Apple’s first foldable might not be an iPhone or iPad, but a foldable MacBook with a 20-inch screen.


TL;DR: Apple’s foldable MacBook

  • The report: Apple is reported to be working on a MacBook with a foldable screen. 👨‍💻
  • Display size: The MacBook is reported to have a 20.3-inch display. 💻
  • Release date: It’s likely the foldable MacBook could come as soon as 2027. 📆
  • What about iPhone? The report states Apple’s foldable MacBook is the only product with a clear development schedule. 📱

Apple may have just released the new M3 MacBook Air, but the company is already well into the development stage of a future MacBook like none that’s existed yet.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a strong track record thanks to his sources in Apple’s supply chain, has revealed that Apple is developing a MacBook with a 20.3-inch display that could be released as soon as 2027.

In a post on X, Kou wrote, “Recently, I’ve received many inquiries about whether Apple plans to mass-produce the foldable iPhone or iPad in 2025 or 2026. My latest survey indicates that currently, Apple’s only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027.”

Koe’s report corroborates earlier reports that said Apple is indeed working on a foldable MacBook. Back in January 2023, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young posted on X, stating “Have heard about a 20.5” foldable notebook for 2025, but nothing about a foldable iPad for 2024. Maybe this is  just good PR for the hinge company…”

And back in December 2022, Korean publication The Elec published a report that said Apple had begun work on a product that would have a 20-inch display. A machine-translated version of the original Korean report says, “Apple is working on a foldable product project with major domestic component companies in the size of 20 inches. 20.25 inches is the screen size when the product is fully unfolded. With the screen size in the early 20-inches when unfolded, this project product is likely to be close to a MacBook (laptop). Assuming a 20-inch product is 20.25 inches, the size will be 15.3 inches when folded. The current commercially available Apple MacBook Series screen size is 10-inch mid-to-late range, and the iPad (tablet) series screen size is less than 10 inches to early 10 inches.”

If these reports are accurate, it suggests that Apple’s first foldable may be a MacBook and not an iPhone or iPad as many had assumed. The foldable MacBook should have a folded screen size of 15.3 inches, which is the exact size of the M3 MacBook Air’s display. When unfolded, the MacBook would have a screen size of just over 20 inches.

While the prospects of a foldable MacBook are exciting, one has to wonder what shape, exactly, its form will take. Will the foldable MacBook just be a display with a virtual keyboard? Or will the foldable MacBook retain the physical keyboard of the current MacBook and will only the edges of the foldable display fold open to give it a larger screen – much like how some gaming laptops work today?

Also, it is worth noting that if Apple does release a foldable MacBook, the device is likely to be significantly more costly than your average MacBook, which already has a high price relative to most PC laptops. It’s conceivable that a foldable MacBook then could cost as much as $3,000 or $4,000 dollars. If that’s the case, one has to wonder how much of a market there will be for such a costly device. 

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