The promised foldable iPhone will finally become available in September but it might be hard to get a hold on one.
By 2026, one could say that Apple is expected to produce 7 to 8 million foldable iPhones by the end of 2026, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, the renowned Apple analyst, but it would be limited to only about 500,000 to 1 million units by September launch day.
Apple is expected to release more than 20 million of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max and so the foldable model is likely to be more limited in production.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Apple has done something similar before. In 2017, the iPhone X was unveiled alongside the rest of the iPhone lineup, but didn’t reach customers until several weeks later.
Kuo thinks the foldable iPhone could follow the same path, with Apple showing the device in September before delaying shipments due to the challenges of scaling production for an entirely new form factor.
Even after preorders start, buyers could have longer delivery times. Early predictions are shipping delays of 4-6 weeks in the first place, and some customers may be waiting even longer.
For the resale market, there are also likely to be demand in the resale market, with scalpers charging well above Apple's retail price during Apple's initial launch period, which means little to no supply for the resale.
As for the device itself, the foldable iPhone is going to be one of the most ambitious Apple products of all time. Also widely expected to come as the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, it will have a nearly invisible display crease, a high metal hinge, and a starting price of around $1,999.
But early reports suggest that the first-generation model might not come with Face ID and a dedicated telephoto camera, making it hard to justify the high price tag.
As with any first-generation foldable, long-term durability is unknown.
Some of Apple's development process has been rocky behind the scenes, sources say, with Apple's development process having suffered a few setbacks.
Manufacturing delays have also been said to have been slow on the production timeline from July to August and Apple has been forced to work on a tight schedule ahead of fall release dates in order to get the product ahead of the anticipated fall release date.
Such delays can have a negative impact on production and quality control of products during the last months of production and quality control in the last weeks before release so production and quality control processes are taken to a higher degree if they are delayed, and it’s a lot more difficult for Apple to catch up before release.
But Apple’s plans indicate that this is more than a one-off experiment.
There are reports that the company has already secured larger component orders, signalling confidence in foldable iPhones as a long-term product category.
It is probably best to preorder one as soon as it’s available for sale in stores since in-store availability could be very limited to people at launch.
