Reported 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.
“It’s true that more issues than expected have emerged during the early test production phase, and additional time will be needed to resolve them and make necessary adjustments. … The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk,” one of the people familiar with the matter said.
9to5Mac’s Take
There is a possibility that this is simply fresh reporting on a delayed launch schedule already expected. In other words, Barclays and Bloomberg got wind of the expected schedule and Nikkei learned more about it.
However, it does make sense that Apple would have always planned for a later launch of the new model in order to maximize manufacturing capacity for both the Pro models and the iPhone Fold. If that is indeed the case, then this report does appear to suggest potential delays to that staggered launch plan.
Since Barclays had already estimated that the iPhone Fold would launch in December, any delays the company is unable to quickly resolve could easily push the launch into next year.
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