We are now just weeks away from Apple’s big September iPhone launch event, where we expect the new iPhone 18 lineup to be announced, along with the company’s first foldable iPhone.
Now, the lucky people who acted as early testers for the foldable iPhone, which is rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, have shared their experiences with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. And according to Gurman, it seems like Apple will have a big hit on its hands. However, it does seem like early reviewers have a couple of specific complaints with the device.
The iPhone Ultra is a hit among testers
Over the weekend, Bloomberg‘s Apple insider Mark Gurman shared that he has spoken with individuals who have actually used the iPhone Ultra. After hearing what they had to say, Gurman says he “couldn’t be more excited” for the foldable device.
According to Gurman, iPhone Ultra testers love that the device is pocket-sized, something our phone reviewers also love about foldable phones. When the iPhone Ultra is opened, the inner display is reportedly just slightly smaller than an iPad mini, making the small size of the foldable device quite impressive. Gurman says that testers also liked the iPad-esque UX, made possible by that flexible internal display.
It also seems like all that work Apple put into perfecting the foldable device’s hinge paid off. Gurman reports that the “feel and durability of the advanced hinge mechanism” has received high praise.
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Gurman specifically mentions the iPhone Ultra excelling as a camera viewfinder as well.
iPhone Ultra is missing two big things
However, according to the testers that Gurman spoke to, there are two major features that are missing with the iPhone Ultra.
Crucially, as we’ve seen in leaked renders, the iPhone Ultra only has two rear cameras. That means there is no telephoto lens, which has become standard on most premium phones. This has been rumored for a while, but Gurman is now reporting that testers were disappointed with the camera array.
As Gurman points out, the iPhone Ultra will likely cost $2,000 at least, and “the Venn diagram of people willing to spend top dollar on an early-adopter product and those who appreciate advanced camera capabilities — including deeper zoom — is probably pretty close to a circle.” Current iPhone Pro users who are looking to upgrade might view the loss of one of their camera lenses as a downgrade and choose to buy the new (and almost certainly less expensive) iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max instead of the iPhone Ultra.
In our recent reviews of Samsung’s new foldables, the camera arrays were one of our chief complaints. Both the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 8 and the larger Z Fold 8 (which matches the rumored shape and specs of the iPhone Ultra) had disappointing cameras compared to Pro and Ultra devices from Samsung, Google, and Apple.
The second big omission is that the iPhone Ultra lacks Face ID. Gurman confirms a long-time rumor that the phone uses Touch ID to authenticate users, reportedly disappointing users who have gotten used to Apple’s Face ID feature.
These omitted features, along with anything else missing from the iPhone Ultra, will likely be added to future models. After all, this is Apple’s first foldable phone, but most likely it won’t be the last.
