Has Apple’s Foldable iPhone Been Delayed, Or Is It Still Launching In 2026?

Apple’s foldable iPhone is suddenly caught in the kind of rumor mess that makes a simple question feel more complicated than it should. Over the span of a few hours, reports from Nikkei Asia, Fixed Focus Digital, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman pointed in slightly different directions, which is why people are now wondering whether Apple’s first foldable is slipping into 2027 or still on track for 2026.

Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Be Facing Pressure, But The Company Could Ease Into It

The most cautious report came from Nikkei Asia, which stated that Apple has run into more engineering issues than expected during the foldable iPhone’s verification stage. According to the report, suppliers were told to shift schedules, and in a worst-case scenario, the first shipments could slip by months, which is where the 2027 concern started picking up steam.

Then came a more encouraging update from a Weibo-based leaker called Fixed Focus Digital, suggesting that the foldable was still moving toward trial production. This typically points to a product that is still advancing through the normal pre-launch process, even if things behind the scenes are not exactly smooth.

Around the same time, Sonny Dickson shared dummy units slated to show the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s foldable, which adds to the sense that the hardware is already far enough along for accessory makers and supply chain sources to have a clearer idea of the design.

Finally, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg pushed back most directly on the talk around the delay, stating that Apple’s foldable iPhone is still expected to launch in the usual September window, or soon after the iPhone 18 Pro models, and called the delay report off base, while also noting that the timeline is not final because mass production has not started yet.

So, is Apple’s foldable iPhone delayed? Well, not officially. Nikkei Asia says Apple is under real pressure, while Gurman says the launch is still on time. The trial-production update and dummy units make it look like the project is still moving forward, but clearly not without some friction behind the scenes.