GoKawiilReported problems with the engineering test phase for the iPhone Fold could delay the launch of Apple’s most expensive phone by months. This could potentially mean that it doesn’t go on sale until next year.
Multiple sources are cited, with suppliers warned that they may need to delay production of components for the new device …
iPhone Fold launch schedule
We’d already heard that Apple planned for the iPhone Fold to launch sometime after the iPhone 18 Pro. A Barclays analyst last year suggested that it was likely to launch in December rather than alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models in September.
That certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented. We first saw this pattern with the iPhone X in 2017, and it was repeated with the iPhone XR and iPhone 14 Plus.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman later backed this view, stating that there was “no doubt” about the launch offset.
Engineering problems could further delay the launch
A new Nikkei Asia report today says that Apple has encountered setbacks during the engineering test phase for the iPhone Fold.
Issues surrounding the engineering development of foldable iPhones are more complex and are taking more time to resolve than Apple had expected, and in the worst case scenario could delay the first shipment by months, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter.
The issue has been revealed in part by notifications to component suppliers that their production schedule may be pushed back, but Nikkei also cites apparent sources inside Apple.
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