The Apple iPhone Fold is now widely expected to usher foldables into the mainstream. However, given the Cupertino giant's emerging supply chain bottlenecks, this seminal milestone might well be pushed into 2027.
Ming-Chi Kuo: The iPhone Fold is running behind schedule and "smooth shipments" might only materialize by 2027
The famous Apple-focused analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, recently gave a wide-ranging interview to MacroMicro, discussing the launch cadence of the Apple iPhone Fold, among other things.
Kuo asserted in the interview that Apple feels pressured by the ongoing AI-related innovations, especially as it is widely perceived to have fallen behind in the AI tech race. Accordingly, the Cupertino giant is pivoting towards "aggressive innovation" within its iPhone lineup as a potent counter.
Even so, Apple continues to contend with inertial forces as its product development cycle is longer than that of its peers. As such, the iPhone Air represents the most potent salvo that Apple could muster in the intervening time, but "more material changes in user experience will come in 2026."
Of course, the biggest such change relates to the iPhone Fold, whose production cadence is already falling behind schedule. Kuo believes that Apple will announce the product in the second half of 2026, but "due to early-stage yield and ramp-up challenges, smooth shipments may not occur until 2027." Consequently, the analyst expects the iPhone Fold to be in short supply until at least the end of 2026.
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, the iPhone Fold is expected to sport the following features and design elements:
- A crease-less design for the foldable screen.
- A dedicated vapor chamber.
- A book-style, somewhat squat form factor, with the iPhone Fold's primary panel measuring ~7.7 inches, and the cover display measuring ~5.4 inches.
- A 2,713 x 1,920 resolution, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
- Touch ID instead of Face ID.
- A20 Pro SoC, a 12GB RAM, in-house C2 5G modem.
- A 48MP resolution for the rear dual-camera setup.
- An in-display camera with a resolution of up to 24MP.
- A battery with a capacity of 5,400-5,800mAh.
- An H2 2026 launch.
- To launch as an eSIM-only variant.
- Projected price of around $2,399.
- Expected shipments in the first year to vary between 7 million and 9 million units.
Elsewhere, Ming-Chi Kuo noted that Apple is facing hefty pressure to showcase significantly improved AI capabilities at the WWDC 2026 and, to do so, the Cupertino giant might lean more heavily on Google's Gemini.
Over the long run, however, the analyst believes "AI will be core to product design, so Apple is still expected to develop its own in-house AI model."
Do note that Apple has already struck a deal with Google to deploy a customized 1.2-trillion-parameter Gemini AI model to power Apple Intelligence in the cloud, and would pay Google $1 billion per year for the right to use this model.
Also, bear in mind that Apple is working with Broadcom on its first AI server chip, bearing the internal codename "Baltra," with actual deployment currently slated for 2027.
Coming back, Kuo noted that the Apple iPhone Fold's "larger screen is advantageous for displaying AI multimodal content," but that over a longer time horizon, "smart glasses with displays could replace today’s screen-based consumer electronics, with meaningful shipment growth likely only after business models and technologies mature around 2028–2030."
Of course, Apple is reportedly gunning for a 2026 release of its new AI-enabled smart glasses, replete with integrated cameras, microphones, and speakers, enabling the wearer to interact via an improved version of its bespoke AI assistant, Siri.
Apple's new AI smart glasses will support key features, including hands-free notifications, real-time AI assistance, and AI-powered translations. Nonetheless, these glasses are not expected to support an in-built AR display.
In doing so, Apple is apparently trying to compete with Meta's now-iconic Ray-Ban smart glasses that offer up to eight hours of mixed use, 2 hours of continuous 'live AI' support, ultra HD 3K video recording ability, and an upcoming optimized noise cancellation system, called conversation focus.
On a parting note, bear in mind that Meta remains far ahead of the pack in terms of the capabilities of its AI smart glasses. As a case in point, consider the fact that Meta just rolled out its v21 software update, which adds the ability to amplify speech in noisy settings via the open-ear speakers of its AI smart glasses.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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