Analyst expects Apple’s rumored $2,500 foldable iPhone to “sell out immediately,” but early supply could be limited

Apple’s next big hardware bet, a foldable iPhone expected to carry a premium price tag, is already generating a familiar debate: will it be an instant hit, or a product that disappoints buyers because it cannot be made fast enough? In a Yahoo Finance segment, tech editor Dan Howley reacted to analyst predictions that the device could sell out quickly at launch, even with a price that could reach roughly $2,500.

Much of the current attention is tied to Apple hardware analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, who has outlined a cautious timeline for when the foldable iPhone will actually be available at meaningful scale. According to a recent report summarizing Kuo’s view, Apple may unveil the foldable iPhone alongside other new models sooner rather than later, but preorders and official sales could slip into the fourth quarter of 2026 due to production complexity.

Kuo’s shipment expectations point to the core issue behind the “sell out immediately” framing: early supply. The report says Kuo projects foldable iPhone shipments of about 7 to 8 million units in the second half of 2026, with only 500,000 to 1 million units in the third quarter. That is about 10 percent of the second-half total arriving in the earlier quarter, implying that supply would be far thinner than what Apple typically targets for major iPhone releases.

Because of those limited third-quarter numbers, the report also says Kuo believes Apple’s follow-up demand surge could collide with manufacturing realities. It characterizes the near-term launch window as constrained, suggesting delivery wait times could extend into the 4 to 6 week range or longer through December, even if customers are eager to buy.

Price is central to the appeal and the risk. The report states Kuo expects robust demand despite a premium cost, citing a projected price range of roughly $2,300 to $2,500. But that same premium also raises the stakes for Apple’s first-year rollout, since high prices can deter some buyers if availability is restricted.

In the background, analysts have often compared the foldable iPhone’s ramp-up to Apple’s earlier “big first” phone launches. The report says Kuo expects Apple to use a cautious playbook, similar to the approach Apple took for the iPhone X in 2017, arguing that a foldable phone’s technical complexity makes a steady, phased ramp more likely than an immediate broad rollout.

Still, none of this represents confirmed product details from Apple itself. The latest discussions appear to be analyst projections and industry-supply estimates rather than official Apple statements. Apple has not publicly detailed launch timing, production volumes, preorder dates, or final pricing for a foldable iPhone in the material cited here.

For buyers and competitors, the key variable to watch is not whether demand exists, but how quickly production can scale. If Kuo’s shipment numbers track reality, Apple may be able to demonstrate strong consumer interest while simultaneously limiting deliveries early on, leading to shortages that could drive secondary-market pressure and shape what Apple learns for subsequent iPhone cycles.