Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone — possibly called the “Ultra” — could be hard to get at launch. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says production will start slow, with only 500,000 to one million units available shortly after release late in Q3 2026.
After that initial quarter, Apple would ramp up to around seven to eight million units by year’s end. The bottleneck is the device’s folding design, which creates manufacturing challenges early on. Think iPhone X all over again — that phone also took time to get production rolling because of its OLED all-screen design, notch, and FaceID camera.
Kuo expects demand to be high despite a price tag up to $2,500. His talks with carriers and resellers suggest it’ll sell out immediately after pre-orders open, with lead times of six weeks or more through December.
Apple hasn’t confirmed the device exists. But iOS 27’s beta includes references like “foldState” and “angleDegrees” plus a variable for the total number of built-in displays — strong hints something foldable is coming.
Expected specs: a 5.5-inch exterior display and 7.8-inch interior display (slightly smaller than the iPad mini’s 8.3 inches), using a flexible OLED with a laser-drilled metal support plate to disperse stress. The crease should be nearly invisible.
Take Kuo’s supply estimates with some skepticism — Apple has said nothing official. But all signs point to a foldable iPhone arriving this year, and getting one might take patience.
