Cupertino, California — April 9, 2026, 07:11 PDT.
Apple’s debut foldable iPhone is still on track for a September reveal, Bloomberg and Wall Street analysts say, despite a Nikkei Asia report this week pointing to engineering setbacks that might drag out initial shipments by several months. Reuters noted Bloomberg’s position that the new device would land with Apple’s usual fall lineup, appearing alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max—a timeline Morgan Stanley and Evercore ISI analysts have since backed.
The foldable model stands out as one of Apple’s most visible hardware plays for 2026. Back in January, Apple called it iPhone’s “best-ever quarter,” with total revenue hitting a record $143.8 billion. The company’s next earnings report lands April 30. WWDC runs June 8-12; investors are watching for any signals on new products and AI direction. Apple
Apple hit a snag in the engineering test stage—a key pre-production checkpoint for design and manufacturing—according to Nikkei. Reuters, referencing the same Nikkei report, noted that shipments could be pushed back by several months at worst. Apple didn’t reply to requests for comment.
Investors wasted no time. Apple shares tumbled as much as 5.1% Tuesday, ultimately ending the session down 2.1%, according to MarketWatch. By Wednesday, the stock turned higher after analysts maintained the timeline wasn’t significantly different.
Morgan Stanley’s Erik Woodring said he hasn’t heard about any delays, adding that a component supplier hasn’t mentioned order changes either. According to Woodring, it’s not out of the ordinary for Apple to run into hiccups during product validation, especially with something new.
Price is fueling much of the buzz. According to , which referenced Bloomberg, the upcoming foldable could top $2,000 in the U.S. Evercore ISI’s Amit Daryanani doesn’t expect a delay and pegs the price between $2,000 and $2,500. Shipments in the 12 million to 15 million range would be enough to drive fiscal 2027 growth, he said.
Gil Luria at D.A. Davidson didn’t mince words. Speaking to MarketWatch, he called the device a potential spark for “the biggest upgrade cycle in the last four years.” Still, Luria warned: unless Apple delivers “a compelling new iPhone offering” this year, iPhone sales could soften heading into 2026. MarketWatch
Apple hasn’t made the device public yet. Still, back in January, Reuters said the company was already focusing on rolling out premium iPhones in the latter half of 2026—among them its first-ever foldable model. The move, according to the report, comes as Apple looks to squeeze out more revenue and deal with the added complications a trickier design brings to the supply chain.
Rivals aren’t waiting around. Samsung grabbed close to 66% of the foldable smartphone market in the third quarter of 2025, Counterpoint data showed, per Reuters in January. Huawei, meanwhile, has muscled further into the premium foldables space, rolling out models like the Mate XT tri-fold.
The risk hasn’t vanished. Barron’s reports Daryanani is still eyeing a September launch, though he flags ongoing engineering and durability problems. Reuters, citing Nikkei, points to a worst-case delay stretching several months before any shipments start. Analysts consider this phone a key catalyst—so even a brief setback could have an impact.
