Apple takes its sweet time adopting a new trend or technology, but when it does, it delivers one of the best implementations ever. That’s exactly what everyone is expecting from the company’s first foldable. Call it the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra, the Cupertino giant has more riding on this launch than perhaps any product launched in the last few years, and it could break cover later this year.
Apple has since confirmed its September 9, 2026 event date, with the tagline “Surprise and shine,” and sent invitations on August 26. The ‘surprise’ in the tagline could be a hint about the foldable iPhone. We’re now just days away from the iPhone Ultra’s expected reveal, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
One of the most credible sources of information for upcoming Apple products, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, remains confident that the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Fold is on schedule for a September 2026 launch, at the company’s most important fall hardware event, which has also become one of the most important events in the consumer tech industry.
As mentioned earlier, Apple has confirmed its September 9 launch event. Although the devices haven’t been confirmed yet, we could see the iPhone Ultra join the two iPhone 18 Pro models at launch.
Apple has spent years watching from the sidelines, as Samsung, Google, and a couple of other Chinese companies reveal their foldables, and it wouldn’t risk revealing its first foldable through a separate event, one that might not have as much awareness or gather as much attention as its iconic fall event.
I believe the iPhone Ultra could be the last announcement, after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max reveal.
On the flip side, analyst Tim Long has flagged that shipments for the iPhone Fold might not begin until December 2026, implying the announcement and arrival could be separated by almost three months and corroborating a report by Nikkei Asia about Apple hitting development snags with the foldable related to engineering problems.
More recent reporting suggests the bigger risk is a staggered international rollout. Some supply chain sources claim that Apple might keep the iPhone Ultra US-only at launch. Buyers in other markets might have to wait a couple of months before getting their hands on it.
I think it makes sense, and for one good reason. Releasing the foldable iPhone about three months after the regular iPhone 18 Pro models ship would give customers and Apple stores a chance to catch their breath, and, at the same time, create more hype for the foldable. It would also let people decide whether to spend a fortune on an iPhone that folds in half or settle for the Pro or Pro Max.
On pricing, sources largely agree: the iPhone Fold won’t be cheap, not by a long shot. Ming-Chi Kuo places the starting price between $2,000 and $2,500, a range that Gurman seems to agree with. However, we’ve also heard rumors that the starting price could be less than $2,000.
I believe a $1,999 starting price could be the sweet spot: high enough to reflect the technology but just below the psychologically daunting $2,000 ceiling.
A recent research firm, IDC, now expects an average selling price closer to $2,500, with top-storage configurations reaching $3,000 (via 9To5Mac). Apple has reportedly raised its production target to around 10 million units for the year, up from earlier estimates of 7–8 million.
One genuinely new and useful comparison point: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra officially launched on August 7, 2026, at $2,099.99. That gives the iPhone Ultra’s expected $1,999–$2,500 range actual competitive context for the first time.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone will follow a book-style foldable, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. However, unlike them, the iPhone won’t go after a tall-and-narrow design. Instead, it is believed to sport a wider form factor that looks like an iPad mini when unfolded.
The dummy models Sonny Dickson shared on X in April 2026 make this immediately apparent. Both the cover screen and inner screen are noticeably broader than existing book-style foldables; Apple is clearly charting its own way.
