Apple orders 10 million of the iPhone Fold for launch

A new report claims that Apple expects to sell 10 million of the iPhone Fold in 2026 and into early 2027, considerably up from most previous estimates.

Nothing varies quite like the rumors that the iPhone Fold is or is not going to be launched in September, but the number Apple will make comes close. In April 2026, for example, Nikkei Asia and most other analysts believed that Apple was ordering 7 million to 8 million for the year.

At the same time leaker Digital Chat Station claimed it was 11 million.

Now Nikkei Asia has met the leaker halfway, and says that Apple is ordering ten million of the iPhone Fold for the rest of 2026. In total, across the whole of the year and all of its iPhone models, Apple expects to produce over 220 million devices.

That compares to late 2025, when it was estimated that Apple’s sales for the year would be around 247 million iPhones. In September 2025, it was reported that Apple was looking for options to speed up production of the iPhone Fold, and that it was predicting a 10% increase in all iPhone sales across 2026

The new report follows estimates that the iPhone Fold will account for 29% of all folding display orders in 2026. That compares to Samsung’s estimated 31%, and Huawei’s 24%.

If the report’s figure of 10 million iPhone Fold devices being produced in 2026 is correct, it bolsters claims that Apple has resolved the claimed manufacturing problems regarding the device’s hinge and circuit board.

Given that the figure is specifically for Apple’s 2026 orders for iPhones, it suggests the iPhone Fold will be launched in September, with shipments not delayed into 2027 as previously rumored. That’s not certain, however, and it remains possible that Apple could announce it in September, but not ship it until later.

Generally, Apple orders around 30 million of its Pro iPhone models for the weeks after launch. It’s not yet clear what the order volume will be, with the folding iPhone in the mix.

The global chip shortage may alter these figures. But generally Apple aims to order 20 million of the various non-Pro models to sell in September. This is likely not on the table for 2026, as the present rumors suggest the non-Pro iPhone 18 will be launched in the spring of 2027.

In May 2026, it was rumored that Apple was changing these ratios for the iPhone 17 range because of both demand, and possible delays for the iPhone 18. Those delays may be due to the expectation that Apple is to move its next non-Pro iPhone launches from September 2026 to spring 2027.

However, regardless of this, the new report also claims that Apple has asked suppliers to reserve an unknown number of iPhone 17 components. That suggests that Apple is looking to mitigate against shortages as much as possible.