iPhone Fold: Unique Button Placement, Big Battery
Recent leaks are giving us a much better look at what Apple’s long-rumored iPhone Fold might actually be, and it sounds less like a folding phone and more like a shrunken-down iPad.
According to a report from Weibo leaker Setsuna Digital, Apple is making a pretty radical move by putting the volume buttons on the top edge of the right side. The power button/fingerprint scanner will be on the right side of the device. This setup is reminiscent of the iPad Mini which has its power and volume buttons up top. It’s a massive change from the left-side placement we’ve seen on every iPhone for the last twenty years.
It’s worth noting that several renders we've seen so far have missed this. Artists usually just stick the buttons where they "should" go, but Apple seems to be picking engineering over tradition here. By moving the rockers to the top, they can apparently keep the motherboard entirely on the right side and avoid running fragile wires across the hinge. Hopefully it’s clear now that everyone has been doing a bit of guesswork on these renders and prints. Even the guys with big names..
Something that might lend credence to this concept is the fact that a recently leaked survey from Samsung regarding a "passport-style" Galaxy Z Fold design showcased a very similar button configuration, suggesting that top-mounted controls may be the solution for wider, more complex folding frames. In the Samsung renders, the power and volume buttons were on the top left half of the device, which isn’t exactly what Apple might be doing here. Still, both brands appear to be playing with placement on these wider folds.
By clearing out the left side of the device, Apple has left a ton of room for a massive battery. Reports from 9to5Mac say the iPhone Fold could pack a 5500 mAh battery, which would easily be the biggest ever in an iPhone. For comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is around 5088 mAh.
While 5500 mAh is huge for an iPhone, Apple is still playing catch-up with what’s happening in the East. The Oppo Find N6 is rumored to hit a massive 6000 mAh, and the Honor Magic V6 is reportedly testing a 7200 mAh battery that would absolutely shatter records. Still, for an iPhone, this is a giant leap forward and it would likely leave the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in the dust with somewhere around 5,000mAh being rumored.
The iPad vibes don't stop at the buttons, either. Instead of a notch or the Dynamic Island for Face ID, the power button will reportedly have Touch ID built-in, just like the iPad Air and mini.
A few other details to look out for:
Horizontal Cameras: The back will have a horizontal camera bar with two lenses and a flash. It’ll be solid black regardless of the phone's color, which sounds a lot like the rumored iPhone Air.
The Screen: The front camera is expected to be a simple, clean hole-punch rather than the pill-shaped cutout.
Colors: We’re expecting a few options, but white is the only one "confirmed" so far.
The iPhone Fold is looking like a pretty bold piece of hardware. Ditching the classic button layout for a massive battery and a cleaner build shows Apple is finally ready to take on the established foldables. It might take some muscle memory to get used to the volume buttons being on top, but if it means we get an iPad that fits in our pocket with killer battery life, most people will probably be on board.