Apple’s first foldable iPhone could finally make its debut on Wednesday, bringing to an end a development effort that reportedly stretches back around a decade.
Apple engineers are said to have started exploring a foldable iPhone around 2016, years before the form factor became a familiar sight in the smartphone market. The project did not immediately result in a product, however, with Apple spending years investigating how a foldable device could fit into its lineup.
As reported by Bloomberg, former Apple CEO Tim Cook became an unusually important supporter of the project after returning from a trip to China in 2020, where foldable smartphones were becoming increasingly prominent.
Cook, who generally kept some distance from the earliest stages of product conception, was reportedly energized by what he had seen and encouraged Apple’s hardware teams to accelerate their work. His interest is said to have helped shift the project toward a device with broader consumer appeal.
Apple had reportedly considered beginning its foldable push with an iPad, but attention ultimately moved toward the iPhone. Cook is described as one of the project’s earliest and strongest advocates, believing Apple needed a product in the emerging foldable category.
The device that emerged from that work is widely expected to be called the iPhone Ultra. The Apple Post has extensively covered expectations for Apple’s first foldable iPhone, which is rumored to use a book-style design with a large internal display and a smaller screen on the outside.
Price could be one of the biggest talking points. Apple is said to have initially targeted a $1,999 starting price, but rising component costs have reportedly pushed recent discussions toward $2,199. Higher-capacity versions could climb close to $3,000, placing the foldable far above Apple’s existing flagship iPhones.
The reported increase comes as component costs, including memory, put pressure on Apple’s original targets. It means the iPhone Ultra could arrive not only as one of the company’s most technically ambitious iPhones, but also comfortably its most expensive.
After years of prototypes, changing priorities and engineering work, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone Ultra at its ‘Surprise and shine’ special event on Wednesday, September 9. If it does, the announcement will mark the culmination of a project that began while the iPhone 7 was Apple’s flagship smartphone.