- A reputable source claims the foldable iPhone Ultra will cost over $2,000
- We've also heard that it could support 5G over satellites
- Other specs have been detailed too, including a tiny crease and a big battery
The foldable iPhone — which is now rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra — is sure to be Apple’s most expensive phone yet, and a new pricing rumor gives us a clearer idea of just how expensive.
According to reputable Apple watcher Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg (via MacRumors), the iPhone Ultra will "cross the $2,000 threshold" in the US. However, it’s not clear whether that means it will start at over $2,000 or exceed that figure at its top configuration. The latter option would hardly be surprising, though, given that a 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max already costs $1,999.
So, my guess is that Gurman means the starting price will be over $2,000, and even then, that’s not a massive surprise when you consider that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at $1,999.99.
Still, that would mean the iPhone Ultra costs more than an M5 MacBook Pro in the US, with that device starting at $1,699. It would also be far higher than the $1,199 starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. There’s no word here on the price of the iPhone Ultra in other regions, but if we assume the starting price is only slightly over $2,000, it could cost marginally more than the 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max, which retails for £1,999 / AU$3,799 elsewhere.
It’s a high price however you look at it, and it’s one that Apple fans over on Reddit have expressed a mixed reaction to. Some are saying things like “thing is going to sell like crack regardless [of] the price point” and “can’t wait to have this”, while other comments include “this is going to fail miserably”, “that’s okay, I don’t want it anyway”, and that it “will be even less popular than the Air.”
A tiny crease and a high-capacity battery
Beyond talk of an expectedly high price, we’ve also seen a YouTube video from Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, detailing the upcoming phone. According to Prosser, the crease depth here will be around 0.15mm, which would mean the crease isn’t quite invisible, but is smaller than on most foldable phones.
As for the cameras, Prosser says to expect two 48MP rear cameras, one being wide angle and the other ultra-wide. There’s also said to be a punch-hole camera on the cover screen and either a punch-hole camera or an under-display one on the foldable display. Prosser claims Apple has “versions” of the device with the latter design, which implies the company hasn’t yet decided which to go with.
Additionally, Prosser says to expect a battery of around 5,800mAh, and while that wouldn’t be the highest-capacity battery we’ve seen in a foldable, it would beat Apple’s current main rivals, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (4,400mAh), and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (5,015mAh).
Other specs apparently include 12GB of RAM, an A20 Pro chipset, and an efficient Apple C2 modem, which is also said to enable 5G over a satellite connection.
The dimensions are apparently 9.5mm when folded and just 4.5mm when unfolded, the latter of which would make the iPhone Ultra thinner than the 5.6mm iPhone Air. Being that slim, though, means there apparently won’t be room for Face ID, so Touch ID will supposedly be used instead.
These specs are broadly in line with what we’ve heard before, but hearing them again increases the chance that they’re accurate. They’re also largely specs that go some way towards justifying the high rumored price, but it will be interesting to see how many potential buyers Apple will be able to sway.
