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Apple's Foldable iPhone Is 'On Track' To Launch In September 56

Posted by BeauHD from the what-to-expect dept.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple's foldable iPhone is still "on track" for a September unveiling alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. 9to5Mac reports: The report notes that Apple's stock took a hit earlier today after Nikkei Asia indicated the iPhone Fold was having serious production issues. Clearly, sources within Apple were motivated to share positive news via Gurman. Not long ago, Gurman himself said that he was expecting an iPhone Fold release date that was a little bit later than iPhone 18 Pro. That's still very possible, but it sounds like Apple is internally feeling optimistic about its targeted September launch.

The report continues: "While the complexity of the new display and materials may limit initial supply for several weeks, Apple is currently operating with a plan to put the device on sale around the same time -- or very soon after -- the new non-foldable models, the people said." Gurman adds an important qualifier: "Still, the release is six months away and production has yet to ramp up. That means the timing isn't final."

Apple's Foldable iPhone Is 'On Track' To Launch In September More | Reply

Apple's Foldable iPhone Is 'On Track' To Launch In September

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  • Can always get an iPhone SE (Score:3)

    by drnb ( 2434720 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @03:18AM (#66084678)

    Apple's foldable iPhone is still "on track" for a September unveiling alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup

    No problem, I was happy with the SE in the past. I can always return to that line if the options are only "fold" or "pro" among the newer models.

    • Or maybe a 17e, that's kind of a "SE" position in the lineup.
    • You probably don't know but there is another kind of phones, "Android" iirc.
    • The batteries on mine are dying and I don't think they've released a new SE yet.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by drnb ( 2434720 )
        Yeah, the 17e seems to be the comparable

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by antdude ( 79039 )

        Replace the batteries if you want to keep using those iPhones?

        • I expect support to end later this year, and given my experience opening laptops and them never quite going back together the same, I'd rather just deal with it for now. A battery kit is only $30, but I don't want to do it.

          Since they still work, I might do what I did with my iPad Air 2 - mount them to the wall plugged in and use them for playing music or whatever.

          Unless it doesn't look like Apple will release a new SE or equivalent, in which case I may replace the batteries.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by antdude ( 79039 )

            Most likely Apple won't be making any small newer iPhones since they didn't make a lot of money. :(

    • I don't trade phones often I currently have a 12 Max Pro....and it's looking a bit long in the tooth. Not holding a charge long enough, and the lightening connector isn't dependable for charging, so I've been using nothing but magnetic charging past year or so.

      While I'm quite interested in hearing about and seeing the "fold" Apple phone.....from my early understanding, it will NOT have the camera specs they 18 Pro Max (or whatever they call it) phone will have.

      I'm MUCH more interested in camera than foldi

    • ... I loved small iPhones like 4s, minis, and SE. Apple doesn't make newer small iPhones anymore since they didn't sell well during modern times. :(

  • iPhone Fold 44 (Score:4, Funny)

    by ZiggyZiggyZig ( 5490070 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @03:47AM (#66084710)

    I for one am waiting for the release of that specific version, because the name will allow me to impress potential mates, like so:

    - hey babe, check out my iPhone Fold Fourty-Four!

    *potential mate walks out, upset at my humor*

    ... OK, maybe I'll buy a Samsung S66 instead.

  • Can they land the use case? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by shilly ( 142940 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @04:15AM (#66084740)

    That’s what I’ll be interested in. Form following function and all that

    • The idea I think is an Ipad mini that you can stuff in your pocket. Seems like a good idea

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The use case is you have a decent size screen on a device that you can pocket. If you look at the latest foldables, they aren't much thicker than non-foldables. About as thick as an iPhone from a few generations ago.

      They seem to have reached the point where the tech is reasonably mature and not excessively fragile. Now they just need to get the price down.

      • The use case is you have a decent size screen on a device that you can pocket.

        One of the main problems that foldables have right now is their screen aspect ratio is square whereas a lot of content is either tall (YouTube shorts, TikTok shorts) or wide (movies, YouTube). Having more screen means little if most of it is used for black pixels.

    • Sure: Make fancy thing, put Apple logo on thing, people pay lots for thing. Works every time.

      I'm waiting to see how they're going to make the tech work though when every other attempt has failed.

  • Sometimes I hate the direction of tech (Score:5, Interesting)

    by satanicat ( 239025 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @06:42AM (#66084812)

    It's funny, common tech. (phones, computers, laptops, wearables) has kind of hit a pinnacle for me.

    The Neo is everything I wanted my ideated s10 to be like 15 years ago, or whenever that was.
    Modern cell phones are marvels. Great battery life, fantastic cameras, dare I say, the internet in your pocket, basically anywhere...
    I've got a super-computer in my home office, especially by the standards that got me into software, and back in the late 90s my computer was fast enough for me then.

    Sometimes I feel like I'm the only sane person, which is a good indicator I'm the crazy one I suppose.

    For me a foldable phone was the Motorola razor, the one with physical buttons. And in my opinion it was a great phone.

    Every now and again something comes along that I really wish would be a shorter lived trend, but it never goes away. Foldable screens are up there with "the notch (in the Mac world)" and "The Ribbon UI ( in windows)". I have this feeling it's not going away...

    • Each to their own. You have no choice when it comes to the notch and the ribbon (unless you decide to not use a Mac or MS Office). But while it's clear that there is a market for folding phones, it's also clear that it's not for everyone. Folding phones are not going to replace regular ones anytime soon.
      • I hope you're right. Remember BlackBerry and their great keyboard? And when the iPhone came out with no kb, it was fine because corporate customers that still value a physical kb can still have it? Tesla came out with an iPad instead of buttons, but that's fine, other car manufacturers still had buttons and there were many of us who clamored our love of buttons? Yeah, me too. Big tech has the power to force consumer behavior, whether it's MS Office ribbon or folding phones.

        • It's cheaper to move physical controls to a screen, so at least with those examples there was a profit motive in play. Folding phones, on the other hand, are always going to be more complicated to manufacture than a slab phone. There's no incentive make every phone a folding phone if people aren't going absolutely gaga over them. Most people find the crease and cheap plastic-y feel of the screen to be a bit objectionable, so it remains a niche thing.

        • When the iPhone came out, it was more or less the first phone with an acceptable virtual keyboard, one that did not require a stylus to operate. And while there were a few peeps who prefer the physical keyboard, the vast majority seemed to prefer a virtual keyboard and more screen real estate. When my place of work introduced BYOD, people couldn't wait to get rid of their corporate Blackberry. I don't think it was a choice forced by the industry; it was industry following the market.

          But you're right,
    • I need a phone that fits comfortably in my prison wallet.

    • For me a foldable phone was the Motorola razor, the one with physical buttons. And in my opinion it was a great phone.

      Yep. If it supported modern standards I'd still be using mine, and then hotspotting for a device with more screen when I needed that. Carrying two devices is nonoptimal, but so is holding a brick up to my ear, and fixing that with a headset would ALSO require carrying two devices.

  • Running out of ideas to steal. (Score:3)

    by mjwx ( 966435 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @07:46AM (#66084866)
    Yeah... Android manufacturers need to pull their finger out and give Apple some better ideas.

    Multiple manufacturers have tried the folding phone several times with little to no success. I can't see Apple succeeding (they'll pretend they are though).

    What I can see is Apple presenting their most rigid phone ever as "the iFold 1billion and 2 PRO" with someone standing on stage showing us that it flexes slightly if measured with laboratory equipment... and when people break it in real life telling us "you're folding it wrong".
  • If the rumored pricing of $2000 is true, it will be interesting to see how many they sell. I've seen a few people with folds, mostly playing games. I don't see how it ofers any advantage over videos in terms of view size since the screen aspect ratio changes and would result in black bars to maintain the video's AR.

    • That's 10 times more than I'm willing to spend on a phone.

      • That's 10 times more than I'm willing to spend on a phone.

        That's fair.

        But do remember, there are a LOT of people out there with a LOT of disposable income.....

        • But do remember, there are a LOT of people out there with a LOT of disposable income.....

          I don't think there are *quite* that many who can *responsibly* buy a $2,000 cell phone...but, at least in the US, carriers will effectively finance phones with little to no interest, so it ends up being an additional $56/month on their phone bill for three years (maybe carriers will do a 2-year contract at $83/month, but I doubt it'll be as popular).

          While I think that's exorbitant personally ($700 is kinda my limit, my last few phones have been $500 or less), I can at least understand that there are a lot of people for whom their cell phone is their primary computing device, with the laptop on the side for the occasional task that requires a full-sized screen and/or keyboard. I've spent $3,500 on a laptop in the past ($5,000 in 2026 dollars), so perhaps on a per-hour-of-usage basis, $2,000 isn't absolutely atrocious if the phone is truly kept for three years. Assuming three hours of usage per day = $0.61/hour.

          • While I can't drop $2K here and there throughout the year without thinking.....I don't consider $2K a bank breaker. I'm not rich, but I do like to save up and drop some coin 1-2 times a year on something nice.

            Maybe cameras or new lenses (lenses can be $$)....or the odd cell from time to time.

            I think last time I dropped about $1100 or so for my iPhone 12 Pro Max.....and I did pay it off 12 mos interest free with Apple Pay....

            But that's just me using their money...in truth I almost NEVER buy anything I don

  • Gurman adds an important qualifier: "Still, the release is six months away and production has yet to ramp up. That means the timing isn't final."
    • Well considering he predicted that Apple would make touchscreen MacBooks by 2025 and that has not happened yet, this might be another miss.
  • Interesting. Despite the almost 'flopping' nature of these folding phones (how many of those you see around you everyday?), Apple will source the OLED screen from Samsung. Curious move. They decide to buy ready made material instead of developing their own. Reduces operational risk, I guess. https://www.thelec.net/news/ar... [thelec.net]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mccalli ( 323026 )
      My understanding from the various blogs is that they have indeed 'developed their own', in that they worked jointly to get a design together. The panel isn't going to be the same as in previous folding phones, and that's actually one reason for the later launch vs other manufacturers.

      Source is just the various rumour blogs on my RSS feeds, I'm no expert here.

  • Two screens? (Score:3)

    by bradley13 ( 1118935 ) on Thursday April 09, 2026 @08:44AM (#66084960) Homepage
    The foldables I have seen have been...unimpressive. In particular, after they age a bit, there is an irritating distortion at the fold. I wonder if having two screens (which would show two different apps) wouldn't be better.

    • I wonder if having two screens (which would show two different apps) wouldn't be better.

      It would arguably be a better solution technically, but I suspect that most people want to use one app at a bigger size than two apps at once. And then you've either got content spread over two screens with stuff in the middle, or the app has to be designed around the screen layout. And that either won't be done or will be done poorly in the majority of cases.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by EvilSS ( 557649 )
      Like this? https://www.pcmag.com/news/mic... [pcmag.com]

      Personally I'd prefer that format but it didn't sell very well for MS.

    • This one I agree with, adding the one caveat it would also have to be a Linux phone so I could use the screens in the precise ways that I want to use them. That would be a lot more convenient for me than one screen with a weird aspect ratio and a crease of dead pixels down the middle.

    • Microsoft tried that with the Duo, it didn't sell very well, although the software was rather poor compared to Samsung's software for their Fold.
  • Ask yourself honestly: do you think Apple customers will tolerate a crease in the screen? They're used to running the devices basically forever and having them hold up. There has never been a folding phone that doesn't develop a screen crease by the way.

    • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

      They're used to running the devices basically forever and having them hold up.

      Hold up what? Your ability to do work with the device after the OS has been updated a couple of times and performance degraded to avoid drawing too much current from an under-specified battery?

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