The heat is on for Android rivals as Apple’s foldable reportedly enters production

Android foldable fans have plenty to get excited about right now, not least the long-rumored Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide expected to take center stage in the summer. But while the next wave of foldables is starting to take shape, Apple is looming large in the distance, as a fresh rumor suggests its first foldable iPhone is moving closer to reality.

As WCCFTech spotted, leaker Majin Bu claimed on X today that the so-called iPhone Fold has “just entered production at Foxconn,” adding that the device is “no longer a rumor and is a real product.” If the claim of the reportedly reliable tipster is accurate, it would suggest Apple’s foldable is now past the conceptual stage and into a much more serious phase ahead of an expected late-2026 launch.

Android makers will be on high alert because Apple is widely tipped to enter the market with a book-style foldable that takes a different approach from the taller, narrower shape the likes of Samsung have favored for years. Various leaks point to a wider design, more in line with the original Pixel Fold and OPPO’s Find N approach, while other reports also suggested the phone could bring iPad-like interface features such as split-screen multitasking. Apple may be arriving late to the party, but it could be arriving with a form factor that Android brands are increasingly drifting toward.

It’s all setting up an interesting head-to-head with Samsung. We’ve seen mounting signs of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, including One UI 9 assets and animations that appear to reference a broader screen shape. Nothing is official yet, but it looks a lot like both companies are converging on the same basic idea at roughly the same time.

There’s also the bigger threat hanging over the Android players: scale. There have been recent claims that Apple could be preparing as many as 20 million foldable display units, a figure that would dwarf Samsung’s reported 2026 foldable ambitions if it translates into actual shipments. That doesn’t mean Apple will automatically dominate the segment on day one, and foldables remain a niche for a reason, but it does help explain why every rumor about the iPhone Fold inches us closer to a major shakeup in the space.

For now, this is still just a rumor built on a leaker’s post, so it’s worth keeping speculation in check. But if mass iPhone Fold production really is beginning, Android foldable makers may soon have a lot more to worry about than just each other.