Apple's take on a foldable phone is finally arriving as part of John Ternus' first Apple event as the CEO of the tech giant.
Just about everything about the iPhone Ultra has been revealed in the run-up to the Surprise and Shine reveal. The price has been nebulous, beyond rumors of over $2,000.
However, a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed a possible starting price of $2,100 that could touch close to $3,000 for higher-end configurations. He also claims that the device will be made from high-quality materials following a decade of development.
iPhone Ultra price and build quality
Unfortunately, Gurman doesn't indicate how many storage variants the iPhone Ultra will get.
The reports notes that Apple is considering pricing the Ultra as high as $2,199 for the base model, presumably with 256GB of storage like the iPhone Pro models. As a comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro starts $1,099 for its 256GB base version. Just keep in mind that the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to get a $200-$250 price hike.
With RAM prices still affecting everything, higher storage tiers could go as high as $3,000. That's likely going to be the 1TB or 2TB version. As an example, the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 2TB costs $1,999. The 17 Pro only has a 1TB version for $1,499.
As is Apple's style, this thing should look and feel premium. The hinge is made out of titanium and aluminum and a customer Corning glass cover. The company has reportedly developed a new flexible cover glass for the display that helps nearly eliminate the crease in the screen.
Apple apparently believes the quality is "industry-leading" especially compared to other foldable phones.
In addition, Bloomberg's Gurman reports that Apple believes it has a "leg up in software over the more fragmented Android ecosystem."
That's because Apple has optimized its apps to work better on the wide display and has made other tweaks to iOS.
A long history
Per Gurman, work on the iPhone Ultra began in earnest in 2019 after former CEO Tim Cook returned from a tour of Asia and saw people using foldables from other companies. Allegedly, Cook became convinced that Apple needed its own version.
Cook may have sped up the process but we've heard rumors of a foldable iPhone since at least 2015 when we first heard rumblings of something dubbed the iPhone Flip. Though that version was a clamshell more akin to the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8.
In the last couple of years, it was redubbed the iPhone Fold and the design apparently shifted from a clamshell to the more common book-style that we see in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra. Rumors have suggested that a clamshell variant is still in the works.
It also wasn't the first expected Apple foldable device. For years, it's been suggested that Apple would debut a foldable iPad or some kind of hybrid MacBook/iPad with an 18.8-inch display. Gurman has claimed in the past that the design ran into development problems, and in his latest reports indicates that Cook's enthusiasm for the phone altered the direction of Apple's focus.
We'll find out more tomorrow at Ternus' first event and Tom's Guide will be there person to share all the news and updates with you. Be sure to keep us in your tabs and follow along with our live coverage.
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