A now-deleted report claims Apple has far bigger sales expectations for its iPhone Fold than early expectations suggested.
The report, from ET News and relayed by MacRumors, claims Apple ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for its first foldable iPhone. The linked report has been deleted, and a later update provided by Samsung Display's global communications team states that the original report was inaccurate.
It described a split between inward-folding screens and external companion displays, implying an output of nearly 10 million finished devices after normal yield losses. These numbers were surprising because early expectations for Apple's entry into the category were much smaller.
Now we know the deleted report was wholly inaccurate, at least in terms of how many displays were ordered by Apple.
The design outlined in the report echoed years of rumors. The foldable iPhone is described as a book-style device with a compact 5.35-inch outer screen and a larger 7.58-inch internal display.
Other details included an advanced hinge, crease-reducing materials, a polarizer-free OLED stack, and a possible under-display camera. None of these features are new to the rumor cycle, but their appearance together renewed speculation about Apple's approach.
Production questions & market context
Foldable phones remain a small part of the global smartphone market. Annual shipments sit in the low tens of millions, which keeps the category at only a small share of worldwide volume.
Buyers still lean toward traditional slab-style phones because they cost less, weigh less, and avoid long-term concerns about hinge wear and display creasing. A shipment level near 10 million units would put Apple's first foldable on the same scale as the entire existing segment, which made the report difficult to believe.
Apple's development history offers more perspective. The company has pursued foldable concepts for years through hinge patents, crease-mitigation ideas, and flexible display experiments.
None of those efforts have pointed to an imminent product, and Apple's long validation cycles usually delay new form factors until durability and component yields reach comfortable levels. Predictions about launch timing have bounced around for years, but many observers now expect the earliest window to be sometime in 2026.
The production challenges remain significant. Foldable OLED panels must survive thousands of bends without creasing, and thin-film defects can ruin an entire display.
Those problems keep yields lower than rigid OLEDs and push costs higher across the supply chain. Companies usually introduce new form factors gradually because each stage needs tuning as suppliers refine adhesives, substrates, hinge tolerances, and protective layers.
The external display of the iPhone Fold - Image Credit: AppleInsider
Price pressures create another hurdle. Foldable phones carry premium prices because flexible displays, reinforced frames, and complex hinges are costly to build.
Early adoption usually stays limited, which encourages smaller initial volumes until demand becomes clearer. A first-generation foldable priced well above mainstream flagships would face the same limits, even with Apple's brand strength.
iPhone Fold: coming in 2026
Apple hasn't commented on any foldable iPhone plans, and the company rarely previews new device categories. The rumor gained momentum because it hinted at a bold shift in Apple's strategy.
The wider context instead points to a cautious approach shaped by years of deliberate product development. Apple usually enters new hardware categories only after competitors have tested the market and exposed the risks.
Foldable phones remain expensive products with complex engineering requirements and limited market share. Apple may hope to reshape the category with durability gains or brighter, thinner displays.
The scale and timing of that effort remain uncertain because the company hasn't confirmed any plans. The 22 million-panel claim is ambitious until clearer supply-chain signals appear and the market finally sees Apple's first foldable device.
All signs point to fall 2026 for the iPhone Fold, though some of us are still holding our breath for the seemingly-inevitable "iPhone Fold delayed" rumor.
An update
Representatives from Samsung Display's global communications team shared that the report from ET News was taken down because it shared inaccurate numbers. Of course, the true numbers were not shared to clarify how far off they were.
A separate report from IDC came hours later, which has ambitious targets for Apple's foldable push, but they're a bit closer to reality. They suggest Apple's foldable could capture 22% of the projected sales, which in 2025 reached about 20.6 million, resulting in Apple selling around 4.5 million foldables.
Of course, the IDC then suggests that foldables would be propelled by demand from the under 2% market share today to 10% market share by 2029, which is more difficult to believe for the expensive, niche product line.
Whatever the case, the rumor score has been updated to reflect this particular report isn't realistic based on the new information.
Updated December 10 at 8:50 a.m.: updated the rumor score and added context to incorporate an update provided by Samsung Display's global communications team.
