April 6 (Reuters) – Apple has been encountering setbacks ‌in the engineering test ‌phase of its first foldable ​iPhone, which could lead to delays in its mass production and product ‌shipment schedule, ⁠Nikkei Asia reported on Monday, citing sources.

Reuters ⁠could not immediately verify the report.

Issues surrounding ​the engineering ​development ​of foldable iPhones ‌are more complex and are taking longer to resolve than expected, the report said, with suppliers ‌notified that there ​is a ​possibility ​the component production schedule ‌could be pushed ​back.

Apple ​did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for ​a ‌comment.

(Reporting by Anusha Shah ​in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Sherry Jacob-Phillips)