Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone is back in the spotlight after a new batch of dummy-unit photos surfaced online, offering one of the clearest looks yet at the so-called iPhone Ultra. Expected to debut in September 2026, the device was previously known in leaks as the iPhone Fold, but the latest images suggest Apple may be preparing a more “Ultra”-style branding for its first foldable experiment.
The photos, shared by veteran Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, show the device both folded and unfolded, revealing a surprisingly wide and compact form factor. The design instantly recalls Microsoft’s abandoned Surface Phone ambitions more than Samsung’s modern Fold lineup. It looks less like a futuristic luxury device and more like a prototype caught halfway between a passport holder and a Nintendo DS.
Apple appears to be extending the camera language introduced with the rumored iPhone Air, using an elongated camera island with two large sensors placed horizontally. It’s minimal, sterile and unmistakably Apple, but also oddly unfinished. The oversized camera pill dominates the rear panel to such an extent that the rest of the design feels visually empty.
More importantly, the leak finally gives us a visible look at the display crease. Apple has spent years reportedly trying to avoid exactly this scenario, yet the fold line is clearly visible in partially folded positions. It may not be catastrophic, but for a company obsessed with industrial perfection and visual continuity, this is the kind of compromise Apple historically mocked competitors for.
The hinge situation is arguably worse. The exposed hinge caps visible at the top and bottom edges look awkward and mechanically intrusive, almost as if the engineering team stopped hiding them halfway through development. For a product expected to cost somewhere around €2,000, these details matter.
Rumors also claim the device will skip Face ID entirely in favor of Touch ID, while also omitting the Action Button introduced on recent iPhones. That creates an unusual paradox: Apple’s most expensive and experimental smartphone could simultaneously become one of its most compromised flagships in terms of features.
The company can release a foldable with a visible crease, awkward hinge geometry, reduced biometrics and fewer premium controls, and it will still dominate headlines for months. The iPhone Ultra doesn’t currently look like the foldable that reinvents the category. It looks like Apple reluctantly entering a market it spent years pretending it didn’t need.
But because it has an Apple logo on the back, people will queue for it anyway.
Via Sonny Dickson