iPhone Fold: Gurman confirms September launch Apfelpatient

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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the iPhone Fold is still scheduled to be released in September – contradicting today's Nikkei report about production problems.

It was a turbulent day for the iPhone Fold: First, Nikkei Asia reported that Apple had encountered more problems than expected during the engineering testing phase and that the market launch could be delayed by months. The report caused Apple's stock price to fall. Just a few hours later, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman responded with a rebuttal: The iPhone Fold was still on track for a September launch.

Gurman's report is based on sources with direct knowledge of the plans. According to these sources, Apple intends to unveil the foldable iPhone as planned in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple's new iPhones typically go on sale the week after the keynote. The iPhone Fold is expected to follow this schedule as well – or be available only a short time later.

What Gurman specifically says

According to Bloomberg, Apple's suppliers are still internally planning for a September launch. While the complexity of the new display and the materials used could limit initial availability for a few weeks, Apple is currently working towards a plan to release the device around the same time as the non-folding models.

At the same time, Gurman qualifies his own assessment: The release is still six months away, mass production hasn't started yet, and therefore the timeline isn't final. Gurman himself recently admitted that the iPhone Fold will likely be released somewhat later than the Pro models.

Nikkei vs. Bloomberg: Who is right?

The two reports don't necessarily contradict each other. Nikkei Asia reported on specific engineering problems in the early test production phase – a normal occurrence with a completely new form factor. Gurman, on the other hand, describes the current state of the internal timeline: Apple is sticking to its September target despite the difficulties.

It's quite possible that the problems described by Nikkei are real, but Apple considers them solvable and hasn't adjusted the timeline accordingly. The fact that sources close to Apple deliberately placed the Bloomberg report shortly after the Nikkei article suggests that Apple wanted to limit the stock price decline and signal confidence in the timeline.

A day full of iPhone Fold News

Today has brought more information about the iPhone Fold than the entire past week. In addition to conflicting production reports, dummy photos and videos of the device have surfaced, along with a leak regarding the possible name "iPhone Ultra" and further details about its dimensions. Taken together, a clear picture emerges: The iPhone Fold is real, it's coming – the only question is whether it will arrive on schedule in September or a few weeks later. (Image: Shutterstock / tinhkhuong)