Apple's first foldable iPhone is being held up by pricing negotiations with manufacturing partners and an unresolved decision about hinge materials, rather than component or display problems, according to Chinese leaker Fixed Focus Digital.
Apple is expected to release its first foldable iPhone later this year, in the form of a book-style device that unfolds to reveal a screen about the size of an iPad mini. Reports suggest it will feature a 7.8-inch main display when unfolded and a 5.5-inch cover display, but claims of when it will launch have yet to arrive at a consensus, with reports suggesting a release could come as early as September or as late as December.
In a post today on social network Weibo, Fixed Focus Digital cited their own supply chain sources claiming Apple is still undecided on the hinge material, with the company still apparently weighing liquid metal against 3D-printed titanium alloy, which was most recently used in the iPhone Air.
Rumors going back to March last year claimed that Apple had settled on the use of liquid metal for the hinge, which could improve durability and reduce screen creasing. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has previously used liquid metal in smaller device components like SIM ejector pins, but the foldable iPhone will be the company's first major use of the material in a critical mechanical part.
Fixed Focus Digital expects Apple to settle on its preferred material during the device's Production Validation Test (PVT) phase between July and early August, which would be the latest time for such a decision to be realistically made – assuming the device is scheduled to ship this year.
The second, potentially more disruptive issue is allegedly price negotiations with Apple's assembly partner, which the leaker suggested could affect the production schedule. Apple's first foldable iPhone could end up costing nearly twice as much as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with retail pricing likely to be somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500.
According to Kuo, the foldable iPhone will include two rear cameras, a single front-facing camera, and Touch ID integrated into the power button. The device could measure just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, and between 9mm and 9.5mm when closed.
Fixed Focus Digital previously broke the news ahead of launch about the iPhone 16e name for Apple's upcoming iPhone SE successor.
