Apple’s next big event will be in September — read this for exactly when it’s likely to be — but although the expectation is that it will see the announcement of the first folding iPhone, there’s a question mark hanging over whether that handset will arrive on time or not. Here’s the latest.
The September Timeline And The Foldable Question Mark
In terms of reports on when the foldable will arrive, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. Some months ago, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said it looked like it would go on sale later than the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which are predicted to be revealed at the same keynote.
And the logic of that was unimpeachable: with such a change from the previous years’ models, it could easily follow the iPhone X rhythm, which in 2017 arrived more than a month after the other phones released that year.
However, this was followed by a rumor that everything was on time, then by a counter-rumor that problems with one of the components meant the phone would be late.
Why the Latest Leak Suggests Positive Release News
Frankly, there’s been so much back-and-forth since then it has been enough to leave your head spinning. But the latest report has been more positive.
Fixed Focus Digital, a serial leaker who posts on Weibo, has said that things are going great.
“He says there’s been no delay to the iPhone Ultra. Though there was an issue scaling production initially, that has reportedly been resolved. And very recently, at the end of July, the production line setup was completed,” reported 9to5Mac.
What To Expect This September
Of course, this doesn’t mean there won’t be a contradictory report soon, but I’d say things are looking hopeful that the first iPhone that folds will land at exactly the same time as the Pro models.
If a delay was likely, by this stage more reports would be pointing that way, I believe.
In case you’ve missed it, the base iPhone 18 seems likely to be held until spring 2027, so just the Pro models and the foldable will arrive in September.
Since the prediction is that the keynote will take place on Sept. 8 or 9 (I’m emphatic it will be the second of those dates), that means the first foldable iPhone will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 18. Which is less than two months away.