Foldable iPhone Ultra Release Date, Design, Price Rumours

The likes of Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Motorola and Honor have all made foldable devices. In fact, Apple is the only major manufacturer not to have a model on the market.

Rumours about a foldable Apple phone have been swirling for some time but are now coalescing into something more solid – very solid, in fact, as images and video of dummy models of the foldable have been leaked online.

As yet, no one knows what the new model will be called. According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, the foldable will be classed among Apple’s Ultra devices, and it may be called the iPhone Ultra or the iPhone Ultra Fold.

You can find out everything we know about the upcoming iPhone 18 line-up in our dedicated article.

When will the foldable iPhone Ultra be released?

The iPhone 17 lineup has been out for a while now and thoughts are turning to what Apple may have in store for us later on in the year. After an early March event heralded by a flurry of press releases announcing various new devices (many of which were budget-friendly), including the iPhone 17e and the £599/$599 MacBook Neo, a range of “Ultra” products are expected to launch later in the year, including a MacBook Ultra, AirPods Ultra and an iPhone Ultra – the much-anticipated foldable model, which would become Apple’s new flagship phone.

This tracks with the expectation that Apple will launch high-end handsets at its autumn event in September, with the more affordable models given a later spring release.

Here’s a look at the announcement dates of recent iPhones: 

• iPhone 17: 9 September 2025
• iPhone 16: 9 September 2024
• iPhone 15: 12 September 2023 
• iPhone 14: 7 September 2022 
• iPhone 13: 14 September 2021 
• iPhone 12: 13 October 2020 (delayed due to Covid)

As such, we’re expecting the high-end iPhone 18 models, including the iPhone foldable, to be announced at around the same time in 2026. The iPhone 18 and 18e are projected for a spring 2027 release.

At the moment, speculation centres on whether Apple will be able to produce enough of the foldables to launch them in line with the other high-end iPhone 18 models.

Although a Weibo tipster indicated that trial production of the foldable model began on time at Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn in China, a more recent Nikkei Asia report said that there have been setbacks in the engineering test phase. This could delay mass production and shipment schedules.

However, reliable tipster Mark Gurman since weighed in to say that he does not expect setbacks to affect production and that the iPhone foldable should be ready to ship at the same time or shortly after the Pro and Pro Max.

Sources: The Information | GSMArena | (2) | MacRumors (1) | (2) | Ming-Chi Kuo | ChosunBiz | 9to5Mac | Mark Gurman for Bloomberg | Nikkei Asia

How much will the foldable iPhone Ultra cost?

A range of prices have been mooted, the lowest of which is $1,999. But a more recent analyst estimate is $2,399. Price estimations tend to change depending on the current costings for various components, including the hinge. $2,399 is towards the top end of rumoured pricing, with $2,500 the highest analyst estimate we’ve heard since leaks began.

Tipster Instant Digital has published what they claim will be Chinese pricing. Apparently, three storage tiers will be available, and the pricing structure will be as follows:

• 256GB – CNY 15,999
• 512GB – CNY 17,999
• 1TB – CNY 19,999

Convert that exactly, and US pricing would start at $2,320. But that’s not how Apple tends to do things. Our sibling publication Macworld instead posits the following US prices as more likely, given Apple’s relative pricing for the iPhone 17 Pro in China and the US:

• 256GB: $1,999
• 512GB: $2,199
• 1TB: $2,399

This would make the base storage model around the same price as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the US, where Samsung’s model starts at $1,999. Still, the foldable iPhone is unlikely to be able to match Samsung’s UK price of £1,799.

Luke Baker

Sources: Ming-Chi Kuo | Instant Digital | MacRumors | MacRumors (2) | Android Headlines | Macworld | Mark Gurman for Bloomberg

What specs and features will the foldable iPhone Ultra have?

At this stage, there is very little that’s confirmed about the design and details of the foldable – but a lot that seems to have been leaked. It’s expected to be a book-style foldable, rather than a flip phone.

Our sibling publication Macworld published an image of a plastic model of the iPhone Ultra foldable, based on CAD files allegedly leaked from Apple’s production line. The image was considered surprising as, when folded, the phone is much more square than an ordinary iPhone – it’s being referred to as “Passport style”. That’s because it’s all about the experience when the phone is open – here, the screen will resemble the shape of an iPad mini, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The size and shape of the iPhone foldable was further confirmed in an apparent leak from a Turkish phone case manufacturer’s Instagram account and was publicised on Reddit.

Hasan Akkurt

More recently, prolific leaker Sonny Dickson showed CAD renders that again show a very similar design, which once again lends credence to earlier leaks. Note that only the outer corners are rounded.

Sonny Dickson

Finally, Sonny Dickson seems to have got his hands on dummies of the Pro, the Pro Max and the foldable – likely made for phone case manufacturers to work with – once again confirming the foldable’s size and shape.

Sonny Dickson

A couple of design details seem to be confirmed from the images: the foldable iPhone doesn’t seem to have a unibody design, like the ‌Pro‌ models, and there’s no window for a glass insert for wireless charging. This is another notable limitation of the model, along with the lack of Face ID, which Apple nixed in favour of a slimmer build.

If more confirmation of the design was needed, it arrived in the form of a video from Unbox Therapy. The YouTuber filmed himself handling a hinged dummy model of the Ultra, which provided much more detail than we’ve had so far.

Unbox Therapy

The video seemingly showed the “huge” camera bump that wasn’t quite so obvious in stills. It looks very similar to the design of the iPhone Air’s camera plateau. It also confirmed the position of the volume buttons on the device’s top edge.

In a note to investors, analyst Jeff Pu has claimed that the Phone 18 Fold’s metal frame will use a mix of titanium and aluminium. This contradicts, or at least adds more detail, to the earlier claim that its frame would be made from titanium, like the iPhone Air.

There are early expectations that the Ultra will only be available in black or white, although our colleagues on Macworld have said that the colour options will be a “classic silver and white model, as well as an Indigo option similar to the iPhone 17 Pro’s Deep Blue”.

One notable rumour is that it’ll feature five lenses: one on the front, one on the inside and two on the back. It’ll feature an under-display camera on its main screen. You’ll be able to take selfies both when the phone is open and when it’s closed.

If the foldable has similar camera specs to the iPhone 18 Pro models, then variable aperture technology is expected for the first time in an iPhone main camera.

This will allow users to control the amount of light entering the lens, giving greater control over depth of field and enhancing low-light photography.

It’s also thought that Apple has found a way to eliminate the appearance of a crease on the screen when unfolded. This is obviously something that can’t be confirmed via a solid dummy model. The Fold’s inner screen was designed by Samsung, but everything else is Apple design and engineering. This includes the panel structure and lamination method.

A product shown by Samsung Display at CES 2026 created a lot of anticipation and excitement among Apple fans. Samsung showed two foldable OLED panels side-by-side, labelled as a current and a concept model. The display on the current model (which is thought to be the Galaxy Z Fold 7) showed a clear crease down the centre of the screen. But there was no crease visible on the concept model.

Ice Universe

Samsung Display will be producing the OLED screens, having secured an exclusive, three-year contract. The display is expected to feature the same M14 OLED materials as the iPhone 17 Pro Max rather than something newer, to keep costs down and ensure tried and tested components. 

The foldable’s inner screen, which will be similar to a mini iPad, and will run software inspired by – but not the same as – iPadOS 26. This will allow it to be used as a productivity device, supporting side-by-side apps and layouts including sidebars. But it will still be running a form of iOS and so won’t support windowed multitasking or apps developed for the iPad.

It’s expected to have 12GB of RAM, given the news that Samsung Electronics will supply DRAM to Apple, which has placed an order for 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. As noted above, this will be matched with three tiers of storage: a base model of 256GB, then 512GB and finally 1TB.

Here are the iPhone Fold’s rumoured specs, based on recent leaks out of China:

• Inward-folding, book-style device
• Imperceptible crease
• Robust hinge composed of LiquidMetal (a zirconium-based alloy that’s used to produce strong, hard metal parts – not a liquid at all)
• Inner display of approximately 7.58 inches
• Outer display of around 5.25/5.5 inches
• Two 48Mp cameras
• Fingerprint ID via a side button instead of Face ID to unlock the phone
• No SIM card slot (like the Air)
• 9-9.5mm thick closed, 4.5-4.8mm thick open

More recently, prolific tipster Ice Universe shared specifics about the foldable’s design in a Weibo post. Here’s a summary of his claims. It’s worth noting that these do stack up with other leaks and our expectations so far:

• Volume buttons are on the top of the device, on the right-hand side, similar to their placement on an iPad mini.
• The power button/Touch ID and the AI/camera button are on the right side. This is apparently because the motherboard is on the right, so it means there’s no need to run wires through the device.
• There are no buttons on the left. Instead the space is used for the screen and battery, meaning that it can fit the largest battery yet seen in an iPhone.
• Single, punch-hole front camera.
• The camera module has a horizontal design, with the rear dual cameras, microphone and flash arranged in a row on the right side. The module is thought to have a contrasting, all-black base design.
• Two colour options are expected, but only white is confirmed.

The iPhone Fold is projected to use Apple’s C2 modem, which is expected to launch in September 2026 with the high-end iPhone 18 models.

Sources: Macworld | (2) | MacRumors | (2) | Revegnus on X | Ming-Chi Kuo | Macwelt | Mark Gurman | (2) | (3) | 9to5Mac | GSMArena | Digital Chat Station | Ice Universe on X | CNET | Reddit | Hassan Akkurt on Instagram | Ice Universe on Weibo via 9to5Mac | Sonny Dickson on X | (2)

That’s all we know at this point about the foldable iPhone so far, but we’ll be updating this article as more information comes to light.

If you don’t want to wait, be sure to check out our top recommendations for the best phones in 2025.