Shoppers Outside the US May Have to Wait Longer for the Folding iPhone, Report Suggests

The world is expected to see Apple’s first foldable phone next month. When you can get one could be an entirely different matter. A recent report hints that supply, pricing and testing hiccups could mean only US shoppers will be able to preorder the device at first.

Buyers in China, among other countries, would be next in line, according to the Australian website ChannelNews, which based its reporting on comments from an unnamed “major Chinese component supplier.”

Most observers and analysts expect Apple to introduce its first foldable phone — possibly named the Ultra or Fold — at its next product launch in September. The company is also expected to showcase the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

From what CNET has learned over the past several months, the Apple foldable is anticipated to have a book-style format, followed by a clamshell design like the Motorola Razr. It could have a wide, squat look akin to the original Google Pixel Fold.

Earlier this week, insider Ice Universe posted on X images of the Apple foldable’s screen protector, noting that one side was square and the other round.

Despite all the reports, rumors and leaks over the past several months, Apple has not announced anything about upcoming products or a launch event.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: Everything We Know About Apple’s Next Lineup

Price unknown?

Development of the foldable has been hampered by “supply and pricing issues,” and there are “testing issues with production models that have already been built,” the source told ChannelNews. Australian cellphone carriers and major retailers also told the news site that Australian shoppers would have to wait months to buy the phone, with the US getting first dibs.

ChannelNews also said Apple likely won’t specify the price of the foldable phone at the launch event. Gurman said earlier this month he thinks the cost would start at $2,000, and tech insider Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X in July that he believes prices will be between $2,300 and $2,500.

The global memory chip shortage, primarily caused by the massive buildup of AI infrastructure, is a major factor driving up hardware prices.

There are other apparent hurdles for the foldable, according to the ChannelNews report. Apple engineers and designers encountered problems with the hinge and display during testing. That has delayed mass production, which was originally scheduled for early June, pushed to August and now stalled again.

ChannelNews said Apple will make 7 million foldables in the second half of this year. Kuo said last month that he expects Apple to ship 1 million foldables in the third quarter of the year, compared to the 20 to 22 million of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Ever since being admittedly fascinated by the Cambridge coffee webcam from the 1990s, I’ve written about VPNs, the NFL, smartphones, living wages, over/unders and everything in between.

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