Apple is set to materially expand its Total Addressable Market (TAM) by introducing a new smartphone form factor - that of a foldable - as a part of its iPhone lineup next year.
While there are concerns that the iPhone Fold, as it is tentatively known right now, might get delayed to 2027, the expectations around the new form factor have already started to move the needle on analysts' shipment estimates for the iPhones.
Apple's Foldable iPhone Is A Likely Contributing Factor To Visible Alpha's Rising Shipment Estimates For iPhones In 2027 And Beyond, As Cited By The Financial Times
Financial Times is out with an insightful report today, where it has leveraged Visible Alpha's iPhone shipment estimates to draw a few noteworthy conclusions.
Key Takeaways:
- Apple’s new iPhone 17 lineup has kicked off the company’s strongest growth spurt since the pandemic.
- Apple's iPhone revenue is expected to rise by 4 percent year-over-year in FY 2025 to $209.3 billion.
- Apple iPhone revenue in FY 2026 is expected to hit $218.9 billion.
- Even so, iPhone shipment volumes are expected to stay flat at around 2024 levels of around 235 million units in FY 2025 and FY 2026.
- Apple is expected to ship 240 million units in FY 2027, presumably aided by the new foldable iPhone.
- Apple's iPhone shipment volumes are expected to reach 260 million units by the end of the decade.
Notes:
- Apple's fiscal year ends in September each year.
- As such, Apple is already traversing through its FY 2026.
- Apple is set to announce its earnings for its last fiscal quarter of 2025 later in October, when the still-tentative iPhone revenue figures for its FY 2025 will attain finality.
The Launch Timeline Of Apple's Foldable iPhone Remains In Flux
We noted recently that the complexities around a foldable display and the accompanying hinge mechanism might push the launch of the iPhone Fold to 2027, especially as Mizuho analysts believe that Apple has scaled back its initial production cadence for the corresponding display panels to just 9 million units from a previous target of around 13 million units. And while analysts are excited, do check out the potential features of the new phone in our iPhone Fold Roundup.
As per Apple's evolving product launch window, we are likely to see iPhone 18 Air, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max launch in the fall of the calendar year 2026, with the iPhone 18e and the foldable iPhone launching in the first quarter of the calendar year 2027.
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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