Rumours/leaks for major products can appear years in advance

E.g. the Switch 2's actual specs got leaked ~2 years early & there were rumours (that didn't pan out) that it was going to be the Switch Pro & dropped ~2 years earlier than it did

The foldable iPhone leaks/rumours had been going on for ~2/3 years

Airpod Pro with camera leaks have been happening for at least 6 months

News about the PS6/Xbox Project & their handheld versions been leaking for a while too

There's no real need for it now but all the phone companies are low on ideas & have been iterating on the same thing for a while so there's been a push for new categories

An iPhone 12 Pro Max & iPhone 18 Pro Max aren't THAT different, throw in an A20 Pro & a USB-C port on the 12 Pro Max & 99% of folks wouldn't lose as a thing

Foldable are also a screen technology test & evem they'll released phones with a screen that completely or partially rolls up into the body like a roller blind