Apple is facing difficulties during the engineering testing of its first foldable iPhone, which may lead to delays in mass production and shipments, Nikkei Asia reports, citing sources familiar with the situation.
Engineering Issues
“More problems arose during the early stage of test production than expected. It will take time to resolve them. The current situation may jeopardize the timeline for mass production,” said one source.
Another source reported that the potential delay is due to engineering issues in the production of the foldable iPhone, emphasizing that Apple and the supply chain are working under tight deadlines, leaving insufficient time to address engineering challenges.
Plans at Risk
Initially, Apple planned to produce 7–8 million foldable iPhones, according to the publication. This accounts for less than 10% of the planned production volume for the new lineup this year. Suppliers are counting on successful sales results because the introduction of the new design requires component updates.
According to forecasts by research firm IDC, shipments of foldable smartphones are expected to grow by about 30% in 2026, partly due to the release of a new iPhone model.
In 2025, global shipments of foldable phones reached approximately 20.6 million units, which is about 10% more than the previous year.
Lagging Behind Samsung
The news portal MacRumors reported that Apple plans to release a foldable smartphone in the new 18th generation iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The presentation of the foldable smartphone was scheduled for fall 2026.
The new iPhone will be a hybrid of the Apple smartphone and the iPad tablet. It is expected that the foldable iPhone will have an aspect ratio of 4:3, like the iPad, and when unfolded, will feature an OLED display the size of an iPad mini.
Since 2019, Samsung has launched mass production of foldable smartphones.
