iPhone Fold Reportedly Delayed till Next Year Due to Scheduling Factors

The past few months have been filled with high anticipation for the upcoming iPhone Fold/Ultra. However, it turns out the launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone may not happen soon, as new information from Apple's supply chain indicates a potential delay that may have pushed the phone to an early launch next year.

Apple iPhone Fold Postponed Due to Scheduling Factors

Reported by UDN Money, the details arrive courtesy of Lagan Precision, a prominent company within Apple's hardware ecosystem. According to the brand's CEO Lin En-ping, Apple expected the last quarter of 2026 to be busier than usual "due to customer new product scheduling factors", which is why the iPhone Fold has been postponed to 2027.

Image Credit: X/ @SonnyDickson

Lin says that some of the products are still on track, likely referring to the iPhone 18 series, as leaks of iPhone 18 Pro colours have recently appeared online. And while he didn't specify which product has been delayed, industry analysts point toward the delayed product being the iPhone Fold/Ultra.

If true, this is disappointing news for Apple fans who have been waiting for an iPhone Fold for almost half a decade. That said, the delay is until early next year, so it won't be another long wait. This means that while the iPhone 18 Pro might be on track for a September 2026 launch, the iPhone Fold might not launch until March 2027.

However, Apple might tease the foldable phone during its September keynote. Therefore, while the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max may arrive later this year, the standard iPhone 18 alongside the iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2, and the iPhone Ultra (Fold) could launch next year.

While predictions that the upcoming Apple iPhones would hit it out of the park in 2026 may have been slightly premature, the iPhone Fold could still make a good impact upon arrival. Unfortunately, this also means Samsung could gain the upper hand as it's almost ready to launch its Wide foldable.

For those unaware, iPhone Fold dummy units appeared in the wild recently, leaving no design cues to the imagination. While launching the Fold with its premium iPhone 18 Pro would've been a better move, it will still be interesting to see how the foldable will be received as soon as it launches, so stay tuned!