Leaked roadmap hints Apple will debut a foldable iPhone in 2026, then a clamshell Flip and a 20th-anniversary model, launching a three-year design cycle.
© A. Krivonosov
Apple is preparing to rethink the familiar iPhone refresh rhythm. Fresh leaks point to a plan that, starting in 2026, would bring a uniquely shaped model every year—ranging from a foldable device to a clamshell-style Flip and a 20th‑anniversary edition marking two decades of the iPhone.
According to leaker yeux1122 on Korea’s Naver platform, the new design push would kick off right after the first foldable iPhone arrives in 2026. That does not imply wholesale reinventions of the mainstream line each year; rather, Apple is said to be trialing a three-year experimental cycle to explore different constructions and materials.
The headliner is the foldable iPhone. Initially expected in 2026, it may slip to 2027 because of production challenges, the latest chatter suggests. Alongside it, Apple is working on an iPhone Flip—a compact clamshell—and an anniversary iPhone 20 built almost entirely from glass and metal with an edge-to-edge, bezel-free display.
For now, the boldest redesign is the ultrathin iPhone Air, which effectively serves as a testbed for what comes next. With progress in core technologies slowing and the market saturated, manufacturers have to earn attention in new ways—and Cupertino appears ready to lean on hardware shape, not just what’s inside.