Problematic hinge and motherboard claims aside, the rumor mill has decided that the iPhone Fold will be coming out in the fall of 2026. Only Apple really knows

The iPhone Fold has been a hot topic of rumors, and in later weeks, has been subject to claims that there are production problems. Despite the varying viewpoints, that hasn't stopped more reports from surfacing about the flexible smartphone.

The newest claim is from serial Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital. Posting on Monday, the leaker says that, despite rumors of manufacturing issues, the release is still planned to occur in September.

Fixed Focus Digital assures their followers while acknowledging other claims that the manufacturing process is troubled ahead of the final assembly of the model. Early-stage products are experiencing "ramp-up difficulties," they say in a machine-translated post.

On the bright side, the foldable model apparently has good heat dissipation and cooling performance. This is believed to be from Apple making a significant investment in thermally managing the product.

As with all Weibo leakers, we must warn that they tend to be less reliable than other rumor sources. This is in part due to needing to maintain their audience of followers by providing a steady flow of posts.

In the case of Fixed Focus Digital, they have a middling record for accuracy. It also doesn't help that their comment is made with no additional evidence or reasoning to bolster its release schedule claim.

Questionable trouble

Fixed Focus Digital doesn't specify what the apparent issues are, but there have been quite a few reports about what they could be referring to. Including their own posts.

On May 26, Fixed Focus Digital said Apple didn't have manufacturing difficulties for the iPhone Fold. There was, however, an issue in getting the model into mass production due to an issue with a circuit board component manufacturing technique.

At the time, they said that the situation was "not optimistic."

Earlier in the month, on May 18, Instant Digital said that there was a problem with the hinge caused through repeated opening and closing. They did not explain what the exact problem was, though a social media post that was circulating at the time alleged that there was a rattle in the hinge.

Previous rumors have also included disputes about the launch timing for the model and even the name.

While they can't get the story straight about such a major launch, at least the rumor mill is excited about the iPhone Fold.