Apple’s foldable iPhone looks increasingly likely to keep MagSafe, based on new comments from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in an interview with Tom’s Guide that walk back months of conflicting evidence about whether the feature would survive the device’s unusually thin design. The reasoning is fairly simple: Apple already managed to squeeze MagSafe into the iPhone Air, one of its thinnest phones yet, so Gurman sees little reason to assume the foldable can’t fit it too.
This wasn’t a settled question until recently. Early dummy models of the foldable didn’t show the telltale MagSafe ring on the back panel, while dummy units of the iPhone 18 Pro did, which fueled speculation Apple might cut the feature entirely to save space. That theory had some technical logic behind it too. The foldable is rumored to measure just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, thin enough that fitting the magnet array and charging coil alongside everything else inside could plausibly have forced a trade-off. Then leaked cases for the device turned up showing a circular MagSafe cutout, muddying the picture further. Now, with Gurman saying all indications point toward inclusion, the case for MagSafe looks stronger than the case against it, even though Apple itself hasn’t confirmed anything.
The stakes here go beyond simple wireless charging. MagSafe has built out a real accessory ecosystem since Apple introduced it on the iPhone 12 in 2020, covering everything from wallets and stands to battery packs, and losing that compatibility on a phone rumored to cost more than $2,000 would have been a strange omission for what’s shaping up to be Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever.
MagSafe isn’t the only place where this device breaks from the standard Pro playbook, either. The rumored spec sheet points to Touch ID instead of Face ID, likely built into the power button, because the TrueDepth system reportedly doesn’t fit in such a thin chassis. The camera setup is expected to skip a Telephoto lens entirely, leaving just Wide and Ultra Wide sensors. Under the hood, it’s rumored to run Apple’s A20 Pro chip paired with the newer C2 modem, inside a book-style design with a roughly 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner screen, close to iPad mini territory once unfolded.
Timing looks more settled than the color or spec rumors. Apple’s September 9 event is where the foldable is expected to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and while some reporting floated the idea of a delayed launch due to manufacturing complexity, Gurman pushed back on that in the same interview, saying he’d be surprised if the foldable didn’t launch either the same day as the Pro models or within a few weeks after, rather than the multi-month gap some had speculated.
If MagSafe does make the cut, it’s a signal that Apple isn’t willing to strip away core ecosystem features just because a device is thin and experimental.
M Adnan Akram is the founder and lead writer at Phoonomo, covering mobile technology with a primary focus on Apple and the broader smartphone industry, alongside emerging developments in AI. He follows product launches, spec leaks, and industry trends closely to keep readers informed with timely updates.
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