After more than five years of speculation and countless leaks, Apple is finally expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone later today, September 9, at its “Surprise and Shine” event. The device, widely rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, will headline a launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, marking what could be Apple’s most significant hardware shift since the iPhone X in 2017.
A Different Kind of iPhone Launch
This year’s September event breaks from Apple’s usual pattern. Rather than debuting a full iPhone lineup, Apple is reportedly splitting its release in two: the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and the foldable Ultra arrive this fall, while the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 won’t launch until spring 2027. Apple confirmed the event date through an official invitation sent on August 26, with the “Surprise and Shine” tagline accompanied by an image of a glowing Apple logo lit by sunlight.
The event begins at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time / 19.00 GMT and will stream on Apple’s website, the Apple TV app, and via Apple’s official livestream. It also arrives at a symbolically significant moment for the company, coming just after Tim Cook officially handed the CEO role to former hardware chief John Ternus, making this Apple’s first major product reveal under new leadership.
Design: A Book-Style Fold Unlike Anything on the Market
According to MacRumors, Apple has settled on a book-style foldable design that opens into an iPad-like layout, a departure from the tall, narrow folding phones already sold by competitors like Samsung. The device is expected to feature a roughly 5.5-inch OLED cover display for use when closed, unfolding into a significantly larger internal OLED display estimated at approximately 7.8 inches.
Digital Trends reports that renders point to a short, wide “passport-style” fold with a 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner screen, closer in shape to an iPad mini than to existing folding phones. Thickness estimates suggest the device could measure around 4.5mm when unfolded and roughly 9 to 9.5mm when folded, figures that would make it comparably slim, if not the outright thinnest foldable on the market.
To reinforce the folding mechanism, Apple is reportedly using liquid metal in the hinge and ultra-thin glass for the display, aiming to minimize the crease that has plagued rival foldables. The chassis is expected to combine titanium and aluminum, and 9to5Mac reports the design will be virtually crease-free, a claim that, if accurate, would set it apart from every folding phone currently on the market.
Cameras and Biometrics
Rather than Face ID, ommited to keep the depth requirements, the iPhone Ultra may rely on Touch ID built into the power button, a workaround likely necessitated by the folding display’s design constraints. 9to5Mac reports the device is expected to include two front-facing cameras, one on the cover display and one inside, along with a dual-camera system on the back.
Software Clues Point to Imminent Launch
Evidence that the foldable is genuinely close to release has been building in Apple’s own software. Back in June, product designer and engineer Sam Henri Gold discovered references buried in the iOS 27 framework to variables named “foldState” and “angleDegrees,” seemingly designed to let apps detect whether a device is folded and at what angle, a strong technical signal that Apple has been actively developing for this exact form factor.
Pricing: Apple’s Most Expensive iPhone Ever
Nearly every report agrees on one thing: this will be Apple’s priciest iPhone to date. Reuters estimates put the cost above $2,500, while Digital Trends suggests a starting price nearer $2,000. Rather than positioning the foldable as a replacement for the Pro Max, industry watchers believe Apple will treat it as an entirely new tier above the existing lineup, similar to how the Apple Watch Ultra sits above the standard Watch range. That structure would let Apple charge a significant premium without disrupting its existing flagship pricing.
🚨 Apple's next iPhone just leaked as the priciest ever
Vodafone Australia's page revealed pricing for the foldable iPhone Ultra:
256GB — $2,499
1TB — $3,199
More than a MacBook Air. More than two flagship Androids combined.
Keynote: Sept 9
Pre-orders: Sept 12
Worth it? ↓ pic.twitter.com/71ijU1PVaj— technewsdaily (@tech_newsdaily_) September 7, 2026
When Will It Actually Ship?
While the announcement is expected tomorrow, availability is far less certain. Reports have been inconsistent: Nikkei Asia previously suggested Apple was behind schedule on production, while Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman maintained the device remained on track to ship around the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro models. Barclays analyst Tim Long has taken a more cautious stance, suggesting the foldable might not actually reach customers until December. Most estimates now point to a sale window sometime between October and December 2026, meaning today’s reveal could be followed by a longer-than-usual wait before the device reaches store shelves.
What Else to Expect at the Event
The foldable won’t be the only announcement. Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple is expected to introduce new Apple Watch models, a fresh set of AirPods, and possibly updates to the HomePod line. The iPhone 18 Pro models are rumored to bring a variable-aperture main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island, and Apple’s own C2 cellular modem, continuing the company’s push toward greater in-house chip control.
For an industry that has watched Samsung and other rivals dominate the foldable category for over five years, tomorrow’s event represents Apple finally staking its claim, and doing so with a design philosophy that looks meaningfully different from everything that’s come before it.
One of the Editors for Tech on the Go, I love covering mobile tech and social media. I also manage the reviews we cover so all the writers stay on my good side!
