Earlier this week, we heard about a report claiming that the foldable iPhone Ultra may not be released alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Instead, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said it would likely be released a little later in the year due to supply issues — which is exactly what happened with the release of the iPhone X back in 2017.
But a new report has refuted that assessment, claiming that the iPhone Ultra will land at the same time as its non-folding compatriots. According to China's Cailian Press, sources from the supply chain claim that a September delivery should be "no problem" and that "they have not heard" of any potential delay in release.
Kuo's initial report suggested that the complex production would limit the availability of the iPhone Ultra following an official reveal at the September Apple event. Apparently, Apple would only have 0.5 to 1 million units ready to ship in Q3 2026, which is a fraction of the ten million units Apple is expected to ship over the course of the next 12 months.
Kuo warned that this could lead to Apple pushing the official pre-order and release dates back to Q4. Such a limited supply would also likely lead to lengthy wait times and scalpers attempting to capitalize on the situation.
But Cailian Press's sources paint a different picture. They claim that the iPhone Ultra's design has been finalized, and the companies involved are "currently in peak production season." That suggests that production on this year's iPhones is already underway and happening as expected.
What's actually happening?
So who do we believe? That's a very tricky question, to be honest, and we're definitely not going to get any official comment from Apple. The company keeps everything very close to its chest, and that means the first time we'll hear about official iPhone Ultra release details is at the launch event in September.
It's possible that both reports have an air of truth to them. The iPhone Ultra could arrive in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, but could only be available in limited quantities at first. If that's the case, we could see the foldable iPhone sell out quite quickly — even if the starting price really is as high as $2,500.
We definitely don't recommend rewarding scalpers for buying up all the stock they can, so avoid buying the iPhone Ultra from resellers wherever possible. If you do have your heart set on purchasing a foldable iPhone, remember that Apple has a vested interest in restocking as quickly as possible. So just wait a little while
But we're just going to be patient and see what happens at the September Apple event. In the meantime, be sure to check out our iPhone Ultra hub to read up on all the latest news and rumors regarding Apple's first-ever foldable.
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