TECH NEWS – Apple has not yet announced the foldable iPhone, but rumors are already circulating that the Cupertino-based company is taking a more cautious approach.

Apple is preparing to expand its total addressable market (TAM) significantly by introducing a new smartphone format, the foldable, to its iPhone product line next year. While there are concerns that the iPhone Fold (not yet an official name) may be delayed until 2027, the new format is already influencing analysts’ iPhone shipment estimates. The Financial Times has drawn some noteworthy conclusions using Visible Alpha’s estimates of iPhone shipments.

Apple’s new iPhone 17 product line has entered its strongest growth phase since the pandemic. Apple’s iPhone revenue is expected to grow 4% to $209.3 billion in fiscal year 2025, up from the previous year. It is expected to reach $218.9 billion in fiscal year 2026. However, shipment volume is expected to remain at 2024 levels of approximately 235 million units in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Apple is expected to ship 240 million units in fiscal year 2027, presumably with the help of the new foldable iPhone. By the end of the decade, Apple’s iPhone shipment volume is expected to reach 260 million units. Apple’s fiscal year ends in September each year. Thus, Apple is already in its 2026 fiscal year. The company will announce its results for the last quarter of fiscal year 2025 at the end of October. At that time, the provisional iPhone revenue figures for fiscal year 2025 will be finalized.

As we recently wrote, the complexity of the foldable display and its hinge mechanism could delay the launch of the iPhone Fold until 2027. This is especially likely given that Mizuho analysts believe Apple reduced the initial production rate of the appropriate display panels from approximately 13 million to 9 million units.

Based on Apple’s ever-changing product launch schedule, the iPhone 18 Air, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max will likely be released in fall 2026. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18e and foldable iPhone will likely be released in the first quarter of 2027.

Source: WCCFTech | Financial Times