Apple may delay its foldable iPhone to 2027 as a result of it might’t determine on the hinge

If you happen to’ve marked 2026 because the yr Apple will lastly launch its extremely anticipated foldable iPhone in your calendar, chances are you’ll have to cross it out. A latest report means that the launch could possibly be delayed.

Based on The Elec, citing a report from Japan’s Mizuho Securities, the discharge of Apple’s first foldable iPhone is perhaps pushed again to 2027, as a result of Apple taking longer to finalize sure design parts of the telephone, such because the hinge and different “key specs.” Since Apple remains to be mulling over the ultimate design decisions for the telephone, the report signifies that this might hinder mass manufacturing of sufficient models in time for a possible fall 2026 launch alongside the iPhone 18 series.

Nonetheless, it is necessary to notice {that a} delay till 2027 is just not sure. The identical report additionally states {that a} 2026 launch stays doable, however that manufacturing can be restricted to solely 5 to seven million models worldwide.

The iPhone 18 might also not come out till 2027

The foldable iPhone could possibly be smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 7

It isn’t simply the foldable iPhone that may not come out till 2027, but additionally the iPhone 18. In its report, Japan’s Mizuho Securities corroborates reports we noticed earlier this yr about Apple presumably splitting the launch of the iPhone 18 collection in half.

What does this imply precisely? It is rumored Apple can be releasing the iPhone 18 within the spring of 2027, alongside the iPhone 18e, with the iPhone 18 Professional, iPhone 18 Professional Max, and the iPhone Air 2 being launched within the fall of 2026.

I would not contemplate this a delay of the iPhone 18, essentially, however somewhat a brand new technique Apple could possibly be taking with the launch of latest iPhone fashions.

So it appears the foldable iPhone might presumably come out with the iPhone 18 Professional within the fall of 2026, or as a result of points with mass manufacturing, land in 2027 with the bottom iPhone 18.

As for what the foldable iPhone has in retailer, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported earlier this yr that it’s going to supply a “related design” to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the book-style foldable Samsung launched earlier this yr. Gurman additionally stated that he would not count on the foldable iPhone to “revolutionize the class,” which implies the know-how behind the foldable iPhone may not deviate an excessive amount of from foldable telephones we have already seen, such because the Fold 7 or the Pixel 10 Professional Fold.

Again in March, Apple supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the foldable iPhone might have roughly a 7.8-inch interior show and a 5.8-inch outer show, with a price ticket ranging wherever from $2,000 to $2,500.

If these specs turn into correct, that really makes the first-generation foldable iPhone smaller than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, which has an 8-inch interior show and a a lot bigger 6.5-inch outer show. One other attention-grabbing factor to notice is that by the point Apple lastly releases the telephone as nicely, Samsung will most likely have already got its next-generation Fold telephone out, presumably the Fold 8, because it often releases its new foldables in the summertime.

Personally, it nonetheless boggles my thoughts that Apple hasn’t launched a foldable iPhone but, given how Samsung has been within the recreation now for half a decade, and Google is now on its third-generation foldable, with the latest launch of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Hopefully, Apple can determine what hinge to make use of quickly, in order that the foldable iPhone can really be launched sooner somewhat than later in 2026, however with Apple’s indecision, it appears it might very simply slip into 2027.