Rumor mill: A new leak from YouTuber Jon Prosser has offered the most detailed look yet at Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone. In a video released on Christmas Eve, Prosser presented high-quality 3D renders that he says depict the device "in all of its book-style glory." The leak follows Apple's July lawsuit against Prosser over the publication of confidential details related to iOS 26 and the company's Liquid Glass technology.
Prosser claimed the foldable iPhone will feature a 5.5-inch external display with a hole-punch camera and a 7.8-inch internal screen configured in a similar style. His renders show dual cameras on an oblong rear housing, a design reminiscent of the iPhone Air, with an LED flash positioned opposite the lenses.
The leaker said the device would measure 9 millimeters when closed, suggesting each half of the chassis would be about 4.5 millimeters thick. That would make the handset more than a millimeter thinner than the 5.6-millimeter iPhone Air, one of the thinnest smartphones currently in production.
The dimensions Prosser outlined are broadly consistent with earlier reports about Apple's foldable prototype, but they contradict a more recent leak indicating that the external display would measure about 5.25 inches – smaller than the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini.
Renders shown in Prosser's video depict a device that appears wider than it is tall when folded and open, bearing visual similarity to Google's first-generation Pixel Fold aside from that model's thicker display bezels.
Other reports have suggested Apple was testing versions with an under-display camera system, referred to in leaks as an "invisible" under-panel camera, which would hide the lens beneath the main folding display. Whether that technology will be used in a production model remains uncertain.
A key technical question still unresolved is how effectively Apple can minimize the crease along the fold. Some earlier supply-chain reports indicated that the company had found a solution through improvements in ultra-thin glass manufacturing, but more recent information has cast doubt on whether the crease can be eliminated entirely.
If the device launches as rumored next fall – alongside models expected to be branded iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max – it would mark Apple's first major new iPhone form factor since the introduction of the notchless design. However, its success could depend more on market demand than on engineering achievement.
Apple's recent iPhone Air may offer lessons. That model drew attention for its extreme thinness and component miniaturization – seen by analysts as a possible bridge to future augmented-reality glasses – but sales reportedly fell short of expectations. Analysts have speculated that poor consumer response could lead Apple to cancel a follow-up iPhone Air 2.
The foldable iPhone, if released, would enter a premium price tier that already tests consumer willingness to pay. Some reports have suggested the device could start at above $2,000, far higher than most conventional iPhone models.
While the iPhone brand's strength has historically carried Apple through major design shifts, sales of smaller models such as the iPhone mini, iPhone Plus, and iPhone Air show that even a flagship name has its limits.