Apple is preparing to launch its first foldable iPhone later this year, and it is expected to sell it under the name Iphone Ultra. The device is set to be the marquee announcement at Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro event in September, marking the company’s first use of a foldable design in its flagship phone line.
The foldable model is expected to ship alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models this fall and is not expected to be delayed in any major way, though it could still reach stores a few weeks later and in smaller quantities. That makes the launch Apple’s clearest move yet toward a higher-priced tier that sits above its Pro lineup rather than replacing it.
The timing matters because Apple is not planning a broad upgrade for the base iPhone and iPhone Air this fall. Instead, those models are expected to move to the first half of 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e, a shift that leaves the company’s most visible hardware push concentrated in September around the Pro phones and the foldable debut.
Apple has used the Ultra label before as a premium marker, including for the Apple Watch Ultra and the M1 Ultra chip in 2022. The branding is expected to extend beyond the phone: Apple’s upcoming OLED touchscreen MacBook is also expected to carry the Ultra name, even though that machine was originally planned for release later this year.
That laptop now appears likely to slip to the first half of 2027 because of a recent RAM supply shortage, a delay that would keep Apple’s premium product strategy intact but slow its rollout. The MacBook Ultra would cost significantly more than the current MacBook Pro and would offer a different feature set, making it a separate bet rather than a simple replacement.
Apple is also working on other high-end hardware, including a rumored AirPods model with built-in cameras and an M5 Ultra. For now, though, the foldable Iphone Ultra is the clearest sign of where the company wants its next big consumer headline to land: at the top of the market, in limited numbers, this fall.