For years, Apple’s peak has been defined by its Pro products. The MacBook Pro, iPhone Pro, iPad Pro, Vision Pro — the best of the best Apple devices have almost always had some sort of Pro moniker attached to them. But that might be about to change, with sources telling MacWorld that the Ultra brand may take hold of your nearest Apple Store very soon.
Apple does, of course, already sell one Ultra-branded product. The Apple Watch Ultra is currently on its third generation, and rumor has it that the Apple Watch Ultra 4 could arrive later this year. It’ll be joined by the foldable iPhone, now seemingly called iPhone Ultra, and the long-awaited touchscreen MacBook Ultra.
iPhone Ultra: What to expect
We’ve been hearing rumors about a so-called iPhone Ultra for years now. In the past, there had been speculation that this could be a fifth iPhone designed to surpass the Pro Max iPhone, or possibly even Apple’s attempt to rebrand the Pro Max into its own distinct device.
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Instead, everything seems to be pointing towards Apple adopting this name for its first foldable. That makes a lot of sense, given the kind of phone this is supposed to be. The foldable iPhone may be the first of its kind, but it’s hardly the first foldable phone to be released.
Not only does iPhone Ultra make it clear that this is a better iPhone than the Pro or Pro Max, it also differentiates the foldable from almost a decade’s worth of foldable releases.
This isn’t just the foldable iPhone, this is the Ultra iPhone and it deserves your attention. Not tying it in with the iPhone 18 series also means that Apple can stagger the release of future foldables, rather than being locked into the standard annual release cycle.
Leaked specs paint a positive picture for the iPhone Ultra too. The design is expected to be shorter and wider than a standard iPhone, with a 5.3-inch cover display and a 7.8-inch folding display. Reports suggest Apple has invested a lot into making sure there’s no crease in that folding display which is something other foldable phone makers have struggled with.
Other notable rumored specs include a pair of 48MP rear cameras, two 18MP selfie cameras with a hole punch design, 12GB of RAM, an A20 chipset, Touch ID and a mix of aluminum and titanium in the frame. That should prove to be an important part of making the iPhone Ultra durable, since it’s expected to be around 4.2mm thick — which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever made.
MacBook Ultra rumors
Macworld speculates that the MacBook Ultra name has been chosen to differentiate the new models from the MacBook Pro. An OLED touchscreen likely isn’t the only upgrade in the upcoming machine, and reports suggest that Apple will also offer Face ID with a Dynamic Island, alongside the M6 chipset and an improved hinge to reinforce the touchscreen.
However, the more Apple includes in the Macbook Ultra the more expensive the new laptop is going to be. This is especially true when you remember that RAMageddon is causing prices to rise all the time. Needless to say, Apple is going to need some more affordable options for power users that aren’t swayed by the MacBook Air.
The MacBook Pro is perfectly situated for them, but for those who want the absolute best of the best, there would always be the option to upgrade to the Ultra experience. Who knows, maybe it might even lead to a Mac Ultra for desktop users who need something more capable than the Mac Studio.
Sadly, the RAM crisis has reportedly caused the MacBook Ultra’s release to be delayed, which means 2026 won’t be the year of the Ultra devices. But it does sound like this could be the start of a whole new era for Apple, especially if the rumored folding iPad bears the Ultra name as well.
But considering how long we’ve been waiting for iPhone and MacBook Ultras, who knows how long it might be before that arrives.
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