Apple is planning to step into the foldable market as soon as next year with the iPhone Fold, and even though concrete details are not available, the company’s ambitions stretch far beyond standard smartphones. It was previously reported that the company is working on a large 18.8-inch tablet, which could be a Mac or an iPad, depending on the operating system. A prominent analyst now claims that the mass production of Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable device will begin in late 2027 to 2028.
Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable device will have immense competition before its launch from Huawei and Amazon
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in his recent post on X that Apple is expected to begin mass production of its 18.8-inch foldable device in the second half of 2027 or 2028, but before that, the company could face immense competition from the industry. We have previously covered Huawei’s unveiling of the new MateBook Fold, which features the same general design as Apple’s rumored gigantic tablet.
It is safe to presume that Apple has competition in the industry before even launching the product, and there are various reasons why the company is late to the party. Huawei’s MateBook Fold will go on sale at a later date, but its presence in the market is enough to lure more companies to join the giant tablet race. Kuo also notes that Amazon is also working on a similar tablet: “My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not yet officially kicked off.”
Apple’s competitors in the large-sized foldable device market may not be limited to Huawei. My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not yet officially kicked off. If development progresses as planned, it is projected to enter…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 20, 2025
Kuo further added that Amazon will begin mass production of its 18-inch tablet in late 2026 to 2027, which is almost a year earlier than what Apple has planned. This goes on to show that there will be competition in the industry before Apple launches its iPad-Mac hybrid device with an 18.8-inch display. Apple’s foldable device will have a 13-inch display when in laptop or unfolded mode but can be used in full-fledged tablet form with a bigger display.
As mentioned earlier, Apple is also working on its first foldable iPhone with an external display of 5.5 inches and an internal display of 7.8 inches, making it a close competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup. There is no word if the company is working on a clamshell variant of the foldable iPhone, so we would have to wait for Apple to give us a sign. The device is slated to be introduced next year alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone, which is also expected to undergo a massive redesign. We will keep you posted on the latest details, so be sure to keep an eye out.
