The iPhone Fold may not be ready as soon as we thought

Foldable phones are no longer new. They have been around since 2019 after Samsung introduced its first Galaxy Z Fold, but while numerous companies now offer a folding phone of some sort, Apple still does not.

The Cupertino company has been rumoured to be working on a folding iPhone for years now, with many suggesting we would finally see it appear later this year. That timeline might be in jeopardy, however, after a recent report has claimed sources have said Apple has run into some engineering issues during early test production.

Will we ever see a folding iPhone?

According to Nikkei, picked up by Engadget, Apple has encountered “more issues than expected” during the early test production phrase which could delay shipments of the device by months.

The Nikkei report said: “Apple and the supply chain are working under a pressured timeline and the current solutions are not enough to completely solve the engineering challenge... more time is needed", according to the site’s sources.

Problems reportedly appeared during the fourth of six production verification tests that each new product must pass before it is shipped. The Nikkei report said that “April will mark a crucial stage of the engineering verification test, and this month till early May is extremely critical”. If you’re hoping for a folding iPhone this year, then, keep those fingers well and truly crossed.

It is not currently known what issues the folding iPhone ran into during the testing, and Apple declined to comment, as you would expect given it hasn’t even been announced. Given it would be a completely new device though, it is unsurprising that Apple would want it to pass all tests perfectly before it is released, especially in the case of a folding device which haven’t always had the best track record for durability.

Whether or not a folding iPhone will appear in September is anyone’s guess for now, but we hope it does and we hope these supposed engineering issues are ironed out quickly.