Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has pushed back against reports of a delayed foldable iPhone, saying Apple remains on course to release the device in September 2026 — the same window as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The pushback came after Nikkei Asia reported this week that engineering hurdles during testing could set back the launch. Gurman, while not dismissing the complexity of the device’s design, said Apple plans to release the foldable either alongside or shortly after its standard flagship models.
One acknowledged constraint is supply. The foldable’s intricate construction is expected to limit how many units are available at launch, though Gurman has not indicated this would affect the release timing itself. With roughly six months to go, he noted that the final schedule has yet to be locked in.
Apple’s entry into the foldable segment would end years of absence from a market that Samsung and several Chinese manufacturers have occupied since its early days. Industry reports indicate Apple has worked to resolve issues that have dogged rival foldables — among them screen durability, device longevity, and the persistent crease that forms at the fold line, a feature users of existing models have consistently criticised.
Should the September timeline hold, Apple would be presenting the foldable as part of the broader iPhone 18 lineup, positioning it as a premium option alongside its traditional Pro models.
