Suggestions that Apple's rumored foldable iPhone will be delayed are wide of the mark, claimed a Chinese leaker today.

In a post on Weibo, the leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital said launch delay rumors are "false" and suggestions that the device's release has been pushed to next year are "far-fetched."

Multiple reports have suggested Apple's first foldable iPhone could be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models this September, and the leaker believes that still stands. "The most likely scenario is that it will launch alongside the iPhone 18 series," said Fixed Focus Digital in another post earlier this month. "Even if there is a delay, it would probably only be postponed by about one month before going on sale," they added.

There have been sporadic reports that Apple's first foldable device has faced engineering challenges in late-stage development. In May, for example, Instant Digital claimed Apple's foldable iPhone continued to face durability-related issues with its hinge mechanism. Apple is believed to have largely overcome concerns surrounding display creasing, but the leaker said that long-term hinge reliability has yet to meet the company's standards.

Apple is known for imposing strict reliability standards on new product categories, but ongoing concerns about the hinge itself would be an unusual situation this close to an anticipated launch.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in March that the new foldable iPhone may not ship to customers in the same September time frame as the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max. Prior to Gurman's report, Barclays analyst Tim Long suggested that the foldable iPhone won't ship until December, opening up a roughly three-month delay between the completely new device and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models.

Apple has done a split launch before, shipping one model later than another. When the iPhone X launched in 2017, it shipped out in November, while the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus introduced alongside it came out in September as usual. Even if Apple does plan to ship the ‌iPhone Fold‌ after September, expect to see it introduced during the annual iPhone event that will feature the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. Apple will likely announce all three phones at once, and then bring them to customers when they're ready.

The foldable iPhone is expected to feature a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch cover display, the A20 chip and C2 modem, a Touch ID power button instead of Face ID, and two rear cameras, with pricing rumored at around $2,000. Apple's book-style foldable could launch as the "iPhone Ultra," as suggested by reports.