Apple to unveil $2,000-plus foldable iPhone Ultra at September event

Apple is preparing a launch event slated for around September 9 to debut its inaugural foldable smartphone, the iPhone Ultra, according to “Apple Whisperer” Mark Gurman and. The handset will be positioned as an ultra-premium offering, priced above $2,000, and will showcase a pocket-friendly form factor, a robust hinge and an iPad-style app layout that leverages the larger internal screen. Notably, the device will not include a telephoto camera and will retain the legacy Touch ID sensor instead of Face ID for unlocking.

Gurman said the phone is meant to serve as a halo product that drives traffic to Apple’s retail locations. Foldable phones currently represent about 1.6% of worldwide smartphone sales, with China alone contributing roughly 10 million units from competitors such as Google, Huawei and Samsung. The announcement marks Apple’s first new product category since the Vision Pro launch in 2023.