I'm getting ready for a $2,500 iPhone in 2026 – and you?

This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top, as the memorable quote from one of David Lynch's finest movies goes. But how crazy is it to expect a $2,500 iPhone next year, given that the world indeed seems like it's going through a rough phase – and everything gets more expensive?

Right now, the "vanilla" iPhone 16 is being sold for $799 (if one does not resort to trade-ins or other promotions) and a triple price increase is the very definition of a sticker shocker.

However, the $2,500 iPhone I'm mentally preparing for is not just a regular "vanilla" candy bar iPhone. Nope. Instead, I'm getting ready for the foldable iPhone – the first such Apple device is expected to hit the market at the end of 2026 (but be alarmed if it arrives in early 2027). Lately, there have been some notable delays from Apple's side.

Both Apple fans and mobile tech commentators have been begging (in their bedtime prayers) Cupertino to release a foldable phone, be it a flip (clamshell form factor) or a book style device. After all, why should we be deprived of the epic spectacle of yet another clash between Apple and Samsung, the world's two major phone companies?

It's a shame that the Galaxy Z Fold models have just the Far East foldables and Google and Motorola to compete against.

Pricey, pricier, priciest, Apple

It's a form of self-torture to expect Apple devices to be cheap. Recently, we had another confirmation of this observation in the face of the iPhone 16e. This is the iPhone SE's successor and it arrived at $599. This price tag was like a cold shower to many people, even those who keep repeating to themselves that they're cynical and cold and nothing could surprise them anymore. After all, the original iPhone SE started at $399.

Apple devices are pricey, and that's possibly one of the contributing factors to why people are buying them – we as a society like premium stuff. We're not exactly sure how a phone's chipset works, or how much a smartphone camera unit costs, but if the price tag has lots of $$$ on it, "it must be premium, right?"

And to Apple's credit, iPhones have proven to live up to their name: there is no such thing as a perfect phone, but the Pro and Pro Max models are fierce.

After keeping things stagnated for several years – in terms of design, we got eerily similar models every 12 months; in terms of performance, things got better, but in small steps – now Apple seems to be ready to bite the bullet. Apple's iPhone is off on an adventure!

First, the iPhone 17 Air – a super thin and sleek bijou – is expected to drop in September. It's expected to replace the Plus model in the iPhone 17 family and everybody is curious about what it's going to be like. Easy to hold with one hand? Too thin? Unbalanced, with a heavy top? Is it going to be durable? But that's a discussion for another day.

The other novel handset is the foldable iPhone, which I want to talk a bit more about – and explain why a price tag of $2,500 for such a device will be the last thing to surprise me in 2026.

Who said what and what I say

As you probably know, the foldable iPhone's potential price has leaked, but it's not just one – instead, there are four (given by different tipsters and industry insiders):

• $2,000 (analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's "low end")
• $2,100 (tipster Instant Digital's "low end")
• $2,300 (tipster Instant Digital's "high end")
• $2,500 (analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's "high end")

If accurate, Apple’s foldable could launch at a premium compared to current competitors – Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is priced at $1,899 and Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799.

I won't place any bets here, but I'm going for the $2,500 option.

Why? Well, we already addressed the first "It's an Apple device, so it's only natural to be expensive" part. Second, it's going to be a novelty device for Apple itself. Let's not forget the Vision Pro and how it started at $3,499 – although it's a much more advanced gadget than any iPhone out there.

Third… Well, I'm not supposed to talk about the third factor that I'm taking into account when predicting the foldable iPhone's price. It has to do with politicians, governments, tariffs, sanctions, and more things of the sort. Let's put it that way – just because there are tariff exemptions at the moment, doesn't mean things will stay that way until the end of 2026. Quite the opposite, I think electronics prices will rise and, well, the foldable iPhone is an electronics gadget, isn't it?

So, don't be alarmed to see the iPhold (it's what I call it in my mind) for quarter of a ten grand.

The price itself is not the issue

If Apple can convince me that the foldable iPhone is the foldable to get and if it's head and shoulders above the rest, the $2,500 price won't matter that much. Sure, I will feel the sting and my eyes may get watery from the financial pain, but at least I know that I'm getting something that's miles ahead in terms of hardware, software and user experience.

To justify the $2,000+ potential price, Apple is reportedly aiming to eliminate common foldable issues like the display crease, allegedly giving the device a standout feature to justify the cost.

Is that enough of a refinement? No, not a chance. I'd rather get me the Oppo Find N5 on a deal for ~$1,500 and go to a really small South Asian island where they serve really big plates of food and life looks brighter and lighter. That's how I'd spend my extra thousand bucks.



For the $2,500 foldable iPhone to truly impress me, it needs to go well beyond the crease (which isn't that much of an upgrade, given that current and upcoming foldables are doing OK on that front). I need an amazing battery life, jaw-dropping cameras – yes, including the selfie, super bright and no-nonsense display, snappy chipset, perfect iOS experience without glitches, lots of RAM and a revamped Siri assistant. Alright, I take the last one back – I understand that it's too much to ask for Siri to be adequate.

Most importantly, I want the foldable iPhone to pack such components and parts that they would remain unrivaled and unchallenged for two whole years at least. I wouldn't like to wake up just to find that some obscure Far East company has released a $1,000 foldable that's 80% similar to my foldable iPhone.

Next thing, you know, I'll be waiting for the $3,000 second-generation foldable iPhone to drop, just so I could show this cheeky pretender what a truly premium foldable looks like.

And the beat goes on.