For years we've been waiting for Apple to release a foldable something, such as a book-style folding iPhone like the Galaxy Z Fold or an iPhone Flip.
But more and more it appears that Apple is working on either a foldable iPad or MacBook, or something in between the two.
A new rumor from regular leakster Digital Chat Station on Weibo claims Apple has produced an "Foldable iPad Pro" prototype with a number of interesting features.
They claim that the this prototype features an 18.8-inch display and a metal meta-lens. Under the display, they say (machine translated) that it "mainly integrates Face ID Rx and Tx for under-screen 3D face recognition."
18.8-inch Display
That gigantic 18.8 number isn't a totally new display size for the much rumored device.
Last year, a five-year roadmap leaked out that showed Apple launching a foldable "tablet/note PC/monitor" with an 18.8-inch display in 2028.
We first head about a 20-inch folding MacBook way back in 2022. At the time, analyst Ross Young claimed this mystery laptop wouldn't launch until 2026 or 2027.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed that the foldable iPad looks like "two iPad Pros side-by-side."
Everything suggests that Apple is working on an iPad/MacBook hybrid. If we believe DCS, it appears the company is leaning more tablet than laptop.
Face ID and metalens
Before the iPhone 16 launched there were reports that Apple was looking to equip metalenses on the Pro models. Metalenses, for reference, are super-thin flat lenses that use etchings to manipulate light rather than a curved structure.
Using metalens could allow for a smaller camera sensor. In theory, Apple could swap out the current trio of lenses that it uses for Face ID to a single thinner metalens.
It's a big deal, especially as Apple is in an apparent race to make its devices thinner and thinner. It also hints at a way for Apple to make a foldable iPad or MacBook that has space for more components or tech for the folding display itself.
Assuming the 2028 schedule is correct, we might see the metalens FaceID in action on the Pro models of the iPhone 17 alongside a smaller Dynamic Island.
When are the foldable iPad and iPhone coming out?
We have seen differing rumors that Apple is working on a foldable iPad, iPhone and/or a MacBook.
The foldable iPhone allegedly won't surface until after the foldable iPad/MacBook is launched. Recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the foldable iPhone would launch in Q4 of 2026, meaning the end of 2026, maybe the start of 2027.
That's earlier than the foldable iPad is expected to release.
Another rumor from February pointed to a giant 12-inch foldable iPhone and claimed that Apple would release it in 2026 following a folding iPad.
To be clear, the rumor mill on a folding Apple device has been churning since at least 2015 and the release date has been kicked down the road multiple times.
Still, as the rumors start to coalesce like this, we can gauge how likely a product is actually to coming out and with what features. The folding iPad or MacBook is very slowly seeming to be the real deal.
The question now is; will we see it next year or in 2028?
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