Apple’s ‘iPad Fold’ won’t be launching any time soon, per new report

Next year, Apple is expected to debut its first ever foldable iPhone. But while certain analysts projected an iPad ‘Fold’ to launch around the same time, a new report indicates we won’t see the product any time soon.

iPad Fold development reportedly put on hold

On the same day that iPhone Fold production was reported as progressing nicely toward next year’s launch, the news isn’t so good for Apple’s foldable iPad.

Aaron Lee and Sherri Wang write at Digitimes:

Sources familiar with the matter say Apple had also been exploring a foldable iPad alongside the iPhone. However, the company has decided to pause progress on the larger foldable device for the time being. Industry experts attribute this decision to manufacturing difficulties, increased production expenses—particularly related to flexible display technology—and a relatively modest consumer demand for larger foldable devices.

Prior to today’s report, estimated release dates for the iPad Fold had been all over the place.

Some analysts, like Jeff Pu, predicted a 2026 launch alongside the iPhone Fold.

While others like Mark Gurman indicated we’d be waiting until 2028 or later.

Now, it seems that the later timeframe is more accurate—assuming the product ever ships at all.

Apple clearly wants to take a wait-and-see approach before debuting two foldables at once. As noted by Digitimes, demand for large foldables hasn’t yet proven itself very strong.

However, assuming next year’s iPhone Fold becomes a hit, there should be plenty of time for Apple to finalize specs for the iPad Fold in time to launch it by 2028.

9to5Mac’s Take

I’m disappointed that an iPad Fold doesn’t appear to be coming in the near-term. Not only because I’m a heavy iPad user, but also because iPadOS 26’s new capabilities are perfect for a larger iPad.

The rumored 18.8-inch display of the iPad Fold would have offered a huge canvas for managing all your apps. Now that the iPad is getting more Mac-like with iPadOS 26’s changes, the current 13-inch size limit on iPads doesn’t feel large enough to me.

Are you interested in the iPad Fold, especially now that iPadOS 26 makes larger screens so important? Let us know in the comments.

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