Technologies

Apple Is Working on a Clamshell Version of Its First Foldable iPhone, Report Says

The smaller, squarish model could quickly follow the company’s first foldable phone, if that device sells well.

The days of all iPhones being flat rectangles seem to be rapidly coming to an end. Speculation continues to intensify about Apple launching its first foldable phone in the latter months of 2026, and a new report suggests the company is also working on a future version — a clamshell flip.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, known for his accuracy on Apple scoops, says the clamshell model would be smaller than the book-style foldable that the company is also reportedly working on, and more square in shape. Don’t get too excited yet — Gurman says «the product is far from guaranteed to reach the market» — but if the foldable is a hit, the clamshell could follow soon after.

A clamshell phone is basically a flip phone that, like a clam, folds toward you via a hinge in the middle. Some foldable phones fold like a book, opening up to become almost a tablet, but a clamshell offers a more compact design for maximum portability. Prior to the advent of foldable screens, some might remember the popular flip phone Motorola StarTAC from the 1990s.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

«Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones,» Gurman wrote.

Apple had a strong year, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max representing more than half of all iPhones sold in December. The company also reported record iPhone sales for the year.

Read more: Best Foldable Phones in 2026

But as CNET’s Andrew Lanxon notes, the clock is ticking on a company that trails the competition when it comes to foldables. Apple has not officially announced a release date, specs or even a name, but most leaks and rumors point to a launch late in 2026. Still, there have been iPhone foldable rumors for years.

If Apple is indeed working on a smaller clamshell foldable, it will have to differentiate from Motorola and Samsung, which already have square-shaped clamshells — the Motorola Razr and the Samsung Z Fold 7, respectively.

Phone style has its fans

Austin Evans, who has over 5.7 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, where he tries out all sorts of new gadgets and devices, says an iPhone clamshell «would be so cool.»

«I’ve been a big fan of the flip form factor ever since Samsung first launched the Z Flip back in 2020,» Evans told me. «In many ways, to me it feels like the evolution of the ‘normal’ smartphone. While the fold form factor is a great way to turn your device into a mini tablet, the flip form factor shrinks your phone down to a much more pocketable design.

«I really love this as a concept; you do get extra benefits like a phone that can stand on its own and an exterior display that helps to keep you from doomscrolling as effortlessly as a normal device. I like the Fold but the Flip is where my heart is.»

Gurman also speculated in his report that Apple may eventually make a larger, book-style foldable phone. Its first foldable reportedly will have a 5.5-inch display, which would be smaller than Samsung’s 6.5 inches.

Technologies

A Hacker Threat Is Hiding in Your Car’s Tire Pressure System

A new study reveals that a car’s tire pressure monitoring system can be easily accessed by hackers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Feb. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 27.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Was today’s Mini Crossword too short for you? The New York Times now has a Midi Crossword, which is not as big as the original NYT Crossword, but longer than the Mini. Read on for the answers to today’s Mini Crossword. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Lacking locks
Answer: BALD

5A clue: One of the Great Lakes
Answer: ERIE

6A clue: Movie with the fake newspaper headline «Wonder Elephant Soars to Fame!»
Answer: DUMBO

8A clue: Live tweeter?
Answer: BIRD

9A clue: The slightest bit
Answer: ATAD

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Hard thing to leave on a cold day
Answer: BED

2D clue: Caribbean island northwest of Curaçao
Answer: ARUBA

3D clue: The sky, in a saying
Answer: LIMIT

4D clue: Actress Messing
Answer: DEBRA

7D clue: Like this clue number
Answer: ODD

Technologies

Smartphone Sales to Plummet 13% in 2026 Due to RAM Crisis, Says IDC

AI-fueled memory scarcity is hitting the phone market hard this year, particularly for inexpensive, low-end devices.

The projected shortage of memory chips worldwide will have a more serious impact on smartphone sales in 2026 than previously projected, according to new data from International Data Corporation Worldwide. Whereas the company just in November had estimated a drop of between 0.9% and 5.2% (the latter being its «pessimistic scenario»), now it sees a 12.9% decline this year, based on its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

«What we are witnessing is not a temporary squeeze, but a tsunami-like shock originating in the memory supply chain, with ripple effects spreading across the entire consumer electronics industry,» Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for Worldwide Client Devices at IDC, said in a statement.

The hardest-hit companies are expected to be those selling to the lower end of the market, which can’t absorb the higher component costs while maintaining profitable margins. As a result, Jeronimo says, many of those players will pass the added costs on to consumers.

That also includes regional markets like the Middle East and Africa that sell mostly inexpensive smartphones, which could see a steep 20.6% drop year-over-year.

By contrast, IDC expects Apple and Samsung to be better able to withstand the crisis. «As smaller and low-end-positioned Android vendors struggle with rising costs, Apple and Samsung could not only weather the storm but potentially expand market share as the competitive landscape tightens,» said Jeronimo.

Memory has become scarce due to the insatiable demand to feed generative AI. Essentially all of the memory set to be manufactured this year is already earmarked. What started as a demand for graphics processors has expanded to other components. For example, hard drive manufacturer Western Digital announced in early February that it had already sold out of its supply for 2026.

«We expect consolidation as smaller players exit, and low-end vendors face sharp shipment declines amid supply constraints and lower demand at higher price points,» said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, projecting a 14% rise in the average selling price of smartphones to $523.

Popal expects memory prices to stabilize by the middle of 2027, but doesn’t see them coming down to earlier levels. The sub-$100 segment, made up of approximately 171 million devices, will be «permanently uneconomical,» she said. «In short, there is no return to business as usual for vendors and consumers.»