The question of "when will the iPhone Ultra actually be released" still doesn't seem to have an answer. After some back and forth over whether the first Apple foldable will be released alongside iPhone 18 Pro, another report from DigiTimes suggests that the actual release date for the foldable still remains uncertain
At this point I don't know who I should believe, and the only thing I know is that I am so tired of hearing about if and when the foldable iPhone might arrive. Especially now that Samsung has just launched a new wave of foldables, including its own passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 that could rival Apple's foldable ambitions.
I just wish Apple would start hustling and release this thing, because it feels like everything even remotely new gets stuck in a perpetual state of "it might arrive this year."
The current deal with the iPhone Ultra
According to previous reports, iPhone Ultra mass production began earlier this month. The final assembly is reportedly being carried out by long-time Apple collaborator Foxconn, who DigiTimes's sources claim are "the only partner likely to have a realistic chance of meeting the expected production target."
It's unclear whether that production target means the full 10 million units Apple has reportedly ordered, or simply enough to satisfy demand during the initial release window.
Foxconn is apparently in the process of "final mass-production adjustments," which has led to even more speculation that the iPhone Ultra may be delayed after all. While it's widely assumed that the phone will be unveiled alongside iPhone 18 Pro at Apple's September event, the actual release date remains unknown.
Last we heard Apple's suppliers believed everything was still on track, and the iPhone Ultra was shaping up to release alongside iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. But any hypothetical issues could alter the release schedule depending on the severity of the problem.
Past reports suggested that the hinge structure and display durability could be the real sticking points — especially with Apple pushing to release an "exceptionally refined product."
While the foldable is expected to be very expensive, with a rumored starting price around $2,500, demand is still expected to be rather high. Prolonged issues would force Apple to push back the release, to try and ensure there is enough supply to match release-day demand.
So while there's no need to panic about this right now, this back-and-forth over the fate of the iPhone Ultra is really starting to get tiresome. to the point where I'm starting to resent the fact that Apple seems to have taken so long to actually release the phone.
Just release the thing already
Maybe it's just because September's iPhone launch event is coming up fairly soon, or maybe it's just because foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating for the better part of a decade. We're at the stage now when I'm sick and tired of hearing about it, and wish Apple would hurry up and get the iPhone Ultra out into the world.
I'd even settle for an announcement and confirmation that the Ultra will actually arrive a few months later than the iPhone 18 Pro. It happened with the iPhone X back in 2017, and I feel like the knowledge that a release date is confirmed would be quite comforting — and would certainly put the majority of these rumors to bed.
The crazy thing is that this problem isn't exclusive to the iPhone Ultra. It actually seems to happen to most major Apple releases, with rumors circulating multiple years before the final product ever gets released.
The most infamous example is the Apple Car, which was in development for a decade before Apple realized it had bitten off more than it could chew. Who knew that trying to develop a fully-autonomous car from nowhere wasn't going to work out? So the project was canceled, and some of the stuff Apple learned was rolled into its ongoing work with AI and Apple Intelligence.
A similar situation to the iPhone Ultra happened with Apple Vision Pro. Rumors of an Apple VR or mixed reality headset circulated for multiple years, and I distinctly remember a lot of rumors and speculation that Apple could reveal it at the next Apple event.
We've been seeing something similar happen with Apple Glasses and the long-awaited Siri-powered smart home hub. It's not Apple's problem that these things leak so early, and we've seen it make a concerted effort to plug leaks over the years, but it makes it feel as though these new products are being developed at a snail's pace.
Bottom line
I've always argued that Apple has been a little too particular about when it releases new products. It often feels as though the company has been so hell-bent on making the "perfect" product that it's willing to drag production out for an extended period of time as it attempts to chase an impossible dream.
The botched Apple Car development and the obsession over eliminating the display crease says to me that Apple has a problem with accepting when a new product is simply "good enough."
Others would argue that Apple was wise to wait, in an attempt to make the best foldable phone possible. Studying the market, working out the issues that can be fixed, them jumping in to knock Samsung off its throne.
Considering the foldable phone market is rather small, you could argue that Apple isn't really missing out by waiting and endeavoring to make the best foldable it can — even if it takes several years.
That doesn't make the constant talk of what may or may not be happening any less exhausting, though. It's at the point that I feel Apple should really have released the iPhone Ultra three or four years ago. So, the sooner it actually makes it to Apple Store shelves, the happier I will be.
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