Apple's iPhone Ultra will cost twice the iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple's iPhone Ultra will cost roughly twice as much as today's iPhone 17 Pro Max, land about a month after the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, and still sell out fast despite a $2,300–$2,500 price tag, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The foldable flagship is expected to debut in early September 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, reviving a launch pattern Apple last used with the iPhone X in 2017.

Key Takeaways

• Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPhone Ultra will cost roughly $2,300–$2,500 — about double the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
• Apple is expected to announce the foldable in September with the iPhone 18 Pro models, but shipping may slip by roughly one month.
• Kuo still forecasts strong demand through late 2026, with pre-orders selling out and delivery times stretching four to six weeks.
• The launch echoes the iPhone X debut in 2017, when a more complex design arrived later than the rest of the lineup.
• Apple has raised prices on other products amid a memory chip crunch, but iPhone pricing has so far been left unchanged.

Why does the iPhone Ultra price rumor matter now?

The pricing chatter lands at a moment when Apple buyers are already watching every product line for increases. According to Mashable's report, the company recently bumped prices on numerous devices because of a memory chip supply crunch — yet the iPhone family has not followed suit.

That makes the Ultra's rumored sticker shock especially significant. Kuo's latest estimate narrows his earlier $2,000–$2,500 range to roughly $2,300–$2,500. Even at the low end, that would position Apple's first foldable phone at nearly double the cost of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the company's current top-tier handset.

For shoppers, the takeaway is blunt: the Ultra is not being pitched as a modest step up from Pro Max hardware. It is being framed as an entirely new premium tier — one that could redefine what "flagship" means inside Apple's ecosystem.

How does the iPhone Ultra compare to the iPhone X launch?

Kuo explicitly draws a parallel between the Ultra and the iPhone X, the 2017 model that introduced the display notch and kicked off the modern iPhone design era. That comparison is more than nostalgia. It is a supply-chain signal.

Back then, Apple unveiled the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, but the X shipped later because its manufacturing was more complex. Kuo says the Ultra will follow the same script: announced in September with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, then reaching customers about a month afterward.

That "then and now" rhythm is familiar to longtime Apple watchers. Our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage often tracks how the company's boldest designs arrive on a different timetable than its safer bets. The Ultra appears poised to join that tradition.

Not every analyst agrees on the delay. Mashable notes there has been considerable back and forth — some observers insist the Ultra will ship on time, while others expect a slip. At this stage, most reports at least align on one point: the device should be unveiled in September, even if boxes arrive later.

What did Ming-Chi Kuo say about demand and delivery times?

Price is only half the story. Kuo also expects the iPhone Ultra to sell aggressively, at least through the end of 2026. In his view, pre-orders could sell out immediately, with delivery lead times stretching to four to six weeks or longer and staying elevated through December.

That forecast may sound counterintuitive for a phone priced north of two thousand dollars. Yet Apple has repeatedly shown that scarcity plus hype can move hardware faster than skeptics predict. Limited initial availability can turn a delayed launch into a status symbol rather than a disappointment.

Put simply: even buyers with the budget may not get the phone quickly. Kuo's scenario suggests a long wait window stretching well into the holiday season, which would keep the Ultra in headlines long after the September keynote ends.

When will Apple announce the iPhone Ultra?

Apple is likely to introduce the iPhone Ultra alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in early September, Mashable reports. The Ultra name itself remains unofficial, but it is widely treated as the branding for Apple's first foldable iPhone.

Software clues have added fuel to the fire. Mashable points readers toward foldable iPhone Ultra hints spotted in the iOS 27 beta, suggesting Apple's own code is beginning to acknowledge a new form factor. Hardware rumors and software breadcrumbs together make a September reveal feel increasingly plausible, even as exact ship dates remain disputed.

Until Apple speaks on stage, every date and dollar figure should be treated as informed speculation. Kuo has a strong track record, but Apple has revised launch plans before when manufacturing reality intervened.

Should you budget for an iPhone Ultra in 2026?

If Kuo's pricing holds, the iPhone Ultra will be the most expensive iPhone path Apple has offered mainstream customers — and potentially the hardest to actually obtain at launch. Planning around a $2,300–$2,500 purchase is only the starting point; the delivery timeline may matter just as much for anyone hoping to unbox one in September.

For most users, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will remain the practical flagship choice: announced at the same event, likely available sooner, and almost certainly far less expensive. The Ultra is aimed at early adopters who want Apple's foldable experiment on day one, delays and all.

The rumor cycle will keep shifting until invitations go out. For now, the clearest picture comes from Kuo: a late-arriving, ultra-premium foldable that costs about twice today's Pro Max and still flies off the digital shelf. Whether that sounds like 2017 all over again depends on whether you remember waiting — and paying — for the iPhone X.