Apple ( AAPL.US )'s first foldable-screen iPhone scheduled for fall! Will feature an iPad-like interface, allowing apps to run side by side when unfolded.

Apple’s highly anticipated foldable iPhone will run an updated iOS operating system for the first time, supporting an iPad-like layout and side-by-side app display to enhance the device’s multitasking capabilities.

According to people familiar with the matter, the product marks Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable screen category. Its internal foldable display is about the size of an iPad mini, while the outside includes a secondary screen comparable to a small iPhone.

Unlike the narrow-and-tall screens that most foldable phones currently on the market use, Apple’s internal display will adopt a specific aspect ratio. A source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity said this could become a major selling point for the device; the project is still in a confidential stage.

Apple is under pressure to prove to the market that it can breathe new life into this form factor. The foldable iPhone will be unveiled this fall, seven years after its main competitor, Samsung Electronics, launched its first foldable phone.

Sources say Apple’s design is intended to improve the video-watching experience on the device. At the same time, developers will also find it easier to redesign their iPhone apps to make them closer in form to iPad software.

Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and its spokesperson declined to comment on this.

Apple is developing a new iOS app layout and redesigning its core iPhone apps, planning to add a sidebar along the left edge of the screen—similar to many iPad apps. Developers will also be able to adjust their iPhone software to fit the new interface, whose proportions will be similar to the iPad in landscape mode.

Despite offering an iPad-like app experience, this foldable iPhone will run standard iOS rather than iPadOS designed specifically for tablets. That means it will keep a more streamlined multitasking system rather than adopting the more desktop-like interface introduced in iPadOS 26, and it will not be able to directly run existing iPad apps.

While the foldable iPhone can’t run multiple windows at the same time like an iPad mini, it can display two apps side by side, aligning with the main functions of foldable phones from manufacturers such as Samsung and Google.

During development, Apple identified two major shortcomings of existing foldable phones: the narrow inner display and the crease visible when the screen is open. But solving these issues is not easy, which is also an important reason Apple has stayed out of the category for so long.

Apple ultimately chose a new display technology that can reduce but not completely eliminate the crease. While it may not be perfect, this approach could give the company some marketing advantages.

Another key problem Apple is trying to address is durability, a pain point common to foldable devices. Its goal is to increase the number of open-and-close cycles the screen can withstand before failure.

The external display screen on this foldable phone is shorter than the screens on most iPhone models, and it introduces another first for Apple products: a pinhole design for the front-facing camera. This design replaces the existing pill-shaped notch on current iPhones. According to information, this design will also be used on the touchscreen version of the MacBook Pro that is scheduled to be released later this year.

Apple is able to adopt this design because it removed the Face ID facial recognition system and instead integrated Touch ID into the side button. This marks the first time since the third-generation iPhone SE in 2022 that Apple will introduce an iPhone equipped with a fingerprint sensor.

Apple’s choice of this approach is something of a compromise, as the front panel of the foldable iPhone is too thin to accommodate a Face ID sensor array. However, this pinhole design will still preserve the “Dynamic Island” feature for displaying system alerts and app information.

For the inner display, Apple tested two approaches: one using an emerging under-display camera technology, and the other relying on the pinhole design. After testing, Apple concluded that the under-display approach would lead to a decline in image quality.

This phone’s back will be equipped with two rear cameras, one fewer than on existing high-end iPhone models. But Apple believes its large inner display, stronger productivity features, and an approximately $2,000 price tag will still place it at the top of the iPhone product lineup. At the same time, Apple also aims to attract users of foldable Android devices.