Tech Talk: Unveiling the Latest Specs, Pricing, and Release Date

It’s official: Apple will hold its annual iPhone event on Wednesday, September 9. Officially, the upcoming “Surprise and Shine” event is a mystery, as Apple hasn’t really confirmed what it will showcase during its presentation. It never does.

With that said, we already have a pretty clear idea as to what the company might announce during this event. Thanks to leaks and rumors, we know that the iPhone 18 Pro models are coming, while the base iPhone 18 and “iPhone Air 2” won’t launch until early 2027.

Of course, we also know about the big foldable elephant in the room. We’re talking about the so-called “iPhone Ultra” — Apple’s first foldable iPhone. This device will surely take center stage and change the way we use and think about the iPhone.

The best part is that we already have a pretty good idea of what this new iPhone will bring to the table. Here’s what all the rumors about the upcoming foldable are saying.

“iPhone Ultra” Might Not Be the Official Name

The name is one of the things that leakers can’t make up their minds about. For years, everyone has simply called the device the foldable iPhone or “iPhone Fold” because Apple hasn’t provided anything official. Again, it never gives these things away, and it’s especially good at keeping product names under wraps.

Still, iPhone Ultra feels like it’s become a serious possibility. If you’ve been an Apple fan for a few years, you’ve probably heard of the “iPhone Ultra” name, as it was once rumored to be Apple’s highest-end phone, surpassing even the iPhone Pro Max model. That iPhone never arrived, but some people believe it will instead be the name of Apple’s first foldable device.

The name would make some sense. Apple already uses Ultra for the Apple Watch model that’s more powerful (and expensive) than its standard model, so the company could use the same name this time around.

It would also help distinguish this foldable model from a normal iPhone. Apple will probably position this device as an entirely new high-end category, and the “Ultra” name could reflect that.

Still, don’t become too attached to the name just yet, as we’ve heard this rumor before — and there are plenty of reasons for Apple to avoid the name. Apple could just easily call it the “iPhone Fold” or something completely different.

Expect a “Passport-Style” Foldable Design

One reason we haven’t seen a foldable iPhone is that Apple reportedly experimented with several types of folding devices before deciding on the right size to release. At one point, we even heard rumors suggesting that the company was testing a clamshell-style iPhone similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip.

Now, however, the design is completely different; Apple has apparently settled on a book- or passport-style fold, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 that Samsung launched a few weeks ago.

If true, the design when closed would be a shorter iPhone with a display that would be small enough to control with just one hand. When you open it, though, you’d get a larger, wider screen that would turn your iPhone into a small tablet.

As we’ve seen with Samsung, the wider display will be great for some things, like reading or watching movies, and a bit suboptimal for stuff like browsing social media apps (albeit, you’d probably be able to hold it in landscape mode in those circumstances).

The iPhone Might Feature Two Very Different Displays

Despite having different leaks for a lot of stuff, the screen sizes have been pretty similar across the board.

On the outside, Apple is expected to use a display of around 5.5 inches. That’s relatively small by modern iPhone standards, but it should be large enough for normal tasks when you don’t feel like opening the device. Plus, controlling your iPhone with just one hand will be completely easy, even if you have smaller hands.

But as you can expect, the real magic happens once you open the phone. Many reports consistently point toward an internal OLED display of roughly 7.8 inches. That puts it close to the size of an iPad mini that you can literally put in your pocket.

As we mentioned, this will be a wider foldable device than what you currently see in the market. The inner screen is expected to use a 4:3 aspect ratio. This wider shape could make websites and documents feel much more natural than they would on a stretched smartphone display. It would also make multitasking easier across the board.

Rumors say that Apple was in charge of developing this display, so you can expect a pretty solid screen, even for a first-generation device.

This Could Be the Thinnest iPhone Ever

If rumors are true, the iPhone Air will lose its whole gimmick. Apple’s foldable iPhone could measure around 4.5mm when completely opened. For comparison, the iPhone Air is 5.6mm, and the 13-inch iPad Pro is 5.1mm. Fold it closed, and you’re reportedly looking at something around 9mm to 9.5mm thick.

That’s still thicker than a regular iPhone, but perhaps not by as much as you’d expect from a device containing two display sections and a complicated hinge.

Of course, that size will come with its fair share of compromises, especially in the camera department. But we’ll talk about that in just a moment.

Touch ID Could Make A Surprising Comeback

This is one of the compromises that we were talking about, albeit some people will love this change. Perhaps one of the weirdest rumors is that Apple’s most expensive iPhone may not have Face ID at all.

Instead, the company is expected to put Touch ID inside the side button. This is similar to what Apple already does with certain iPad models. The reason is simple: Apple doesn’t have enough space.

Face ID requires several components behind the display. Those parts are harder to fit when each half of the device must remain extremely thin.