Apple fans are already folding on Apple — and the device isn’t even out yet.
Leaked images of a supposed “dummy model” for the long-rumored iPhone Fold have sparked a mini meltdown online, with die-hards dragging the tech giant for what they say looks more flop than flip.
Australian leaker Sonny Dickson dropped the images on X, teasing: “Exclusive First Dummies of what the final size of the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like.”
What followed? A brutal pile-on.
One user didn’t mince words: “Apple has lost its way.”
“That fold is horrific, it’s so tiny and will still cost $2300. Typical Apple,” an additional unimpressed viewer fired back.
And if there were any lingering doubts about the vibe, one commenter summed it up in three savage words: “Omg the fold is so… ugly?”
From the photos, the alleged foldable appears to take a book-style approach — opening horizontally into a tablet-like screen — with a chunky frame and a dual-lens camera bump on the back.
But for fans used to Apple’s sleek, minimalist aesthetic, the early look isn’t exactly love at first swipe.
“The Fold is too wide, can’t palm that easily in normal phone use,” one user griped.
Others honed in on what could be a make-or-break miss: the apparent absence of MagSafe — Apple’s magnetic snap-on system, first rolled out with the iPhone 12, that lets chargers, wallets and other accessories click satisfyingly into place.
The backlash is notable — especially for a product that hasn’t even been officially confirmed by Apple.
Still, behind the scenes, signs point to the foldable finally becoming a reality.
As previously reported by The Post, Apple has already hit unexpected snags while testing its first-ever foldable, with engineers wrestling with issues that insiders say are “more complex” and time-consuming than expected.
At one point, the turbulence even rattled Wall Street, sending shares sliding more than 5% after a report suggested delays could push the timeline back by months.
“It’s true that more issues than expected have emerged during the early test production phase, and additional time will be needed to resolve them and make necessary adjustments … The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk,” one source told Nikkei Asia.
In other words, this thing isn’t folding together easily.
Still, there are signs Apple is determined to stick the landing.
In his latest Bloomberg newsletter, technology reporter and Apple specialist Mark Gurman noted that the company’s “first foldable phone is on track to arrive during the company’s normal iPhone launch period later this year.”
He added that it’s slated for a September debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. So ready or not, the Fold is coming.
That timing would put Apple years behind rivals like Samsung and Google, which have been churning out foldables since 2019 — though not without their own crease-related headaches.
Apple, for its part, is betting it can iron those out.
The company reportedly believes it has cracked some of the biggest foldable flaws, including durability, screen quality and that dreaded visible crease.
It’s also banking on the price tag — expected to top $2,000 — to push the iPhone into even more premium territory.
For now, though, the internet isn’t buying it.
One hopeful fan even mocked up their own sleeker concept, cheekily captioned: “Form. Function. Fold.”
But based on the early reaction, Apple may need more than a clever tagline — and a few engineering fixes — to keep this one from falling flat.
