Apple’s iPhone Fold may not come until December, new report claims

We might have to wait a little longer than anticipated for Apple’s iPhone Fold.

Analyst Tim Long said so in a new research note for Barclays (via MacRumors), claiming that the shipments for the iPhone Fold will likely begin in December 2026, a few months after iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max hit the shelves.

This doesn’t necessarily means the iPhone Fold will not launch in September alongside other flagships. But Apple might announce it in September and actually release it a few months later, just like it did with the iPhone X.

We’ve previously seen reports that all three iPhone flagships will launch in Apple’s usual September timeframe; this is the first time we’ve heard about the Fold arriving a few months later.

Long also said he expects Apple’s base model, the iPhone 18, to launch in March 2027, which would mean Apple would skip it entirely in 2026. We’ve heard that before, but Long also said Apple plans to launch two other phones alongside the iPhone 18: the iPhone 18e, as well as either an upgraded iPhone Air, or an iPhone 18 Plus.

Apple’s iPhone “Plus” model has gone away in 2025, with Apple effectively replacing it with the super-thin iPhone Air. This is the first time we’ve heard about the possible resurgence of an iPhone Plus instead of a new iPhone Air, and while it does seem unlikely that Apple would flip-flop between models like that, rumors that iPhone Air isn’t selling too well do lend some credibility to this idea.