Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra/Fold is expected to be hard to come by upon launch with one analyst suggesting shocks will be so short that Apple may delay the release to beef up itinerary.
The word from the noted Apple watcher, the investment analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is that Apple will have under a million units available by the time a potential September launch rolls around.
That’s only about a tenth of the yield Apple expects to have available by the end of the year. Kuo reckons Apple will have 7-8 million units available before 2026 is over. A report last week suggested Apple is now pushing for ten million, but it does seem like Apple is going to have a hard time keeping them in stock in the short term.
“My latest industry survey indicates that assembly shipments for the foldable iPhone in 2H26 will be roughly 7–8 million units, with 3Q26 shipments at 0.5–1 million units, or about 10% of the total,” the well-connected analyst writes (via 9to5Mac). “By comparison, estimated 3Q26 shipments of the iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max total roughly 20–22 million units, significantly higher than the foldable iPhone and already meeting the inventory requirement for an official launch.”
Would Apple release a phone for sale with under one million units available or will it, like the iPhone X, hold off for a little while before making it available until there’s enough inventory to satisfy demand. Kuo reckons it might be “4-6 week or longer” by the time Apple begins delivering the new product. Given the phone is likely to cost around $2,500 (about £1,900) it remains to be seen just how in-demand the handset will be in the first place.
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