Nikkei: Apple plans at least five new iPhone models through first half of 2027; foldable iPhone output seen at 10 million this year

According to CNBC, Apple plans to launch at least five new iPhone models between the second half of this year and the first half of 2027 and has told suppliers to prepare to produce about 10 million foldable iPhones this year, up from an earlier forecast of 7 million to 8 million units, Nikkei Asia reported Thursday. Nikkei said Apple has secured components for about 80 million smartphones across new models for the second half of 2026 and expects Apple’s total smartphone production for 2026 to exceed 220 million units, as AI-driven memory shortages push up costs; the report added that Chinese rivals Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have cut annual production targets to below 100 million units. Separately, CNBC noted Bloomberg reported Thursday that Apple is in talks to source memory chips for devices sold in China from ChangXin Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies, though Apple has not confirmed the discussions and Bloomberg said negotiations are ongoing. Nikkei also reported Apple plans at least two new iPhones in the first half of 2027, including the standard iPhone 18 and a new iPhone Air, after Apple implemented price hikes for its MacBook and iPad lineups last week as memory and storage costs surged.