No, iPhone Fold isn't delayed, claims expert – still "on track" for September

I suspect this won’t be the last time this month I'll be writing about whether or not Apple will launch a folding iPhone this year. Especially given that only yesterday there was a Nikkei Asia report that suggested the company had run into some issues during testing of the device.

Now I'm telling you to ignore that, as a further, contrary report claims it is in fact still on track and not delayed.

The moral of the story is that we won’t know for sure whether or not we will see an "iPhone Fold" this year until it is officially announced. However, the latest report does at least come from a reliable source.

So what's the latest on the folding iPhone now?

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has said: “Apple Inc’s first foldable phone is on track to arrive during the company’s normal iPhone launch period later this year.

He reiterates previous suggestions that it will launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, as expected. This is according to "people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been announced".

There's no word on whether the new iPhone will actually go on sale in September, but he did add that Apple tends to make its devices available a week after they are announced.

Based on Gurman's report, 9to5Mac followed up by saying that Apple’s stock was affected after the Nikkei Asia report was published. Nikkei Asia originally said that snags had appeared during the fourth stage of early testing, but it didn’t go into any detail as to what those snags were.

Gurman’s report fully rebuts those suggestions: “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.”

iPhone Fold Unboxing… This Feels Unreal - YouTube

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There have been multiple leaks in the past, as well as a "hands-on" video appearing on YouTube (care of Demon's Tech).

This all points to Gurman's sources being the more likely to be correct. He does still caveat his report at the end though, adding: “The release is six months away and production has yet to ramp up. That means the timing isn’t final.”

As such, we still can’t be sure if we will see a folding iPhone this year, but the news it at least better than it was yesterday.