Today, British Barclays analyst Tim Long said in an investor research report that Apple's first foldable iPhone may start at around $2,300 in the United States, which would make it the most expensive iPhone model to date.
If the first foldable iPhone starts at $2,299, that means it will cost nearly twice as much as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199.
Lang shared this pricing estimate after a recent trip to Asia, where his team met with hardware manufacturers. He said there is growing talk within the supply chain about a foldable iPhone launching in late 2026 to early 2027, but he believes the device's higher starting price will unsurprisingly limit its sales.
Earlier this month, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the first foldable iPhone would cost between $2,000 and $2,500, so many analysts agreed that the device would cost at least several thousand dollars. However, Ming-Chi Kuo believes that despite the higher price of the foldable iPhone, there will still be strong demand as long as the quality of the device meets expectations. For example, it would be a major breakthrough for Apple to release a foldable smartphone with no obvious creases on the screen.
Ming-Chi Kuo said the first foldable iPhone will feature a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch outer display, two rear cameras, a front-facing camera, a TouchID power button (instead of FaceID) and a high-density battery. He expects the device to be as thin as 4.5mm when unfolded and between 9mm and 9.5mm when folded. He expects the device to have a titanium casing, but the hinges will be a mix of titanium and stainless steel.
Ming-Chi Kuo said that the foldable iPhone will be put into mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Since the foldable iPhone is still at least a year and a half away, keep in mind that this pricing estimate is certainly just an educated guess.