iPhone Ultra Reportedly in Mass Production, No Delay Envisaged

Apple's foldable iPhone is on track to ship in September despite rumors of a delayed launch, reports Chinese financial outlet Cailian Press.

The outlet says it spoke with several people within Apple's supply chain, who indicated that the device's design was locked in some time ago and that the foldable is now in mass production.

Separately, Chinese financial outlet East Money and Korea's The Bell reported that Apple's foldable has entered mass production, with assembly partner Foxconn launching large-scale hiring to secure labor.

Asked about rumors that its launch could slip due to complex assembly and low yields, sources who spoke to Cailian Press reportedly said they had not heard of any delay, and that a September delivery window was still expected.

The report provides a glimmer of hope for consumers eager to pre-order one of the devices in early fall. Last month, The Elec reported that mass production was set to begin in July, but it also said Apple had run into hinge problems during testing. While most of those issues were said to have since been resolved, it raised the odds of a small initial shipment following the device's launch.

Then over the weekend, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the foldable will be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September but may not go on sale until the fourth quarter, suggesting a possible release in October or later.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in March that the new foldable iPhone won't ship to customers in the same September timeframe as the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max. However, a month later, Gurman said that the foldable iPhone remained on track for a September debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, and that Apple is aiming to put it on sale at roughly the same time or slightly later.

Apple has reportedly told suppliers to prepare to make approximately 10 million foldable iPhones this year, up from a previous forecast of about 7-8 million units a few months ago.

The book-style foldable is expected to feature a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch cover screen, an A20 chip, Apple's C2 modem in some countries, and a Touch ID power button, with a starting pricing rumored between roughly $2,000 and $2,500 across reports. Apple's foldable could launch as the "iPhone Ultra," as suggested by rumors.