The Foldable iPhone May Be Having a Rough Start (But Don’t Panic Yet)
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We’ve been seeing some reports over the past few weeks that Apple may be facing some issues having its foldable iPhone ready for prime time this year. However, it’s not yet clear whether these will result in any tangible delays in the announcement of the new device, which is widely expected to happen alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this fall.
Earlier this month, the Weibo-based leaker known as Instant Digital posted that, while Apple has managed to achieve its goal of creating a virtually crease-free screen, it’s facing reliability problems with the hinge. According to a machine-translated version of the post, it’s consistently failing to meet Apple’s quality control standards, which Instant Digital suggests aren’t actually as high as many believe.
While that initially sounded alarming, it felt like much ado about nothing after a follow-up post claimed this wouldn’t actually affect the release schedule, as Apple supposedly has plenty of time to overcome these issues to its satisfaction. That also aligned with other reporting from industry sources like DigiTimes that, while the production was reportedly a month or two behind Apple’s original schedule, everything remained on track for a fall 2026 launch.
Now, another well-known leaker on Weibo, Fixed Focus Digital, has chimed in with another reason for a potential delay. In a post that obliquely dismisses Instant Digital’s claim of manufacturing difficulties with the hinge, Fixed Focus Digital notes that Apple is actually having problems with the circuit boards — specifically the surface-mount technology (SMT) — as it begins to ramp up mass production.
However, like the earlier report, this might just be another case of early production growing pains. Fixed Focus Digital hasn’t said anything about this impacting the release schedule, and this is more of a challenge in manufacturing at scale than an issue with the design itself, which has already been finalized. As a result, it’s probably more about tweaking the manufacturing processes to increase their reliability.
Still, it’s also not the first time we’ve heard the foldable might slip a bit. Some analysts believe that Apple won’t miss the opportunity to announce the new device on time — be it the “iPhone Fold” or “iPhone Ultra” or whatever it’s ultimately called — but that availability could be constrained.
While Apple typically puts its devices on sale within two weeks of an announcement, leading-edge technologies have often had longer launch windows. The original iPhone took six months from Steve Jobs’ January 2007 announcement before it landed in stores at the end of June. Similarly, the iPhone X was announced alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 12, 2017, but didn’t go up for pre-order until October 27, arriving in stores on November 3.
Apple also faced similar delays with the iPhone 12 lineup in 2020, although those were driven more by COVID-related supply-chain issues. Apple’s iPhone event itself wasn’t held until October 13, 2020, during which it announced the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max alongside a new fourth entry, the iPhone 12 mini. While the two 6.1-inch models followed the usual schedule — pre-orders on October 16, in stores on October 23 — the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini were delayed, going up for pre-order on November 6, and not arriving in customers’ hands until November 13.
So, it wouldn’t really be all that surprising to see Apple unveil its foldable iPhone during its usual September event, but announce that the device won’t be available for a few weeks. Further, while it would be highly irregular for the official launch date to be any further out than November, limited supply could still leave some customers waiting until 2027.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
