Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra," is expected to launch without at least four features that will be present on the iPhone 18 Pro models, despite a price tag of at least $2,000.
The iPhone Air lacks Ultra Wide and Telephoto rear cameras, a SIM card slot, and stereo speakers. With a super thin design, a titanium frame, and a glass back, the iPhone Ultra is expected to be very similar to the iPhone Air in terms of design, and it is possible that similar concessions will be present on the device. There are no indications that the iPhone Ultra will be missing stereo speakers, but it is not out of the question given the other compromises Apple has chosen to make. Based on over a year of reports and rumors, the iPhone Ultra could be missing the following features:
- Face ID/TrueDepth camera array
- Telephoto camera/third rear camera
- Action button
- Physical SIM card slot
- mmWave 5G
MagSafe was originally in question earlier in the rumor cycle.
Face ID
The iPhone Ultra is believed to be too thin to accommodate Apple's TrueDepth camera array, which is required for Face ID authentication, so Apple is expected to revert to a Touch ID side button instead.
There will still be a front-facing camera for both displays, with the inner one rumored to be a 24-megapixel under-display sensor, but biometric authentication will be handled by the fingerprint reader.
The last flagship iPhone with Touch ID was 2016's iPhone 7. The iPhone 18 Pro models are moving in the opposite direction, apparently relocating Face ID's flood illuminator beneath the screen to shrink the Dynamic Island.
Telephoto Camera
As visible on dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson, Vadim Yuryev, and others, the iPhone Ultra is expected to sport only two rear cameras. These are believed to be 48-megapixel Wide and Ultra Wide lenses, with no third Telephoto camera of the kind found on the Pro models.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said last month that the people who have used the device are impressed by it, but singled out the camera system as the most likely disappointment for buyers.
Action Button
Dummy models continue to point to the absence of the Action button. A power button and volume buttons are clearly visible, with the volume buttons located on the top edge of the device and aligned to the right, similar to the iPad mini, but the left edge appears to be entirely bare. That would make the iPhone Ultra the first iPhone with no Action button or silent switch, some three years after Apple introduced the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro as a replacement for the switch.
The unusual button layout was first rumored by Weibo leaker "Instant Digital," who said that the motherboard sits on the right side of the device. Rather than run cables across the display to the left side, where the volume buttons are located on every other iPhone, Apple is said to have decided to run them directly upwards to maximize internal space.
Image via Vadim Yuryev.SIM Card Slot
Rumors indicate that the iPhone Ultra will also lack a SIM card slot, just like the iPhone Air, being compatible with eSIM only. Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo both expect the device to be eSIM only in every market where it launches.
mmWave 5G Connectivity
The device is likely to miss mmWave 5G if it features Apple's in-house C2 modem as rumored, since reports indicate the C2 may still lack mmWave capability. iPhone 18 Pro models sold in the United States are expected to retain Qualcomm hardware because they support the mmWave bands used by American carriers. Apple does not sell mmWave-capable iPhones outside the U.S.
The iPhone Ultra's C2-based configuration would therefore advance Apple's modem transition, just like the iPhone Air, but could limit the device to sub-6GHz 5G.
MagSafe?
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has now indicated that MagSafe will make it into the device after all. Speaking in an interview with Tom's Guide, Gurman said "all indications that I've heard is that MagSafe is in for this foldable phone," pointing to the fact that Apple managed to fit the magnet array into the iPhone Air.
The uncertainty stemmed from the dummy models of the device that emerged earlier this year. Units shared by Dickson and Yuryev showed no indentations for the internal MagSafe magnets, while the mock iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max units shown alongside them clearly did. Leaked cases for the foldable, on the other hand, included a magnetic ring, leaving the question open until recently.
Image via Vadim Yuryev.Price and Launch
The rumored starting price for the iPhone Ultra varies, but reports agree that it will not be below $1,999, with Kuo placing it somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 and has all of the above features, and while the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to see a price increase of $200 to $300, the iPhone Ultra's compromises could still prove controversial.
Apple will almost certainly unveil the device alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9.
