Analyst Gene Munster predicts Apple will make an iPhone with a foldable screen (AAPL)

Piper Jaffray

In a presentation at Business Insider's IGNITION conference Wednesday, Piper Jaffray analyst Munster said he believes Apple will release a version of the iPhone with a foldable screen.

The idea is to have a phone that can fold open into a tablet form factor when you need a larger screen. Think of it as an all-in-one tablet and phone hybrid.

Keep in mind this is just a prediction from Munster, and there's little evidence Apple will actually build a device beyond where Munster and his colleagues see smartphones going in the future.

Business Insider caught up with Munster after his presentation for a bit more color on his prediction. He said he thinks Apple will want to release a foldable iPhone in about five years.

Munster is one of the most dedicated Apple watchers in the world, and his near-term analysis is pretty good. But he famously whiffed when he said Apple would release a television set. That project was canceled by Apple, according to The Wall Street Journal, though it was in the works.

Still, a foldable iPhone isn't a completely insane concept. Apple's biggest smartphone rival Samsung has been experimenting with foldable smartphone displays for years, and there's even a chance that such a device will launch in 2017.

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