The iPhone Flip is the Apple device that keeps the rumors coming. Now, new details have emerged that work is underway on a foldable device.

Specifically, The Information reports that the foldable iPhone is now out of the concept stage and has been assigned a codename. If so, that could mean a release date as early as 2026. Cell phones typically take two to three years to move into the production stage, and other reports suggest that the foldable iPhone will not be ready until 2027.

According to The Information, the iPhone Flip will be a clamshell device similar to the recently released Samsung Z Flip 6 and Motorola Razr Plus (2024). Allegedly, Apple was testing another design where the foldable opens and closes like a book, but the clamshell option seems to have won out.

In recent months, Apple has obtained or introduced a number of patents indicating that the company is thinking about a foldable device, whether it be an iPhone, MacBook, or a tablet-iPhone hybrid. Apple is also rumored to be working with Samsung on a foldable display.

The Information report repeats rumors we have heard that Apple is struggling with the iPhone Flip because of the creases in the display that result from folding. So far, no one has found a complete solution. Recent foldable devices have reduced the size of the folds, but they are still noticeable on current models. Given Apple's emphasis on aesthetics, it is not surprising that this is a sticking point for them.

Allegedly, Apple mandates that the foldable iPhone be half the thickness of the iPhone when open so that it is not too thick when closed. That has been the company's focus of late, as seen in the release of the iPad Pro M4 and rumors of an iPhone 17 that will introduce a slimmer design in 2025.

We have heard rumors of a foldable iPhone since at least 2016. Now it looks like we will have to wait a few more years.