Rumors suggest that orders for the foldable iPhone have been revised upwards to approximately 10 million units, significantly higher than the previous market forecast of 7-8 million units and even exceeding Counterpoint analysts' current shipment estimate of 6-7 million units. This discrepancy indicates that the market's focus is no longer on whether Apple will release a foldable phone, but rather on whether the first-generation product can directly achieve sales in the tens of millions.
However, supply chain insiders remain cautious, primarily because the "order" figure may encompass different metrics: overall device shipment targets, component inventory levels, and production capacity reserves for the second half of 2026. For Apple's first-generation foldable product, increased component preparation does not equate to final sales confirmation; it could also be a response to yield rate, delivery, and ramp-up risks.
This news truly impacts the expectations of Apple's supply chain, rather than indicating that Apple has secured orders for tens of millions of units. Without further concrete evidence regarding panel, hinge, and assembly production schedules, the tens of millions target is more accurately interpreted as a pre-emptive stress test for the supply chain. For the market, it will reinforce the theme of the foldable iPhone's impact on Apple's supply chain, but it is still insufficient to directly prove that Apple has entered a new hardware growth cycle.
