A huge foldable iPad Pro could arrive in 2028, says new report
Apple is reportedly working on a huge iPad Pro that can fold in half - and eliminate the crease
📱 Apple is working on a folding device that’s as big as two iPad Pros, according to a report
❌ The company’s goal is to ensure it doesn’t have a crease in the middle
📅 The device is still in early development but could arrive in 2028
👀 Previous rumors seem to corroborate the idea of a big 18.8-inch iPad
Apple’s entry into the foldable market has yet to happen, even as competitors like Samsung and Google heat things up with the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, the Cupertino company is definitely thinking about foldables, and the latest rumor hints at a huge foldable iPad Pro on the horizon for 2028.
iPad Pro foldable could arrive in a few years - without a crease
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has shared that Apple is working on a new foldable device that’s about the size of two iPad Pros sitting next to each other, connected by one sheet of glass. Apple is reportedly avoiding the approach of laptops like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and opting not to include a separating hinge. Instead, it’ll be one big folding… thing.
What that thing is is unclear, but Gurman seems to believe it’ll essentially be a big iPad Pro. Gurman speculates that the device could run iPadOS instead of macOS since it’ll be a huge touchscreen, plus by the time it comes out, iPadOS could be much more powerful than it is today.
One of the design goals Apple has with this mysterious product is eliminating the crease in the middle of the screen. Right now, every foldable I’ve tried hasn’t been able to completely get rid of it, but some hide it better than others. Apparently, Apple wants no crease at all, and it has some prototypes where it’s nonexistent. It’s obviously still in early development stages, but it seems like Apple is at least making good progress.
A forecasted roadmap of Apple’s rumored display plans for the next few years was shared on X last week, and Gurman notes in his newsletter that the roadmap aligns with when he believes the foldable iPad Pro could arrive: 2028. Apple is rumored to ship an 18.8-inch screen sometime between 2028 and 2030, and that screen could belong to this mysterious device. The roadmap also mentioned an OLED MacBook Pro in 2026 and an OLED MacBook Air in 2027.
As for an iPhone that folds in half, we’ve heard previously that Apple is experimenting with the form factor internally and that it could ship in 2026. Other reports have hinted that a foldable iPad mini could be coming first, though, so we’ll have to let time pass to find out what Apple plans to do in the foldable space first.
Max Buondonno is a writer at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop.