How excited should you be for the iPhone Ultra? Very, if the latest report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is anything to go by, with the reporter declaring the foldable to be "the company's most exciting new product in several years." And it seems that opinion is shared by others — though there is one notable catch.
Gurman has spoken to several people that have already used the foldable iPhone. Those early users praised the phone's pocketability, the durability of the hinge and the iPad-style app layout on the larger foldable screen. However, Gurman notes the lack of a telephoto camera lens could end up costing Apple some sales.
After all, this is a phone that is expected to cost more than $2,000 — possibly as high as $2,500 if some reports are to be believed. As Gurman points out, people who spend that kind of money on a phone are also the kind who want top-of-the-range camera capabilities. In fact, the Venn diagram of those two groups of people "is probably pretty close to a circle."
Sadly, Gurman predicts that the foldable iPhone's camera won't be considered "the best camera system Apple can offer" for at least a couple of years. Which is obviously going to be a sore point for a lot of people, considering Apple's reputation for developing some of the best camera phones.
I have no doubt that the iPhone Ultra's main and ultrawide cameras will be able to produce excellent photos, but the lack of a telephoto lens could potentially be an issue. Apple and other phone makers may offer "optical quality" digital zoom, as well as the software to enhance photos after the fact, but those only go so far.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is a good example of this in action. As we noted in our Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 8 Ultra photo face-off, the zoomed shots on the Z Fold 8 pale in comparison to the Ultra's dedicated zooming lens. Considering how weak the Z Fold 8 Ultra's zoomed performance is compared to the more powerful Galaxy S26 Ultra, that's hardly a ringing endorsement of a telephoto-free smartphone.
It's not all bad news
As disappointing as it is to not have a dedicated telephoto camera, we won't know how much of a limitation this is until after the iPhone Ultra is released — and we've actually used the cameras for ourselves. In the meantime, it seems like a lot of the other buzz behind the upcoming foldable is pretty positive.
That larger display is apparently excellent for productivity, video and gaming, thanks to the convenience of the foldable tablet-like display. The idea that you can have a traditional smartphone device for most daily use, with the versatility of a larger screen is one of the things foldables excel at, and that should be especially true of the iPhone Ultra.
I would agree, and believe that the dual-purpose nature of the phone is likely to be one of its key selling points among those people that can afford the high price tag. And the fact that this is an iPhone is likely to draw in a lot more eyes that equivalent devices from Android-powered rivals.
Gurman also notes that the inclusion of Touch ID, rather than the more common Face ID, is less of an issue than some people might realize — especially since fingerprint sensors are still employed on Macs and iPads.
The iPhone September Event is expected to happen in little over two weeks, which means we don't have long to wait to find out more about the foldable — and the kind of features Apple is offering with it. In the meantime, though, be sure to check out our iPhone Ultra hub for a rundown on all the latest news and rumors.
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