In what is likely to be a dramatic development if it pans out, Apple is reportedly planning to grow its smartphone shipments by around 10 percent in 2026, and banking on the possible launch of iPhone Fold to achieve this feat.
To wit, Nikkei Asia is now reporting that Apple has held talks with its suppliers regarding the possibility of building a test production line for its planned foldable iPhones, with an eye towards a possible mass production cadence in India in 2026, corresponding to around 95 million units.
Separately, Apple is reportedly targeting a 10 percent shipment growth for its smartphones in 2026, banking on incremental demand from its new foldable iPhone variant. For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Apple shipped 232 million iPhones in 2024. Moreover, IDC forecasts that Apple is likely to achieve a 4 percent shipment growth in 2025, which equates to a total shipment volume of around 241 million units for the ongoing year.
As such, a 10 percent growth from implied 2025 levels equates to a target shipment volume of around 265 million units. If this prediction pans out, it would constitute a new record. After all, as we explained recently, since 2015, the annual shipment volume for the iconic iPhone has oscillated between 200 million and just shy of 250 million.
Meanwhile, according to the Bank of America analyst, Wamsi Mohan, Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max smartphone models are currently experiencing longer shipment delays relative to their iPhone 16 counterparts at an equivalent pre-order stage.
Specifically, the iPhone 17 Pro’s average ship time currently stands at 18 days, compared with 14 days for the iPhone 16 Pro, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max currently has a 25-day wait, versus 23 days last year. Interestingly, the base iPhone 17 has an average ship time of 19 days, up from 10 days for the base iPhone 16.
In an even more striking observation, Mohan notes that the shipment times for Apple's base iPhone 17 are currently at their most extended in a number of years. In fact, we would have to go to the launch of the iPhone 11 back in 2019 to find comparable shipment times for the current pre-order stage.
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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