It’s no secret that Apple is toiling away on a foldable iPhone to rival every other foldable smartphone manufacturer. Earlier rumours indicate that the so-called iPhone Ultra is set to launch later this year. A new report from Nikkei Asia (via 9to5Mac) all but confirms it, claiming Apple has now ordered 10 million units.
We’ve also got a rough idea of how the iPhone Ultra will look. Back in June, dummy units of the Fruit Company’s rather stumpy-looking foldable surfaced online — courtesy of Sonny Dickson on X. The caveat being the choice of colours. Apparently, the phone will only launch in the white colourway, with no others planned at this time.
That’s a lot of iPhone
First look at the iPhone Fold dummy unit. It doesn’t look like Apple will offer multiple colors, with white currently appearing to be the only option. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/olMzm6t6Ts
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) June 7, 2026
Apple, at least, seems to be dumping more faith into the iPhone Ultra’s lap. It had initially planned to produce 7 or 8 million units, before upping the figure to make it a round 10 million. Whether it’ll pan out for the company at the expected price of $2,500 (∼R41,000) is still a mystery. And that’s before you’ve tacked on any extra storage.
That, according to the IDC (via 9to5Mac), could run buyers as high as R49,000 ($3,000). Some buyers may not be willing to take such a risk on a first-generation device. Samsung’s first swing at foldables didn’t exactly go so well, did it? Apple will likely have more than a few kinks to iron out for next time.
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It’s a prospect made even more unattractive when placed next to the — we can’t believe we’re saying this — relatively affordable iPhone 18 lineup. Apple’s smartphones have long been criticised for their pricing (and they’re only getting worse thanks to AI), but they’re also a known quantity. It’s a big gamble, for sure.
Still, this is Apple. It may still have a winner on its hands with the iPhone Ultra. Failing that, it’s got enough loose change to weather the storm for some time. There’s still the 80 million or so other iPhones the company plans to produce, ready in time for a September unveiling, alongside Apple’s first foldable.
