The foldable iPhone is coming: what is it expected to look like and how much will it cost?
Apple is preparing for one of the most dramatic moves in its history in the mobile market, with its expected entry into the foldable smartphone category. According to a report by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the tech giant will unveil the iPhone Ultra at its annual announcement event — the company's first foldable flagship device. This is a completely new design category in Cupertino since the launch of the Vision Pro glasses, but it comes with an astronomical price tag that will start at $2,000 and cross the $2,500 threshold for high-storage models.
Apple is preparing for one of the most dramatic moves in its history in the mobile market, with its expected entry into the foldable smartphone category. According to a report by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the tech giant will unveil the iPhone Ultra at its annual announcement event — the company's first foldable flagship device. This is a completely new design category in Cupertino since the launch of the Vision Pro glasses, but it comes with an astronomical price tag that will start at $2,000 and cross the $2,500 threshold for high-storage models.
Extreme thinness and hardware compromises
The iPhone Ultra is designed in a "wide book" format, reminiscent of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 device. It includes a 5.5-inch external screen and a huge internal screen that unfolds to about 7.8 inches. Testers who have tried the device report an exceptionally thin and impressive structure with a thickness of only 4.5 mm when open, an extra-durable folding hinge, and a comfortable fit in a pants pocket. The internal screen utilizes the wide area to display an adapted application interface that simulates the work experience of iPad devices.
To maintain the thin profile, Apple had to make painful engineering compromises that might disappoint some users. The device will arrive without the familiar facial recognition mechanism, and instead, a fingerprint sensor will be integrated into the side power button. In addition, the device will include only a dual camera array based on a 48-megapixel main lens and an ultra-wide lens, without a telephoto lens for optical zoom — a notable disadvantage for a device at such a high price point.
The viability test in the foldable market
Apple's launch comes at a time when the global foldable market is still a narrow niche of about 1.6% of total smartphone sales, dominated mainly by Samsung, Huawei, and Google. In Cupertino, they are counting on brand power and hope that the foldable iPhone will serve as a luxury product that will attract buyers to stores and give a boost to the entire category, similar to the historical influence that the company's past devices had on the market.
The foldable device will be unveiled alongside the traditional iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, and will present consumers with a real dilemma: whether to pay a huge price of over 8,000 shekels for a huge screen and a foldable structure, while giving up basic photography and security features, or to settle for the regular Pro models. The market's answer will determine whether Apple will succeed in turning foldables into a mass consumer product or if it is just a gadget for the wealthy only.
