Apple is set to announce its first foldable iPhone, known as "iPhone Ultra," on September 9, 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The biggest surprise is, however, its hefty price tag, with industry analysts and leaked listings suggesting that it will cost around $2,000 to $2,500. Higher models can even top $3,000.
This marks an 80-85% price increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. With such a big price tag, the foldable iPhone features: These are not the only increases; the new iPhone 18 series will reportedly cost 10-20% more than their predecessors due to an acute shortage of RAM memory. As noted by industry sources, the memory costs for the 256GB Pro model are estimated to grow by 390% compared to 2023 because of a surge in the demand for the memory chips needed for AI servers.
The number of foldable iPhones to be sold by Apple during the second half of 2026 is estimated at about 5 million. A memory chip shortage problem, which Tim Cook, Apple's former CEO, called "the 100-year flood," has led Apple to incur huge costs while staying competitive with its pricing policy. While the prices of iPhones are always high, there is a possibility that the foldable iPhone Ultra will have some serious competitors such as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 of Samsung ($1,899) and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold of Google ($1,799).
Nevertheless, the Apple brand reputation and iOS operating system may become justifying factors for the expensive product.