Buyers will likely confront a steep price as Apple prepares to unveil its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, at a September 9 event, with the device reportedly costing more than $2,000. The launch would mark Apple’s entry into a format that competitors adopted years ago, and comes as Tim Cook hands off the CEO role to former Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus.
Leaks and early reports sketch a device that folds from a 7.8-inch interior display to a 5.5-inch cover screen when closed. Early tester impressions cited a premium feel and pocketable profile. To achieve a thin, pocketable hinge, Apple is said to have removed the telephoto module, leaving a dual-lens rear system with main and ultra-wide cameras. MagSafe support is expected, and Apple reportedly substitutes side-mounted Touch ID for Face ID to save space.
The phone will run iOS rather than iPadOS and is expected to support side-by-side multitasking across the unfolded display. The same chip that’s said to power this handset is reportedly in Apple’s budget MacBook Neo, underscoring the company’s approach to reusing silicon across product lines. Foldable owners may also benefit from a display where the centre crease is less visible than on rival devices, according to the leaks.
Apple is not expected to stop at a foldable, with rumours pointing to refreshed iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, while the standard iPhone 18 is predicted to arrive about six months after the September show, a first for Apple if accurate. The company is also moving forward on a Gemini-powered Siri update and an updated HomePod, references to which appeared in a macOS preview build.
The macOS preview also yielded a surprising find: evidence Apple is developing AirPods with cameras that supply visual information to the system. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman described that capability like this, “the cameras essentially act as eyes for the Siri digital assistant and aren't designed to take photos or video.” The snippet suggests Apple plans low-resolution visual sensing to augment Siri rather than replace conventional cameras.
The immediate next step is the September 9 presentation, where Apple is expected to confirm which of these rumours are real and lay out availability and pricing. For now, the leaks point to an expensive first foldable from Apple and a broader hardware push that includes audio devices and a new Siri feature set.
