If you’ve been interested in buying Apple’s long-rumoured foldable phone at launch, you might want to prepare yourself for some challenges.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the phone — which is rumoured to officially be called the iPhone Ultra — will be in short supply during its expected late 2026 launch. In particular, Kuo reports that Apple is producing about seven to eight million foldable units for this year, and only one million of them will be available by the end of September. This is notable because Apple traditionally unveils and then launches its latest iPhone in September.
As a result, Kuo says Apple may announce the Ultra during its big September iPhone event but launch it later in the year. This would be similar to what the company did with the iPhone X, which was revealed in September 2017 ahead of a November debut.
To put these iPhone Ultra numbers into perspective, Kuo expects Apple to ship roughly 20 to 22 million iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max phones in September, which would meet the inventory requirement for an official launch.
Naturally, there’s a lot of interest in a foldable iPhone, especially since it would follow years of companies like Samsung and Google offering their own handsets with this form factor. That said, the Ultra is rumoured to have a steep price tag that ranges between US$2,300 and $2,500 (C$3,250 and $3,540, respectively). Other rumoured features include a 5.5-inch outside display, 7.8-inch inside display and under 5mm thickness when unfolded (which would be less than the iPhone Air).
It should also be noted that leaks have indicated that Apple could be splitting up its iPhone release slate this year. Historically, the company has debuted its flagship iPhones in September, with only lower-cost versions like the SE and E dropping the following spring. In 2026, however, the company is rumoured to focus on Ultra and 18 Pro and Pro Max this fall, with the standard iPhone 18, 18e and Air 2 coming in spring 2027.
In any event, we’re just two months away from the big September iPhone event, so we’ll learn more fairly soon.
Source: Ming-Chi Kuo Via: Engadget
