Would You Buy a Foldable iPhone? This 3D Printed Mockup Based on Leaked Specs Might Help You Decide

ARTICLE – Apple’s foldable iPhone has lived in the rumor mill for years, always “coming soon” but never quite arriving. That changed when a Reddit user took leaked CAD dimensions and rumored screen specs and did something clever: they 3D printed a physical mockup you can actually hold.

The result sits in your palm like a passport, opens to reveal a wide 4:3 inner display optimized for landscape use, and looks nothing like the tall, narrow Samsung foldables most people picture. It’s a smart piece of speculative hardware that makes the rumors feel tangible for the first time.

A Different Kind of Foldable

The proportions hit you immediately. Instead of the book-style vertical fold Samsung popularized with the Galaxy Z Fold series, this iPhone Fold concept hinges horizontally into something closer to a compact tablet in landscape orientation.

That wider outer display feels like a genuine screen rather than a cramped notification strip, which addresses one of the most persistent complaints about current foldables.

Pick it up and you notice the weight distribution, the way the hinge creates a natural resting point when partially open, the thickness when closed versus the span when fully flat. These tactile details matter more than any render or spec sheet ever could.

The 4:3 aspect ratio signals a different philosophy than Samsung’s approach. Where the Z Fold’s tall inner display feels like a phone that got wider, this concept feels like a tablet that learned to fold. Media consumption, split-screen multitasking, and gaming all benefit from the extra horizontal real estate.

Apple appears to be betting that the trade-off is worth it, and based on how natural the mockup feels when watching widescreen content, they might be right.

The Numbers Game

Multiple industry reports now converge on 2026 as Apple’s target window for a foldable iPhone, with pricing rumors landing somewhere north of $2,000. That puts this device squarely in ultra-premium territory, competing less with standard smartphones and more with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

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The price reflects the engineering challenge. Apple has reportedly been developing crease-free display technology that would eliminate the visible fold line still present on competing devices. Whether that optical improvement justifies the premium remains an open question, but Apple has never been shy about charging for polish.

The company’s late-to-market strategy typically means they’ve watched competitors stumble, learned from those mistakes, and delivered something that feels finished rather than experimental. If that pattern holds, the first iPhone Fold could arrive with fewer compromises than the original Galaxy Fold did.

The 2026 Question

Here’s where the decision gets personal. If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, a foldable iPhone represents uncharted territory. Your iCloud photos, your Apple Watch, your AirPods, your carefully curated home screen: all of it transfers seamlessly, but the form factor itself is brand new.

You’d be an early adopter within a mature ecosystem, which is a strange position that combines the comfort of familiarity with the uncertainty of first-generation hardware.

The “Apple tax” question looms large. Samsung has been iterating on foldables since 2019, refining hinge mechanisms, improving display durability, and optimizing software for flexible screens. Paying Apple prices for technology Samsung has already spent half a decade perfecting requires faith in Apple’s ability to leapfrog rather than merely catch up.

For Android users who’ve watched foldables mature from the sidelines, this mockup raises a different calculation entirely. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line now offers improved durability and a proven track record. The Z Flip provides a compact clamshell alternative. Google’s Pixel Fold brought its own take with tighter software integration.

The foldable market isn’t waiting for Apple. It’s been building depth and variety for years.

Would an iPhone Fold be compelling enough to consider switching ecosystems, or does it simply validate what Android manufacturers have already accomplished? That’s a deeply personal calculation no spec sheet can answer for you.

So, Would You Buy It?

This mockup exists because someone with a 3D printer decided to make the rumors physical. That’s exactly the kind of project that makes the maker community valuable.

You don’t need Apple’s permission to imagine what their future products might feel like. Curiosity, some filament, and a few hours of print time give you a tangible preview of hardware that won’t exist for another year or more.

Let’s hear from you. If this mockup is close to what Apple actually delivers in 2026, would you buy one at $2,000 or more? Does the passport-style form factor finally make foldables interesting, or are you content with your traditional slab phone?

For our Android readers who’ve already experienced foldables: would an Apple version tempt you to switch, or does the competition already have this figured out? Drop your thoughts in the comments.