Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone this week, according to TechCrunch. The launch would come five years after Samsung introduced its first foldable smartphones. In addition to the foldable iPhone, Apple is expected to announce updates to its AirPods and HomePod lines, as well as the non-foldable iPhone 18 lineup.
The upcoming event is highly anticipated, particularly because it is the first under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus, who previously served as the company’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, took over from former CEO Tim Cook in September.
TechCrunch said people claiming to be early testers of the foldable device have reported positive experiences. According to Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman, the foldable iPhone has a premium feel, fits comfortably in a pocket and opens into a wide, iPad-like display.
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The phone is expected to have a 5.5-inch cover display that expands to 7.8 inches when unfolded. When folded, the device will reportedly look shorter and wider than a typical iPhone. Some reports have suggested that the phone could cost more than $2,000.
The TechCrunch report said that to make the phone slim enough to fold, Apple has reportedly made some concessions. The device is expected to skip a telephoto camera but could feature a dual-lens rear camera system with a main and an ultrawide lens, similar to those found on Apple’s more affordable iPhones.
There are also rumors that Apple will include MagSafe, its magnetic wireless charging and accessory system, but forgo Face ID to save space. Instead, the phone could rely on a Touch ID fingerprint sensor integrated into a side button.
Like other foldable phones, the iPhone Ultra is expected to support side-by-side multitasking, allowing users to run two apps simultaneously, one on each half of the unfolded screen. While the device could resemble a small iPad, it is expected to run iOS rather than iPadOS.
Aside from the foldable iPhone, Apple is also expected to introduce new devices in the iPhone 18 lineup.
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The report also said Apple is expected to refresh the HomePod, its smart speaker and competitor to devices such as Amazon’s Echo line. References to unreleased products, including new HomePods, were recently spotted by users in a macOS preview build.
Apple also appears to be working on AirPods with built-in cameras.
In the same macOS preview, researcher Aaron Perris found a video showing someone wearing AirPods and picking up a book. “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later,” a voiceover in the video says.
Gurman has reported that “the cameras essentially act as eyes for the Siri digital assistant and aren’t designed to take photos or video.” Instead, the earbuds’ components would allow them to “capture visual information in low resolution.”