Apple’s next iPhone launch is months away and the brand just recently debuted the iPhone 16e. While it’s not surprising, Apple still hasn’t planned a foldable for this year but reports suggest that its development is in its final phase, and the foldable iPhone could debut as soon as next year.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, in his latest edition of Power On newsletter, teased the iPhone 17 Air (rumoured name) and also hinted towards the foldable iPhone. “It’s readying a skinnier iPhone for later this year and focused on finishing up development of its first foldable device for 2026,” he said. While most Android OEMs have their foldables selling in the marker, Apple is the last major manufacturer to debut a foldable.
By “skinnier iPhone,” Gurman meant the upcoming iPhone slim that is rumoured to be called iPhone 17 Air. This device will replace the Plus model in the lineup, so the iPhone 17 family could include the standard iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and the 17 Air.
Meanwhile, 2026 will also bring a new design for the iPhone according to Gurman. “There’s also another new iPhone design in the works for that year, I’m told,” he noted. Apple’s iPhone lineup has looked nearly the same for the past few years with design refinements each year. While the iPhone 17 could finally look a little different from the iPhone 16, it’s the iPhone 18 series that could introduce a major redesign across the board.
In another news, Apple is seemingly preparing Google Gemini integration in Apple Intelligence. In a backend update rolled out with the iOS 18.4 beta, Apple has added both “Google” and “OpenAI” as third-party model options within Apple Intelligence. While this doesn’t guarantee that Gemini integration in Apple Intelligence will arrive in iOS 18.4—especially given previous Apple Intelligence delays—it strongly suggests that support is on the way.