Apple’s first foldable iPhone is no longer a distant rumor. After years of speculation, the device now widely known as the iPhone Ultra has surfaced in real-world leaked photos not just CAD renders and the chatter around its launch has reached a fever pitch with Apple’s September event now just months away.
If you’ve been waiting to find out when the foldable iPhone is coming out, how much it will cost, and whether it’s worth holding your upgrade for, here’s everything the latest leaks reveal plus how the iPhone Ultra stacks up against the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Quick note: Everything below is based on supply-chain leaks and reputable tipsters. Apple has not officially confirmed the iPhone Ultra, so treat all specs and dates as rumor until launch day.
What is the iPhone Ultra? Apple’s First Foldable, Explained
For most of its development, the project was nicknamed the “iPhone Fold,” but multiple leakers now suggest Apple will brand it the iPhone Ultra a name that signals a new flagship tier sitting above the Pro models.
The iPhone Ultra is a book-style (wide-folding) foldable: it opens from a phone-sized cover screen into a large, near-square inner display roughly the size of an iPad mini. Leaked dummy units point to a flat, passport-like footprint when folded, with a dual rear camera array and a notably clean back panel.
iPhone Ultra Release Date: When Is the Foldable iPhone Coming Out?
Current leaks point to a September 2026 release, launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Earlier in the year, tipsters warned that hinge-reliability problems could push the foldable into an indefinite delay. Those fears now appear to have eased more recent reports attribute the production hiccups to circuit-board issues rather than the hinge itself, and claim prototypes have already been shipped to carriers worldwide for testing. The consensus has swung back on track for fall 2026.
One scheduling wrinkle worth knowing: the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Plus, along with the budget iPhone 18e, are reportedly being pushed to spring 2027. In other words, the headline fall launch may belong almost entirely to the foldable iPhone Ultra and the two Pro models.
iPhone Ultra Price: How Much Will the Foldable iPhone Cost?
Brace yourself. The iPhone Ultra price is rumored to land in the $2,000 range putting Apple’s foldable right alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series and making it, by some distance, the most expensive iPhone ever sold.
That price tag is exactly why a lot of buyers will think hard about timing, trade-in value, and whether a first-generation foldable is the smart purchase (more on that below).
iPhone Ultra Design and Leaked Photos
The most exciting development is that we’ve moved from renders to real leaked photos. A well-known tipster posted images of what appears to be a white iPhone Ultra dummy unit, showing the rear of the device under a protective film. The shots reinforce the squarish, passport-style design seen in earlier leaks though the Apple logo wasn’t visible, and the film hid the all-important hinge.
On color, leaks suggest the foldable will arrive in silver, white, and indigo. And the headline feature buyers care about most, the dreaded foldable crease, is said to be nearly invisible on the inner display, although some hands-on reports caution it isn’t completely gone, as is typical for a first-gen folding screen.
Reference: https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-fold/
The Liquid Metal Hinge and Vapor Chamber Cooling
Two engineering details set the iPhone Ultra apart from past Apple phones:
Liquidmetal hinge. Apple is reportedly using a liquid-metal hinge that’s said to be stronger than titanium, and clever reports suggest the hinge will double as a heatsink, helping move heat away from the internals. Durability is the make-or-break factor for any foldable, so this is one of the most important specs to watch.
Vapor chamber cooling. In a newer leak, the iPhone Ultra is tipped to include vapor chamber cooling, the same heat-dissipation tech Apple introduced on the iPhone 17 Pro. Vapor chambers help sustain peak performance during gaming and heavy multitasking without thermal throttling a meaningful upgrade for a device meant to behave like a small tablet.
iPhone Ultra Specs (Rumored)
Here’s what the leaks currently suggest for Apple’s foldable:
- Launch: September 2026
- Form factor: Wide-folding, book-style; inner display roughly iPad mini-sized
- Biometrics: Touch ID (in the power button) rather than Face ID
- Rear cameras: Dual-camera system
- Display panel: Samsung M14 OLED with a near-invisible crease
- Hinge: Liquidmetal, heatsink-integrated
- Cooling: Vapor chamber
- Connectivity: Apple’s new C2 modem with 5G mmWave and satellite support
- Software: A version of iOS built for split-screen multitasking on the large inner screen
- Colors: Silver, White, Indigo
- Price: ~$2,000
iPhone Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Is Apple Sidelining the Pro Max?
Here’s the storyline a lot of people are missing: with so much engineering focus poured into the foldable, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up to be a more iterative upgrade than usual.
Leaks indicate the iPhone 18 Pro Max will keep the same 8.75mm thickness as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the broader spec sheet reads like a refinement rather than a reinvention. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone; it’s just that Apple’s “wow” energy this year is clearly aimed at the iPhone Ultra.
| Feature | iPhone Ultra (foldable) | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Book-style foldable | Traditional slab |
| Display | iPad mini-sized inner OLED (M14) | 6.9″ LTPO+ OLED (M16), 1–120Hz |
| Chip | Apple silicon flagship | A20 Pro (2nm) |
| RAM / Storage | TBD | 12GB / up to 2TB |
| Cameras | Dual rear | Triple 48MP, variable aperture |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | Face ID (possibly smaller Dynamic Island) |
| Modem | Apple C2 (satellite + mmWave) | Apple C2 (satellite + mmWave) |
| Cooling | Vapor chamber | Vapor chamber |
| Price | ~$2,000 | ~$1,199+ |
Other iPhone 18 Pro rumors worth noting: the bleeding-edge Samsung M16 OLED panel (more efficient than the Ultra’s M14), an A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process, 12GB of RAM, up to 2TB of storage, a triple 48MP camera system with a variable-aperture main lens, a larger battery, and possibly a smaller Dynamic Island as Apple experiments with moving Face ID components under the display. Expected colors include Dark Gray, Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Silver.
iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Apple is arriving late to foldables, but it’s arriving in a market that’s shifting in its favor. Samsung is reportedly making the Galaxy Z Fold 8 a wide-folding device too, and even expects the wide-folding form factor to become the industry norm. Rivals like the Huawei Pura X Max are pushing in the same direction.
That matters because Apple has a habit of legitimizing a category once it enters the way it reshaped smartwatches and, briefly, mixed-reality headsets. Whether the foldable iPhone becomes a runaway hit or a pricey niche flagship is the big open question heading into launch.
Should You Wait for the iPhone Ultra or Upgrade Now?
A first-generation foldable at a ~$2,000 price is genuinely exciting, but first-gen hardware always carries risk: early reports mention some creak-and-rattle over time and a crease that isn’t perfectly flat. If you’re cautious, waiting for a second-generation foldable or grabbing a more proven iPhone 18 Pro may be the wiser play.
Here’s a timing tip most buyers overlook: Apple device resale values typically dip right after a major launch. If you’re planning to upgrade to any new iPhone this fall, the smart move is to lock in your current phone’s value before the September announcement, when demand for the outgoing generation is still high.
A few practical options:
- Selling your current iPhone? Get an instant quote and lock in today’s value at SellMac before launch-season depreciation kicks in.
- Want flagship features for less? Browse certified refurbished iPhones with warranty coverage instead of paying full price for brand-new.
- Upgrading anyway? Trading in toward a refurbished model can soften the blow of that eventual $2,000 foldable.
iPhone Ultra FAQ
When will the foldable iPhone be released? Leaks point to a September 2026 launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, though Apple hasn’t confirmed a date.
How much will the iPhone Ultra cost? The rumored price is around $2,000, comparable to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Is it called the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra? It was long referred to as the “iPhone Fold,” but recent leaks suggest Apple will market it as the iPhone Ultra.
Does the foldable iPhone have Face ID? Reports say it will use Touch ID rather than Face ID, likely built into the power button.
Will the iPhone 18 Pro Max still be worth it? Yes, but expect a more iterative upgrade this year (same 8.75mm thickness, A20 Pro chip, improved cameras) as Apple concentrates its boldest engineering on the foldable.