iPhone Ultra Case Leak May Have Just Ruined Apple’s New Foldable Phone Reveal

For the past several years, Apple has been largely handing out incremental upgrades to existing iPhone models. Except for the slim iPhone Air and the lower-cost iPhone “e” models — both announced in the last year — it’s been a while since the company came out with a truly flagship-grade, completely fresh iPhone model. And by the looks of it, this year’s iPhone launch event is likely to change all that. Apple is reportedly opting for a two wave launch for the iPhone 18 lineup (meaning the entire iPhone 18 lineup won’t launch in September) and Apple’s first foldable device — the rumored iPhone Ultra — is all set to be announced at the September 9 event, dubbed “Surprise and Shine”.

While Apple has chosen to remain silent over the arrival of its first-ever foldable smartphone, it appears as though the company’s close partners who make cases for them are under no such obligation. Many of these accessory manufacturers have already begun listing cases that are intended for the iPhone Ultra. Notable accessory brands that have done this include DBrand, Armor-X, and Gorilla Cases.

What’s more interesting about some of these listings is that they already give us a glimpse of what the iPhone Ultra (or the iPhone Fold) would look like before the official unveiling. These include the shape of the device, how the dual camera array looks, and the position of the LED flash module on the rear panel. Needless to say, these listings have somewhat spoiled the anticipation of Apple’s first-ever foldable launch, although we largely had an idea about the device months prior to these “fresh” leaks.

A foldable smartphone from Apple has been the part of rumor mills ever since the launch of the first generation Samsung Galaxy Fold, dating back to 2019. However, Apple stayed away from the phenomenon for close to seven years before deciding to try out the form factor anyway. This is also one of the last projects that Apple executed under the leadership of Tim Cook, who recently resigned as Apple CEO.

As for the device itself, if we’re going by the latest (and previously leaked) renders, the iPhone Ultra gets a “wide” form factor, which is unlike most foldable smartphones currently on the market. The display, when opened up, will likely feature a 4:3 aspect ratio, making it closer in feel to Apple’s existing tablets. Current rumors put the display size (unfolded) at 7.8 inches, making it only slightly smaller than the iPad Mini 7. The iPhone Ultra will also feature a smaller, 5.5-inch cover display. Unfolded, the device is claimed to be just 4.5 mm thin, and anywhere between 9 and 9.5 mm thick when folded.

Details surrounding the phone’s dual camera setup, whether it will skip Face ID in favor of Touch ID, and the overall final design of the device will come to light at the iPhone launch event. As for pricing, thanks to the ongoing RAM shortage and out of control RAM prices, expect the iPhone Ultra to be priced around the $2,000 mark, and possibly much higher for the top variants.