Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone remains in the prototype stage, with many core components yet to receive approval from Cupertino. Supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Foxconn will kick off the project in late Q3 or early Q4 2025, leaving roughly twelve months to move from engineering validation to mass production, now pencilled for the second half of 2026.
Display Finalized, Hinge Undecided
The foldable OLED display is one of the few parts Apple has locked down. Working with Samsung Display, the company has specified a crease-free panel and secured an annual capacity of seven to eight million units. Because production will start late in the year, actual 2026 panel shipments will fall short of that figure, but the allocation signals confidence in demand
Apple’s current prototypes combine a 7.8-inch inner screen with a 5.5-inch outer display, offering tablet-like real estate when open and familiar iPhone usability when closed. By contrast, the stainless-steel and titanium hinge, touted as a marquee design element, remains under evaluation. Kuo notes that the hinge has attracted “considerable market attention,” yet its specifications and suppliers have not been finalised, leaving room for last-minute tweaks.
Apple Foldable iPhone Updates:
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 18, 2025
1. Assembly supplier Foxconn is expected to officially kick off the project in late 3Q25 or early 4Q25. As of now, many component specifications (including the hinge, which has drawn considerable market attention) have yet to be finalized.
2. The… https://t.co/KsGu49JXkP
Previous reports peg the device at about 4.5 mm thick when unfolded and 9.5 mm when folded, noticeably slimmer than many Android rivals whose prominent creases and chunky chassis remain pain points. Apple’s challenge is to keep those aggressive dimensions while refining the hinge’s durability and feel. Any change to hinge tolerances could force adjustments to thickness targets, casing materials, or internal layout.
Foxconn is expected to iterate on prototype builds through early 2026 before ramping to volume production later that year. Each unapproved component now narrows the window for reliability testing and regulatory certification. Suppliers that miss upcoming engineering validation gates risk slipping the entire schedule, potentially pushing the launch into 2027.
Samsung Display’s capacity plan hints at a cautious first-year roll-out. Analysts expect Apple to ship well below the eight-million-panel ceiling as it gauges demand, monitors early failure rates, and fine-tunes iOS for larger folding screens. Competitors already sell thicker devices with visible fold lines, so Apple’s extra time in research and development aims to deliver a sleeker phone that sidesteps those compromises, provided the remaining specs are locked soon.