Most people dont wake up wanting to buy a foldable: I'm convinced Apples iPhone Ultra will finally make foldables mainstream but not because of the hardware

Date:
Sun, 07 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
Rumors surrounding the iPhone Ultra are heating up, and I'm convinced that Apple's first foldable will succeed here's why.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Apple s first foldable iPhone expected to be called the iPhone Ultra still exists mostly in rumors, supply chain whispers, and analyst notes, but the prospect already feels less niche than it did a year ago.

Theres clearly an appetite among iPhone owners for something new. Apple's yearly upgrades have become smoother, faster, and more polished, but also
more familiar. Better cameras, brighter screens, and faster chips are nice
and definitely still matter, but they rarely change the basic shape of the thing in your pocket. Im not convinced that the form factor itself is what will make Apple's debut foldable succeed, though. Samsung , Google ,
Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, and others have already proved that foldable phones can be impressive, useful, and surprisingly refined. Apple wont be arriving
in a category that needs rescuing. Its advantage is simpler than that. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

If the iPhone Ultra goes mainstream, it will be because Apple makes a
foldable that feels like the most natural iPhone upgrade in years. The
device, if and when it releases, should feel familiar when closed, more capable when opened, and never quite as strange as the idea of a folding iPhone probably should be. Apple doesnt need to invent the foldable Unbox Therapy examines a dummy unit of Apple's folding iPhone Ultra (Image credit: Unbox Therapy) Relatively speaking, Apple is very late to foldables, which is sometimes treated as a problem. In this case, though, it may be a gift. You may like iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumor comparison Samsung doesn't fear an iPhone Ultra here's why I think it's right not to New survey suggests the foldable iPhone Ultra could be a surprise hit

The first wave of foldable phones did the awkward work, proving that flexible screens could survive real life, hinges could be trusted, and apps could adapt. Some of that took years, and some of it is still being worked out.

But the category no longer feels experimental in the way it once did.
Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold series has become thinner and more polished; Google
has pushed the Pixel Fold line towards a more phone-like shape, and so on. Foldables are still expensive and imperfect in 2026, but they are no longer weird concept devices that only tech enthusiasts dream of. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

All of this gives Apple a different job: it needs to persuade iPhone owners that a folding iPhone makes sense.

Ultimately, this is where Apple tends to be most dangerous. The company
rarely needs to be first for a new device type to land properly. With the iPhone Ultra, the pitch is less about joining the foldable future and more about getting an iPhone that can do a little more when you want it to. The hinge is only half the battle The Oppo Find N5, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Honor Magic V5 have already impressed from a design standpoint (Image credit: Alex Walker-Todd) Of course, the hardware still has to be excellent. Apple cant stroll into the foldable market with a chunky design, a distracting crease, or a hinge that makes people nervous every time they open it. What to read next Poll results: 1,600 people weigh in on potential foldable iPhone Ultra iPhone Ultra dummy units just leaked and they point to a major downgrade Huawei's new foldable looks similar to the rumored iPhone Ultra
but Apple could still have a secret display weapon

A foldable iPhone Ultra would almost certainly sit at the top of Apples range and cost thousands of dollars, so the screen, outer display, cameras, battery life, and durability all need to feel worthy of the price.

But polished hardware only gets Apple through the door.

As mentioned, rival phone makers have already shown that foldables can be
thin and powerful devices. A cleaner crease or stronger hinge might make the iPhone Ultra easier to trust, but it wont explain why people should change
the way they use their phone. That job belongs to the software. The real
pitch is a bigger iPhone The Motorola Razr Fold 2026 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Most people dont wake up wanting to buy a foldable. They want a better phone one that makes everyday things a little easier without asking them to rethink everything, and that fits within their price bracket. That's where the iPhone Ultra could feel different.

Closed, it needs to be a normal iPhone; opened, it has to become something more useful without feeling like a separate device. Reading an article, checking travel plans, editing photos, watching videos, replying to emails,
or using Maps should simply feel less cramped.

That sounds obvious, but it is essentially the whole pitch. A foldable iPhone does not need to replace your iPad, and it probably wont be the best iPhone for most people at first (I can't see it dethroning the iPhone 17 for value). At the core level, it just needs to make the regular iPhone feel a little limited once you've seen what the dual-screened Ultra can become. iPadOS may hold some clues (Image credit: Apple) The iPhone Ultra's inner display cant just be a stretched iPhone screen. If Apple wants it to feel genuinely useful when opened, it needs a software language built for more space: apps that resize cleanly, multitasking that feels natural, and a layout that gives photos, video, and documents room to breathe.

In recent times, Apple has already been moving the iPad in that direction. iPadOS updates have made multitasking, windowing, accessing files, and arranging apps feel more flexible without simply turning the iPad into a Mac.

The goal should not be to make the iPhone behave like a tiny laptop or iPad; it should be to make everyday phone tasks feel less cramped. A foldable
iPhone would need to implement a lighter version of that idea: its software should be more capable than iOS on a normal iPhone, but still simple enough
to feel like an iPhone the moment you open it.

For me, the multitasking experience will be where the iPhone Ultra sinks or swims. Foldables are often sold on their multitasking capabilities, but multitasking on these dual-screened devices can often still feel like work, mostly due to software-related issues. Apples version needs to make common pairings Safari and Notes, Maps and Messages, FaceTime and Calendar, Photos and Mail feel obvious, useful, and easy to return to later.

The goal should not be to make the iPhone behave like a tiny laptop or iPad; it should be to make everyday phone tasks feel less cramped, with the extra screen appearing exactly when it helps. The ecosystem is Apples secret weapon (Image credit: Future) The iPhone Ultra could look radical by Apple's standards while still behaving like the safest upgrade imaginable. It would still be your iPhone for AirPods, Apple Watch , iMessage, FaceTime, iCloud , Apple Pay, MagSafe, Find My, the App Store, and all the home comforts that make switching away from iOS feel like a huge grind.

That familiarity is probably Apple's strongest card and could do more for foldables than any single spec. The company can essentially sell buyers the most capable version of a device they already use all day. The shape changes, but the experience stays recognisably "iPhone".

The hinge, crease, thickness, and price of the iPhone Ultra will dominate the conversation before Apple shows anything official. That much is inevitable, because those are the easiest parts of a foldable iPhone to imagine and critique ahead of any real-world, hands-on experience with the product
itself.

But the iPhone Ultra wins if those details fade quickly once people start using it.

Apple's real trick might be making its first foldable feel invisible, or at least not radically different from the iPhones its customers have come to
know and love. That, I think, will be the key to the iPhone Ultra's success. Today's best foldable phone deals Contract Deals Sim Free Honor Magic V5 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 49.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 48.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 45.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Motorola Moto Watch Matte Silver + Siver Band * Motorola moto buds 2 Plus * Motorola Sound Flow Bluetooth Speaker (Pantone Carbon) * Motorola MotoTag 2 (PANTONE Arabesque) Motorola Razr Fold 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 1GB data 70 upfront 46.50 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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