The Apple foldable iPhone Ultra: Release date, liquid metal hinge and everything else you need to know about the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup
Publish Date: 2026-06-03 11:12:00
Source Domain: tech.yahoo.com
The 2026 Apple iPhone event is still a few months out, but we’ve already been seeing leaks and rumors about what the company plans to showcase. In 2025, we saw the launch of the ultra-thin iPhone Air — a nice mix up to Apple’s typical queue but not as groundbreaking as what we’re expecting this year. Instead, the long-anticipated folding iPhone, which might be called iPhone Ultra, is expected to be announced alongside the iPhone 18 lineup.
Many of us have been dreaming about a foldable iPhone since Samsung dropped its first Galaxy Fold in 2019 (though I didn’t expect Apple to take seven years to launch one). But the rumored new high-end model will still be part of a family of handsets if and when it’s announced this fall. Here’s everything we “know” — and can be assumed — when it comes to the iPhone Fold and iPhone 18, 18e and Pro models, as well as an iPhone Air 2, and when they’ll likely be released.
Apple’s rumored 2026 iPhone lineup
While we won’t have the details until Apple actually makes an announcement in September, here are all the iPhones we’re expecting to see during the fall event. However, it’s likely not all phones will become available in September — some will likely ship out late 2026 and into the first quarter of 2027 — more on that below. (As a rule, Apple does not comment on hardware before it’s officially announced.)
iPhone Fold, aka iPhone Ultra
If the rumors are true, the iPhone Fold is expected to be Apple’s most innovative redesign in years, and could be named iPhone Ultra. There’s also been plenty of speculation about what its foldable will look like: Will it open and close like a book? Or will it operate more like a clamshell flip phone of old?
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Instead of the typical glass slab of a rectangular phone that we’ve seen more or less since the original iPhone was launched, the leaked dummy model shows a shorter, chunkier design. Some rumors, per MacRumors, suggest the phone will have a 5.5-inch display…
