iPhone Fold to reportedly have three unique design features new to Apple

iPhone Fold to reportedly have three unique design features new to Apple

iPhone Fold to reportedly have three unique design features new to Apple

https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/01/iphone-fold-to-reportedly-have-three-unique-design-features-new-to-apple/

Publish Date: 2026-04-01 11:24:00

Source Domain: 9to5mac.com

The iPhone Fold is coming later this year, with all the obvious foldable design basics like a hinge, folding display, and more. But rumors indicate the iPhone Fold will also have several unique design features that are firsts for Apple beyond these basics. Here’s what’s coming.

#1: Hole-punch front camera cutout

Dynamic Island UI | Components revealed within cutout

Hole-punch camera cutouts are common on many Android smartphones, but Apple hasn’t done one before.

Most iPhones these days use a Dynamic Island—which is reportedly shrinking a bit on iPhone 18 Pro. But the Dynamic Island is much larger than a simple hole-punch, and the new iPhone 17e has an even larger notch still.

iPhone Fold, however, is rumored to have a single top-center hole punch for the front camera.

The main reason Apple’s able to achieve a hole-punch design in the iPhone Fold, but not iPhone 18 Pro or any other new models, is that the device will lack Face ID.

Due to the thinness of the design, Apple reportedly hasn’t found a way to fit two sets of Face ID components in its foldable. Instead, the new model will use Touch ID—enabling the front display to offer a hole-punch camera cutout with no additional space needed for Face ID.

#2: Unique display size and orientation

You can 3D print a mockup of the iPhone Fold, with an asterisk | Photo shown

Apple has never made an iPhone with a display size and orientation like its foldable will have.

And that really applies to both the inner and outer displays.

CAD leaks show a front display that’s much wider than a standard iPhone screen, opening up to an inner display that’s similarly somewhat short and extra wide.

In some ways, the iPhone Fold design will reflect a small book or notebook more than a smartphone.

The closest parallel for the inner display’s design is an iPad mini. But even that comparison doesn’t quite match what’s rumored for the iPhone Fold’s size and orientation. It’s close, but Apple’s foldable will nonetheless feel unique.

#3: Button-free left side

The left…

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