Apple Is About to Fold. And For Once, I Think That's a Good Thing.
- Michael Routhier
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
I've been an Apple user for over 30 years. I've watched this company go from the Macintosh to the iPod to the iPhone; from a cult brand that techies argued about to the most valuable company on earth. I've seen the hits and I've sat through a few misses. I know how to tell the difference between a genuine leap forward and a shiny object Apple is selling because it needs something new to talk about.
So when I tell you that the rumoured foldable iPhone has me genuinely excited, not breathlessly enthusiastic the way some tech reviewers get about anything with an Apple logo, but actually, thoughtfully interested, I want you to understand where that's coming from.
This one is real. And if you're in your 50s, 60s, or beyond, there are specific reasons this matters more to you than to a 25-year-old influencer posting unboxing videos.
Let me walk you through it.
What We Actually Know
First, let's separate the confirmed from the rumoured, because the internet is full of people presenting leaks as facts.
According to multiple leaks, including a physical dummy unit photo from well-known leaker Ice Universe and detailed reporting from Tom's Guide, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors, here is what appears to be coming:
Name: iPhone Ultra (Apple's first foldable)
Design: Book-style fold, titanium-aluminum hybrid, expected to be 9.23mm thin when folded, which is impressively slim
Displays: A 5.3–5.5 inch outer screen, and a 7.6–7.8 inch inner screen, roughly the size of an iPad mini, when unfolded
Chip: A20 Pro, built on a 2nm process, the most powerful chip Apple has ever put in a phone
Camera: Dual 48MP rear cameras, two front-facing cameras (one per display)
Battery: Rumoured at 5,700mAh, the largest ever in an iPhone
Hinge: A liquid metal hinge with vapor chamber cooling; the same advanced thermal technology that significantly improved performance in the iPhone 17 Pro
Authentication: Touch ID built into the power button, no Face ID
Colours: Black/silver and indigo, deliberately minimal, no bold colours
Release: September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series
Price: Starting around $2,000 USD, yes, this is a premium device
Now, here's my honest take on all of that.
My Skepticism, Briefly
The $2,000 price tag is real, and it matters. This is not a phone for everyone. I'm not going to pretend that a $2,000 device is something I'm recommending without qualification; especially to an audience that, frankly, has been oversold on expensive technology that didn't deliver on its promises.
I also want to be direct about something; this is still based on leaks. Apple hasn't confirmed any of this. Dummy units, Weibo leaks, and supply chain sources are credible signals, but they're not the same as an Apple keynote. There have been foldable iPhone rumours for years. Until Tim, well, until John Ternus, Apple's new CEO as of September 2026, walks out on stage and puts this in his hand, I'm treating it as highly likely, not certain.
And foldable screens, across every brand, have had durability concerns. The crease. The hinge. The fragility of that inner display. Apple is reportedly addressing these with its crease-free design and liquid metal hinge, but "reportedly" is doing a lot of work in that sentence until we see long-term reviews.
That's my skepticism. Now here's why I'm genuinely excited anyway.
The Screen. That's the Whole Conversation.
If you're over 55, there is a very good chance that at some point you've held your phone at arm's length, squinted, enlarged the text size, or put the phone down in frustration because reading on a 6.1-inch screen is just not what it used to be.
This is not a character flaw. This is biology. Vision changes with age. It just does. And the iPhone, for all its brilliance, has always asked you to do a lot of work on a screen that was fundamentally designed around the pocket, not around the eye.
A 7.8-inch inner display changes that equation.
That's not a phone screen with slightly enlarged text. That's a reading tablet. That's a screen large enough to see your emails clearly without adjusting anything. Large enough to video call your grandchildren and actually see their faces. Large enough to read a medical document without zooming in three times and losing your place. Large enough to use telehealth apps, which 40% of seniors managing chronic conditions rely on, without straining to see small text or buttons.
And it folds into a normal-sized phone when you don't need the big screen. That's the elegant part. You're not carrying a tablet everywhere. You're carrying a phone that becomes a tablet when you need it to.
For the audience I serve, people who want technology that actually works for their lives, not technology that requires them to adapt to it, that is genuinely meaningful.
The Accessibility Angle Nobody Is Talking About
Apple already has some of the best accessibility features in the smartphone industry. I say this not as a marketing claim but as a fact; Apple's Assistive Access, VoiceOver, enlarged text, high contrast displays, and magnifier features are best-in-class and have been for years.
Now pair those features with a nearly 8-inch inner display.
VoiceOver, which reads screen content aloud, becomes dramatically easier to navigate on a screen this size. Text enlargement is less of a workaround when you have this much real estate to work with. The built-in magnifier effectively becomes a full-sized tool rather than a cramped one. And for anyone managing low vision or macular degeneration, a screen this size isn't a luxury, it's the difference between being able to use the phone independently and not being able to.
There's also the Touch ID aspect. Face ID has been genuinely difficult for some people, those with certain facial conditions, those who wear face coverings, those who find the unlock motion awkward. Bringing back Touch ID as a power button makes this phone meaningfully more accessible for a wider range of people.
Video Calling
I've said it before on this platform and I'll say it again; video calling is the most meaningful piece of technology to enter the lives of older adults in the last decade. Not AI. Not smartwatches. Video calling.
The ability to see your family's faces. To watch your grandchildren grow up even when you can't be there in person. To maintain relationships across distance in a way that a phone call simply cannot replicate, because human beings are wired to read faces, not just voices.
Right now, video calling on an iPhone is good. On a 7.8-inch screen it becomes extraordinary. It becomes the difference between a small rectangle floating in the corner of your hand and an experience that actually feels like presence.
That matters. That is not a small thing.
The iPad Mini in Your Pocket Argument
Here's the practical case I want to make directly.
Many people in our community carry both a phone and an iPad. The phone for calls and quick things. The iPad for reading, video, email, and anything that requires actually seeing what you're doing.
The iPhone Ultra, if it delivers on its specifications, eliminates the need for two devices. One thing in your bag. One thing to keep charged. One thing to know how to use. One ecosystem, one set of apps, one Apple ID.
For anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by managing multiple devices, and I hear this constantly, that simplification is genuinely valuable.
What I'd Tell Someone Considering It
Here's my honest advice, as someone who has been through enough Apple product cycles to know how this goes:
Don't pre-order. Wait for the real-world reviews. Six months of actual user feedback will tell you things no spec sheet can. Foldable screens have had issues across every manufacturer, and while Apple's engineering is excellent, version one of a new form factor deserves scrutiny.
Don't feel pressured. If your current iPhone works well for you, this is not a reason to replace it in September. The iPhone 18 Pro will be an excellent phone at a more approachable price point. The Ultra is for people who genuinely need the big screen or who want to be on the leading edge.
But do pay attention. Because if Apple has truly cracked a crease-free foldable with Apple-level build quality, running full iOS 27 with all of Apple's accessibility stack, this is a different category of device than anything currently available. And a year or two from now, when the second generation is out and the price has come down slightly and the software has matured, that is a very serious case for the most accessibility-forward iPhone Apple has ever made.
Thirty Years In
I started using Apple products when the company almost didn't survive. I've watched every major product transition; the Intel switch, the iPhone launch, the M1 chip, and I've developed a pretty good sense for when Apple is genuinely changing the game versus when they're iterating.
This feels like a change.
Not because it's foldable. Samsung has been making foldables for years. But because Apple has waited, watched, learned from every other manufacturer's mistakes, and is apparently arriving with a crease-free display, a liquid metal hinge, vapor chamber cooling, the most powerful chip in any mobile device, and the world's best mobile accessibility stack, all in something that fits in your pocket.
That's not a gimmick. That's a tool.
And if you've ever squinted at your iPhone screen and thought "I just wish this was bigger", it sounds like September is going to be a very interesting month.
Useful Links
SOURCE CREDIT LINE: Primary source: Tom's Guide. Additional reporting: 9to5Mac, MacRumors, GSMArena, Instagram/Ice Universe leaks.
— Michael Routhier, Founder of Tech 4 Grown-Ups. I run free digital safety seminars for adults 55+ and write about tech threats as they happen. Learn more about me →
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