John Ternus: Apple Explored Foldable iPhones Since 2011, No Rush to Release
Apple CEO John Ternus revealed that the company has been exploring the development of foldable phones since 2011, long before such devices became a trend in today's smartphone industry. Ternus shared this in an interview with Time magazine for its "The Best Inventions of 2026" issue. The magazine, scheduled to hit newsstands on October 26, also features John Ternus on its cover. One of the main topics discussed was the development of the iPhone Duo—Apple’s first foldable phone, which recently debuted on September 9, 2026, long after its competitors first entered the segment. In the interview, Ternus recounted that back in 2011, he and five other Apple engineers filed a patent application for a foldable electronic device.
"At that time, the team began exploring the technical requirements for creating a foldable device, including battery components and circuit boards.
'It felt clear that eventually we would reach a point where OLED displays could be made flexible,' Ternus told Time. This development shows that the idea of a foldable phone at Apple had already emerged more than a decade ago.
Apple did not immediately release a commercial product when foldable phone technology began to be introduced by its competitors. In the foldable phone segment, Samsung became a pioneer by releasing its first commercial foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, in 2019. Since then, Samsung has consistently updated its Galaxy Z Fold-Flip series over the past 8 years. Most recently, Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold-Flip 8 series. One of the breakthroughs introduced is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 featuring a passport-sized design.
4 Foldable Phones Resembling a Passport, iPhone Duo is Not the First). Following 2019, Chinese phone manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo successively entered the foldable phone segment. However, Apple remained unmoved, sitting out the foldable phone segment until now in 2026."