Here's what people who have used the iPhone Ultra like most
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that people who have used Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra praise its pocket fit, hinge durability, and iPad-like inner display. The device is expected to cost over $2,000.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
According to Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter, people inside Apple who've tested the foldable iPhone Ultra highlight the 5.5-inch outer screen's pocket fit, hinge durability, iPad-style app layouts on a ~7.8-inch inner display, and its usefulness as a camera viewfinder. The device reportedly drops telephoto and Face ID for Touch ID.
Apple is about to release a phone that folds open like a book. People who tried it say it's easy to carry around and the big inside screen is great for apps, but it costs over $2,000 and won't have some camera tricks other iPhones have.
Analysis
The 7.8-inch inner display
The standout feature, according to Gurman's sources, is how the inner screen is being put to work. Reports indicate the panel measures roughly 7.8 inches and is wider than it is tall, a deliberate choice that lets apps breathe in a layout that resembles a small iPad rather than a stretched-out phone. The "iPad-like app layouts" praised by testers are an important signal: software, not just hardware, will decide whether this foldable feels like a gimmick or a genuine productivity tool. Apple has had years to study Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line and the awkward app behaviour that has plagued many Android foldables, so any sign that Cupertino is taking software parity seriously is meaningful.
A $2,000 starting price
Multiple reports peg the iPhone Ultra at north of $2,000, a number that immediately frames the device as a halo product rather than a mainstream upgrade. At that price, Apple is implicitly conceding that foldables remain a niche segment, at least for the first generation, and is targeting the same buyers who splurged on the original Macintosh, the first iPhone, or the Vision Pro. The cost is also a test of Apple's brand power: even die-hard users are unlikely to stomach a 50%+ premium over the iPhone 18 Pro unless the foldable experience feels categorically different.
Gurman's Power On reporting
The impressions come via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the journalist with the deepest track record on Apple's internal roadmap. That his sources have spent meaningful time with the device and formed specific opinions about pocket fit and hinge durability suggests the iPhone Ultra is well past the prototype stage and into late testing. The combination of insider testimony with corroborated external details (the 5.5-inch outer display, the camera configuration, the Touch ID swap) gives the reporting unusual weight. For readers weighing whether to wait, the picture emerging is of a tightly engineered first-gen foldable that trades the telephoto lens and Face ID for a more compact, durable design — a reasonable, if expensive, first swing at a form factor Apple has watched from the sidelines for half a decade.
Key points
- Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports people inside Apple who've used the iPhone Ultra praise its pocket fit, hinge durability, and iPad-like app layouts on the ~7.8-inch inner display
- Reports point to a 5.5-inch outer display, no telephoto camera, and Touch ID instead of Face ID
- Pricing is expected to exceed $2,000, positioning the device as a premium halo product
- The inner display is reportedly wider than it is tall, supporting iPad-style app arrangements rather than stretched phone layouts
- 9to5Mac's Chance Miller says the form factor has won him over after initially being skeptical
If the hinge proves durable and the iPad-style app layouts translate into real productivity gains, the iPhone Ultra could legitimise the foldable category the way the original iPhone legitimised the touchscreen. Strong early reviews from a brand with Apple's install base would pressure Samsung and foldable-curious Android users to reconsider Apple's premium pitch.
At over $2,000, with no telephoto camera and a return to Touch ID, the iPhone Ultra risks being seen as a luxury curiosity rather than a mainstream product. Any hinge reliability issues or software bugs on the inner display would amplify the perception that Apple's first foldable arrived years behind Samsung's, dampening upgrade demand.
