People who have actually used Apple’s first foldable iPhone like how it feels in a pocket and how the hinge holds up, according to Mark Gurman in Sunday’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, though the camera setup is already looking like the weak spot.
Gurman says the device, which Apple staff still call the iPhone Ultra internally, sits well in a pocket when closed, and testers have been impressed by the hinge’s feel and durability. Once you open it, the software is the other thing they keep coming back to, with iPad-like app layouts that make better use of the inner screen than a stretched iPhone interface would.
The inner display is said to land around 7.8 inches, with a 5.5-inch cover screen on the outside, in a wide book-style design closer to Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold than a flip phone. We have been hearing that mix of sizes and the iPad-style layouts for months, including when iOS 27 betas started showing the groundwork.
Where testers are less sold is photography. Gurman says the unfolded screen makes a strong camera viewfinder, but the phone is only expected to carry a dual-lens rear setup: a 48-megapixel main camera and an ultra-wide, with no telephoto. At the prices being floated, skipping optical zoom is the tradeoff most likely to cost Apple some sales.
The other compromise is unlocking. Apple is expected to skip Face ID on this model and put Touch ID in the side button, a move that also helps keep the phone around 4.5 millimetres thick when it is open. Some people may actually prefer that older biometric, especially if they already use it on an iPad.
Apple is lining the foldable up for the same September event as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, around September 9. Reports still have it starting at $2,000 US, or about $2,920 CAD if Apple sticks with the roughly 1.46 conversion it has been using on Apple.ca, with higher storage models climbing past $2,500 US (about $3,650 CAD).
That is before Rogers, Bell, and Telus hang their usual extra $100 CAD or more on the advertised retail price, which is what you actually pay if you finance through a carrier. Canadian pricing is not official until the event, and Apple has already been preparing a broader iPhone price hike as memory costs climb.
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