iPhone Fold mass production delayed to August! Still scheduled for September release

According to DigiTimes, mass production of Apple’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Fold, has been delayed. Mass production, originally planned to begin in June 2026, has been postponed to early August, a delay of about one to two months. However, the planned release of the phone in the fall of 2026 remains unchanged.

The report points out that the main reason for the mass production delay is that the iPhone Fold is currently in the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) phase, during which it encountered manufacturing difficulties that were beyond expectations.

Before mass production can officially begin, the machine still needs to complete two major stages: Design Verification Test (DVT) and Production Verification Test (PVT).

There have been disagreements regarding the release date of the iPhone Fold. Nikkei reported that delays in the engineering verification phase could push the release of the device back to 2027; however, renowned journalist Mark Gurman stated that the iPhone Fold will still be released as planned around September 2026, at the same time as or slightly later than the iPhone 18 Pro series.

It should be noted that the delay in mass production will compress the supply chain cycle, and the initial supply of the iPhone Fold is expected to be significantly affected, with a high probability of supply shortages. Based on the past patterns of Apple’s new product launches, the pre-order stage of this device may sell out within minutes.

As Apple’s first major product in the foldable screen market, the iPhone Fold is positioned in the ultra-high-end market, with a starting price in China expected to exceed 12,000 yuan, making it the most expensive phone in Apple’s history.

The device features a horizontal, book-like inward-folding design and is equipped with a dual-screen combination of a 5.5-inch external screen and a 7.8-inch internal screen, with the internal screen featuring an under-display front camera.

With a liquid metal hinge and a customized flexible glass solution, the crease depth is compressed to 0.15mm, making it virtually crease-free under strong light. The hinge also has a fatigue life of over one million cycles, completely eliminating crease anxiety associated with foldable screens.