Apple fans have been waiting years to get their hands on a foldable iPhone, and that wait may go on for slightly longer than expected when the iPhone Ultra is announced this fall. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a widely respected industry analyst, Apple is likely to release its first ever folding phone in a separate batch from the more conventional iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.
This is the same policy it followed when releasing the iPhone X in 2017. Citing his “latest industry survey,” Kuo reported this weekend that Apple is on course to ship roughly 7–8 million units of the folding iPhone in the second half of 2026.
However, fewer than 1 million of those will be ready in the third quarter. By contrast, the company will have 20-22 million units of the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max ready to ship in Q3, which Kuo describes as “already meeting the inventory requirement for an official launch.”
With the Pro models ready for a normal September release date but the Ultra struggling to hit that deadline, Kuo believes the logical solution is for Apple to announce all three models at the same time, but then to ship them separately. The foldable iPhone is likely to repeat what happened with the iPhone X in 2017.
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“It may be announced alongside the other new models, but with pre-orders and official sales both coming later,” Kuo explains. This strategy would allow Apple to generate buzz for the Ultra while still meeting demand for the more conventional models.
In 2017, Apple announced the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on September 12, then opened pre-orders of the latter two devices on September 15, with sales beginning on September 22. The X, by contrast, didn’t go on pre-order until October 27 and didn’t hit shelves until November 3, in each case a delay of more than a month.
The extra wait may be frustrating for fans who have been waiting for a foldable iPhone.
Demand for even a very expensive folding iPhone looks strong. “Based on discussions with carriers, sales channels, and resellers/proxy buyers, commonly referred to as scalpers, my conclusion is that demand for the foldable iPhone should remain strong at least through the end of 2026,” Kuo explains.
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“Even at a price of roughly $2,300-$2,500,” he notes. When the iPhone X launched in 2017, it, too, was extremely expensive compared to the iPhone 8, starting at $999 compared to $649.
Kuo doesn’t offer any specifics of when the Ultra will go on sale beyond the word “later,” but the iPhone X‘s launch gives an obvious point of reference.
They will have to wait a bit longer.
