I’m skeptical, but a new rumor claims Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the expected “iPhone Fold,” may be delayed until 2027.
It’s widely expected to roll out with the iPhone 18 line-up this fall. However, A Nikkei Asia report claims that Apple has encountered setbacks during the engineering test phase for the iPhone Fold.
The article (which you’ll need a subscription to read) claims that issues surrounding the engineering development of foldable iPhones are more complex and are taking more time to resolve than Apple had expected. In the worst case scenario this could delay the first shipment by months, according Nikkei Asia, quoting unnamed “multiple sources.”
The article adds that unnamed sources inside Apple said, ““It’s true that more issues than expected have emerged during the early test production phase, and additional time will be needed to resolve them and make necessary adjustments. … The current situation could put the mass production timeline at risk.”
On the other hand, the Weibo leaker known as “Instant Digital” the “iPhone Fold,” has begun trial production at Foxconn.
Apple’s first foldable smartphone will be “the most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says in last week’s “Power On” newsletter.
“iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design,” he said. Gurman said the iPhone Fold will shift after the iPhone 18 launch in September, but mentioned nothing after a months-long delay.
About the ‘iPhone Fold’
Here’s a round-up of rumors about the foldable iPhone:
° It will use a dual-layer, ultra-thin glass structure to reduce display crease visibility.
° Apple will offer the “iPhone Fold” in three different storage capacities.
° The foldable smartphone will purportedly be offered in 236GB, 512GB, and 1TB options for US$2,320, $2,610, and $2,900, respectively.
° It will feature an interior foldable display roughly the size of an iPad mini. There also will be an external screen that’s about the size of the display on a small iPhone.
° Apple is developing new iOS app layouts and revamping its core iPhone programs to add sidebars along the left edge of the screen, similar to many of its iPad apps.
° The iPhone Fold will have: a 7.8-inch inner display; a crease depth controlled to under 0.15 mm; and a crease angleunder 2.5 degrees.
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