Paul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The first folding iPhone could come with a 24-megapixel under-display selfie camera.
- Samsung’s latest Z Fold 7 moved away from the under-display selfie cameras previous models used.
- Apple’s first foldable could launch in the second half of 2026.
Smartphone manufacturers tend to get ideas from each other. Once Samsung or Google or Apple proves an idea is technically viable and, more importantly, marketable, the other players often move to implement it in their own products. Following the success of folding phones from the likes of Samsung and OPPO, Apple is reportedly working on a foldable of its own. We’ve known that for a while, but now, we’ve seen more evidence that suggests the first folding iPhone will use an under-display camera embedded in its internal display.
We first heard that the foldable iPhone would feature an under-display camera by way of a May leak. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold phones used similar technology through the Z Fold 6 until switching to a more conventional hole-punch design in the Z Fold 7. On balance, this was probably the right move — the Z Fold 6’s under-display camera used a four-megapixel sensor, making for a selfie camera that just wasn’t very good. According to a document posted to Twitter by Max Weinbach, Apple could be planning to incorporate a 24-megapixel camera under its foldable phone’s inner display.
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This information comes from a document purportedly sourced from JP Morgan’s internal estimates (Max notes in his tweet that “bank analysts are VERY good at getting information like this from supply chain”). The document shows that, along with its 24-megapixel under-display camera, the folding phone will come with a more conventional selfie camera in its front display, also at 24 megapixels, along with 48-megapixel wide and ultrawide rear cameras. It evidently won’t support Face ID, however.
Under-display cameras are embedded beneath pixels that can be turned on or off, allowing the camera to be hidden while it’s not in use. It’s an interesting concept that, so far, no phone maker has been able to pull off without some pretty serious compromises. Apple including an under-display selfie camera in its first foldable could mean that future Android devices with similar form factors may revisit the idea in the future.
JP Morgan expects the first folding iPhone to hit store shelves in the second half of 2026.
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