Apple’s $2,000 Foldable iPhone Took a Decade to Develop

According to a detailed report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the long-rumoured foldable iPhone, expected to be dubbed the iPhone Ultra, has been in development for over a decade.

The project reportedly gained significant momentum around 2020. Former Apple CEO Tim Cook returned from an official trip to Asia “unusually energized” after seeing consumers actively using foldable devices built by rivals like Samsung and Huawei. Cook realized Apple needed a direct competitor in the growing segment and instructed the engineering teams to speed up development.

Early on, Apple designers experimented with various form factors. Around 2023, Apple’s design studio settled on a short-and-wide approach rather than a tall, narrow look. Internally, designers compared the device’s folded proportions to a passport and its unfolded view to an Apple Magic Trackpad.

The final layout features a 5.5-inch cover screen on the outside that unfolds into a 7.8-inch primary display. Apple chose these unique proportions specifically to stand out against existing foldables on the store shelf.

Engineers and software developers have spent recent months tweaking iOS to run cleanly across variable screen sizes. Several core Apple apps were completely redesigned to take advantage of the wider canvas.

Despite the technical milestones, the device comes with obvious engineering compromises. Reports indicate that the foldable iPhone will be less durable than a traditional slab iPhone. It is also expected to carry a less capable camera setup, smaller battery capacity, and a side-mounted Touch ID power button rather than Face ID.

Apple originally aimed for a starting retail price of $1,999, trying to stay under a psychological $2,000 threshold. However, ongoing global shortages of RAM and storage chips have driven up production costs. Apple recently discussed a higher starting price of around $2,199, with top-tier storage configurations potentially touching $3,000.

Apple is expected to preview the foldable iPhone tomorrow alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro lineup, giving fans their first official look at a project ten years in the making.