Apple Foldable iPad Rumors: Release Date, Pricing, Concepts, and More
- Apple’s foldable iPad—about 18 inches unfolded—now looks like it has been pushed to a 2029 release.
- Early units weigh ~3.5 lb; that’s more like a MacBook than an iPad.
- If Apple trims some weight and hides the crease, the foldable iPad finally makes sense. Read on...
Apple’s big foldable iPad—the one with the roughly 18-inch screen—has hit real engineering roadblocks. Bloomberg reports that Apple aimed for a 2028 release, but weight, features, and display hurdles mean 2029 is now more realistic (and “or later” is on the table). Prototypes reportedly weigh about 3.5 pounds, which is laptop territory, not iPad territory. Price? Around $3,000 for the first generation, give or take—roughly triple a 13-inch iPad Pro today.
That’s the cold shower. The vision is still bold: a large OLED panel—sourced with Samsung Display—designed to minimize the crease that plagues most foldables. But making a screen this big fold well, look good, and last years is, well, brutal.
Photo via iPhone in Canada // A concept of an 18-inch unfolded Apple Foldable iPad. It's now expected to come in 2029.
Why this thing is so hard to ship
Let’s cut through the buzzwords. Apple is trying to build a two-in-one: a compact slab when folded, a roomy canvas when open. Every gram matters. The hinge needs to feel invisible. The crease can’t distract your eyes. And the shell needs to be tough enough to survive backpacks, coffee tables, and the occasional “whoops.”
Now scale that to 18 inches. The pressure on the hinge rises. The panel layers get touchy. The chassis needs to be stiff so it doesn’t feel like a baking tray. Oh, and customers will expect iPad battery life. That’s a juggling act—while wearing oven mitts.
The competitor Apple can’t ignore
If you want a glimpse of the category, look at Huawei’s MateBook Fold Ultimate Design. It’s an 18-inch OLED foldable that closes to a 13-inch-ish shell, priced around $3,300, and it’s light for what it is—about 1.16 kg (~2.6 lb). It’s China-only, but it shows the shape of things: thin, expensive, and surprisingly portable. Compared with Apple’s test units at ~3.5 lb, Huawei’s shipping device undercuts the weight by roughly a pound. That matters in your backpack.
Photo via Bloomberg // This is Huawei's foldable notebook/laptop. It seems to be like a combination of a MacBook and an iPad.
Does that mean Apple is “behind”? Not exactly. It means Apple’s bar—on crease quality, durability, longevity, and polish—is higher, which slows things down. But it also means expectations are set: if someone else can put 18 inches in your bag at 2.6 lb, Apple can’t show up with a heavier, pricier tablet that feels fussier.
The iPad that looks like a Mac (until you open it)
Here’s a quirky twist from the reporting: closed, the foldable iPad is said to look a bit like a Mac laptop—aluminum shell, no outer display. Open it and you get something closer to a 13-inch MacBook Air’s footprint, but without a physical keyboard. That’s neat for watching, reading, sketching, and Stage Manager workflows. It’s also a reminder: this isn’t meant to replace a Mac for everyone. It’s a new lane. A very premium one.
About that price
Three thousand dollars is the current ballpark. Some estimates round up to $3,900 if component costs don’t fall—think first-gen premiums plus low yields on custom panels. If you’re doing the mental math, that’s three iPad Airs, or one loaded MacBook Pro on a good day. Early adopters will shrug; most folks will blink. Fair enough.
Photo via Digital Trends // A 3D rendered concept of Apple's 2029 Foldable iPad/MacBook hybrid.
Foldable iPhone: sooner than the giant iPad?
Foldable iPhone rumors haven’t gone quiet. Suppliers have reportedly been tapped for test production in Taiwan, and timing guesses hover around the iPhone 18 era—late 2026 or 2027—though even that has started to look slippery. Apple seems determined to reduce the crease and nail the hinge before slapping a bitten apple on the box. Honestly, that’s the right instinct. First impressions stick.
Photo via Apple Hub // A concept of Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone.
So… who’s this for?
Picture a mobile creator who lives in Procreate, Final Cut for iPad, Logic sketching, Lightroom, and big spreadsheets—often, but not always, at a desk. They want one surface that travels small, opens huge, and loves a Pencil. If the weight drops closer to 2.7–2.9 lb, the crease vanishes into the background, and the keyboard story feels natural (Magic Keyboard evolution? hover-aware Pencil?), then you’ve got a clean pitch.
If not, the question hangs: why carry a tablet that weighs like a Mac but can’t fully be one? That’s the tension. Apple likely feels it too, which is why 2029 isn’t panic—it’s prudence.
My read
You know what? I like the ambition. The iPad lineup needs a “whoa” moment again. But the first “giant foldable iPad” can’t just be big; it has to be delightful. Lighter than a 14-inch laptop. A crease you forget. Battery life that doesn’t flinch. A keyboard and Pencil story that feels obvious. If Apple can’t hit those, I’d rather they wait—and it looks like they will.
Meanwhile, the market isn’t standing still. Huawei’s machine shows what’s possible on weight and design (even if it’s China-only). That puts pressure on Apple’s scale and price. Which is healthy. Competition sharpens the blade.
Photo via CNET // This is Apple's iPad lineup in 2025. Could a foldable iPad be added to the lineup this decade?
The bottom line
- Apple’s 18-inch foldable iPad has slipped from a 2028 target to 2029 (or later), mainly due to weight and display challenges; prototypes are ~3.5 lb.
- Expected price sits around $3,000—with some chatter reaching toward $3,900 depending on parts.
- Huawei’s 18-inch foldable laptop is ~2.6 lb and ~$3,300, setting a tough benchmark on portability and cost.
- A foldable iPhone still looks likely before the foldable iPad, but timing remains fluid as Apple labs chase crease control and hinge life.
If Apple lands the design, the foldable iPad could be a new kind of canvas—portable when you need it small, generous when you need it big. If they don’t, it’ll feel like a very fancy compromise. And nobody pays three grand for a compromise.
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Published to Apple Scoop on 21st October, 2025.
