The Apple iPhone Ultra is coming, and if the rumours are right, it could be the ultimate foldable phone that everyone (especially iPhone users) has been waiting for.
After years of watching Samsung iterate on the Galaxy Z Fold while the rest of us waited for Apple to show up, supply chain reports and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman now confirm that mass production is on track for August, with a September announcement looking increasingly likely. The device reportedly features a 7.8-inch inner display that unfolds to something close to an iPad mini, a 5.5-inch cover screen, an A20 Pro chip, and a titanium liquid metal hinge engineered specifically to minimise the crease that’s plagued a lot of foldable phones. Some, like OPPO, do things right and when I went to their event last time, I could barely see the crease in their foldable.
Some might be enticed to a foldable but then noticed the crease when they have a device on their hands to try out, and that’s been enough to put it back down every time. A crease running down the middle of a screen you’re paying over $2,000 for just feels wrong. It feels unfinished. And for a category that’s supposed to represent the future of mobile, that’s a hard sell.
Apple is reportedly addressing this head-on. According to Back Market’s sourcing, Apple has confirmed a liquid metal hinge design, and prototype units have already been shipped to global carriers worldwide for network certification which is a significant milestone that suggests this launch is definitely on track. Whether they’ve fully cracked the crease is something we won’t know until we hold one. But if any company has the supply chain leverage and engineering obsession to get it right on the first attempt, it’s Apple. Also, they were normally not in rush to be the first but to perfect it.
The price is going to sting, as we expect from Apple products. We’re looking at a US$1,999 starting price, which in Australia will likely translate to somewhere north of AU$3,000 once Apple does its usual currency conversion. A 1TB model could push past AU$4,500. That’s a lot of money for a phone.
But we already buy iPhone Pro Max models at AU$1,799 without much hesitation, and the iPhone Ultra is positioned well above that because it’s a different product category entirely. Those who want a foldable iPhone will definitely take the bait and pre-order one.
A few things still aren’t confirmed. There’s no Face ID so the iPhone Ultra is reportedly going with a side-mounted Touch ID button instead, which is an interesting trade-off given the foldable’s large inner display. There’s also no telephoto camera in the current rumour set, which would be a sad omission for a $2,000+ device.
Supply will almost certainly be constrained at launch. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, initial shipments are forecast at 3 to 5 million units globally spread across every market Apple serves. Australians who want one in September will need to be quick. And if shipments do slip to December, as some analysts still allow for, that’s not necessarily a disaster. It just means more time to save up.
We’ll find out more officially in September, I guess.
