the clamshell approach, starting with this business of potentially making smaller phones. A small phone that folds out into a bigger one could make this appeal to the market that liked models like the iPhone 12 mini, as well as the regular iPhone audience that wants a larger screen.

If the iPhone Fold model truly mimics the laptop clamshell design, then it could have only an internal screen. That conceivably means the folding screen will be more protected in daily use, exposed only when a user opens it up.

Apple seems unlikely to make one iPhone Fold that has an external screen and then one that hasn’t, however. There is then the question of whether Apple continues to sell and upgrade the book-like iPhone Fold alongside a clamshell one.

What’s most likely, based on the information so far, is that this is an area Apple has investigated — perhaps even to the point of manufacturing samples. But we won’t know until at least late 2027 as even if Apple is planning a clamshell design, it surely depends on the reception the book-like iPhone Fold gets in September 2026.