Apple could bring back its iPhone X playbook for the iPhone Ultra

Apple's foray into the foldable smartphone segment is among the biggest open secrets in the tech circle these days. However, a new report suggests that while the iPhone Ultra/Fold could be announced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup at the September launch event, the phone may not be immediately available to buy.

As per a new report by analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo, Apple could be planning to pull off a similar feat to the iPhone X where both pre-orders and official sales for the phone began later on. Notaby, the iPhone X was launched in 2017 alongisde the iPhone 8 lineup but was not available to buy immediately owing to manufacturing challenges.

Kuo also said that his latest industry survey suggests assembly shipments of Apple's foldable iPhone will total only 7-8 million units during the second half of 2026. Of these, he predicts, just 0.5-1 million units are expected to be assembled in the third quarter, accounting for roughly 10% of the total production.

Meanwhile, the analyst predicts that Apple will manufacture around 20-22 million units of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max during the same quarter,

This leads him to believes that Apple could be planning to postpone the pre-orders and availability of the iPhone Ultra until the fourth quarter of 2026.

iPhone Ultra coud be a success at launch:

Kuo says that based on his discussions with carriers, sales channels, and resellers, the demand for iPhone Ultra could remain strong at the end of 2026 even at a price of around $2,300-2,500.

This, he suggests could lead to foldable iPhone selling out immedately after the pre-orderes open and delivery times could go into 4-6 weeks period or potentially even longer.

He says it could even lead to a scenario where the iPhone Ultra is sold for a resale price 50-100% above the official price set by Apple.

However, Kuo adds that the real test of demand will likely come between late 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, once supply constraints ease and the initial excitement surrounding the launch begins to fade.