Apple Is About to Fold, And I Think It's the Best Thing They've Done in Years | Full Episode Transcript

The full episode, in your own time, at your own pace. Every word, right here.

This is a bonus episode, something landed in the news that couldn't wait until Tuesday. Apple is about to release its first-ever foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, and as someone who has been using Apple products for over 35 years, I wanted to give you the full, honest breakdown before the rumour mill buried it in noise. The specs. The skepticism. The price conversation nobody wants to have. And the specific reasons this device matters more to people over 55 than to anyone else talking about it right now. Full transcript below, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

I've been using Apple products for over 35 years. 35 years. That's before most people even knew what a personal computer was.

I've bought the hits. I've sat through the misses. I know the difference between Apple genuinely changing something and Apple putting a new colour on something old and calling it revolutionary.

What I'm about to tell you today, this is the real thing. And if you've ever squinted at your iPhone screen and thought, I just wish this was bigger, you need to hear this.

We live in a world where the most powerful technology ever built is being handed to you without instructions, without warnings, and without anyone asking whether it serves you or uses you. That question has a name: the Virtuous Machine. I'm Michael Routhier, and this is Tech 4 Grown-Ups, the show that believes technology should answer to human beings, not the other way around. No corporate talking points, no sponsored opinions, just honest conversation.

Let's go.

Hey, welcome back. This is not your regular weekly episode. This is a bonus drop. Something landed in the news this week that I couldn't sit on until next Tuesday. It was too good, too timely, and frankly, too important for the people in this community for me to wait.

Apple is about to release its first-ever foldable iPhone. And I want to tell you, as someone who has been using Apple products for over 30 years, why I think this might actually matter. Not just for the tech enthusiast. Not just for people who like shiny things. But specifically for you.

Let's dig in.

What We Actually Know

First, let me tell you what we actually know. Because the internet is full of people presenting rumours as facts, and I'm not going to do that to you.

This information is coming from multiple credible leak sources, including physical dummy unit photos and detailed reporting from Tom's Guide, 9to5Mac, and MacRumors. Apple has not officially confirmed any of this, but these sources are about as reliable as it gets before an actual keynote.

So here's what appears to be coming in September 2026.

The phone is expected to be called the iPhone Ultra. It will be Apple's first foldable device; a book-style fold, similar to how a book opens, not a flip phone style. When it's closed, it's a normal-sized phone. When you open it, you get a screen that's roughly 7.8 inches, about the size of an iPad mini in your pocket.

The chip inside will be the most powerful Apple has ever put in a phone — built on a 2-nanometre process, which is engineering speak for extremely fast and extremely efficient.

The battery is expected to be the largest ever in an iPhone, around 5,700 milliamp hours. For context, your current iPhone is probably running somewhere between 3,000 and 4,500. This thing is built to last all day.

The hinge, the part that lets it fold, uses a liquid metal design with vapour chamber cooling. Apple is reportedly solving the main problem that has plagued every other foldable phone: the crease, the line you see across the middle of the screen. They say it won't be there. We'll see.

Touch ID is back, built into the power button, like it is on some of the iPads. No Face ID on this one.

Two colours; black/silver and indigo. Deliberately minimal.

Release date: September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series.

And the price. Well. We need to talk about that price.

Starting at around $2,000 USD.

Let me be honest with you about that, because I'm not here to sell you anything. That is a lot of money. That is a significant investment. And I want to be clear right now: this episode is not me telling you to run out and buy this phone in September. That is not my advice, and I'll tell you exactly what my advice is in a few minutes.

My Honest Skepticism

I also want to remind you: this is still based on leaks. Dummy units, supply chain sources, credible industry reporters, but it's not the same as standing in an Apple Store and holding one in your hand. Until Apple's CEO John Ternus walks out on that stage in September and puts this device in his hand, I'm treating it as highly likely, not certain.

And foldable phones across every brand that has tried them; Samsung, Motorola, Google, have had durability concerns. The crease. The hinge wearing out. The fragility of that inner display. Apple says they've solved these problems. Maybe they have. Apple's engineering is excellent. But "reportedly solved" is very different from three years of real-world use. That's my honest skepticism. I wanted to give it to you straight before I tell you why I'm genuinely excited about this.

The Screen. That's the Whole Conversation.

Here's the thing that nobody in the regular tech press is really talking about, at least not the way I want to talk about it.

If you're over 55, there's a very good chance that at some point in the last few years, you've held your phone at arm's length. Squinted at a text message. Enlarged the font size. Or put the phone down in frustration because reading on a small screen just isn't what it used to be.

I can attest to that, it happens to me quite often.

That is not a character flaw. That is biology. Vision changes as we age. And the iPhone, for all of its brilliance over all these years, has always been designed around one constraint: it has to fit in your pocket. It was never designed around your eyes.

A 7.8-inch screen changes that equation completely.

That is not a phone with slightly bigger text. That is a reading surface large enough to read your emails without adjusting a single setting. Large enough to video call your family and actually see their faces, not a postage stamp in the corner of your hand. Large enough to read a medical document or a prescription without zooming in three times and losing your place.

And on top of that, it folds. When you don't need the big screen, you close it. It goes in your pocket. It's just a phone again.

You're not carrying a tablet everywhere. You're carrying a phone that becomes a tablet when you need it to be.

The Accessibility Angle Nobody Is Talking About

Let me take this one step further, because there's an accessibility angle here that I think is genuinely important.

Apple already has some of the best accessibility features of any smartphone on the market: VoiceOver, which reads your screen aloud. Large text. High contrast displays. The built-in magnifier, which we've all used from time to time sitting at a restaurant, trying to read a menu. Assistive Access, which simplifies the entire interface on the phone.

These are not marketing claims. These are real, best-in-class tools that Apple has invested in seriously for years.

Now pair all of those features with a nearly 8-inch screen.

VoiceOver becomes dramatically easier to navigate. Text enlargement is less of a workaround when you have that much space to work with. The magnifier becomes a full-sized tool. And for anyone managing low vision, macular degeneration, for example, a screen this size isn't a luxury. It's the difference between being able to use a phone independently and not being able to.

The Touch ID return matters here too. Face ID has been genuinely difficult for some people, those with certain facial conditions, those who find the motion awkward, those who simply prefer a fingerprint. Bringing Touch ID back makes this phone meaningfully more accessible to a wider range of people.

The iPad Mini in Your Pocket

One more practical argument, and then I'll give you my actual recommendation.

A lot of people in our community carry two devices; a phone for calls and quick things, and an iPad for reading, watching videos, and email. Anything that requires actually seeing what you're doing.

The iPhone Ultra, if it delivers on these specifications, eliminates the need for that second device. One thing in your bag. One thing to keep charged. One ecosystem, one set of apps, one Apple ID. One thing to learn and maintain.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed managing multiple devices, and I hear this constantly from this community, that simplification is genuinely valuable. That's not a gimmick. That's a real quality-of-life improvement.

My Honest Advice

Here is my actual recommendation, as someone who has watched enough Apple product cycles to know how this plays out.

Do not pre-order this phone. Wait for real-world reviews. Six months of actual user feedback will tell you things that no spec sheet ever can. Version 1 of any new form factor, from any manufacturer, deserves scrutiny before you commit $2,000 to it.

Don't feel pressured. If your current iPhone is working well for you, September is not a deadline. The iPhone 18 Pro is going to be an excellent phone at a more approachable price. 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 with their entire accessibility toolkit, 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 a little and the software has matured, that is a very compelling case for the most accessibility-forward iPhone Apple has ever made.

I've been an Apple user for 30 years. I've watched every major transition this company has made; the iPod, the original iPhone, the shift to Apple Silicon. I know how to tell the difference between a genuine leap and a shiny distraction.

This feels like a genuine leap.

That's it for today's bonus episode. If you found this useful, please share it with someone you know who's an iPhone user, especially if they've ever complained about the screen being too small. This episode is for them.

The full blog post on this topic, with all the specs, all the links, and the complete breakdown — is live on the website. Link in the show notes.

And if you have questions, come find me in the free Tech 4 Grown-Ups community. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just honest answers from someone who's been in this space for a long time.

Your regular weekly episode will be back next week.

Until then: stay curious, stay safe, and don't let the technology run ahead of you.

Marcus Aurelius asked a question I think about every time I sit down to record this show; What is it fundamentally that this thing is for, not what it claims to be for, but what it is actually for? That's the Virtuous Machine question. And it applies to every piece of technology being built right now.

You'll find everything from today's episode at tech4grownups.com. Join the conversation in the community. The link is there.

Stay sharp, stay loud, and I'll see you in the next one.

Key Takeaways From This Episode

• The iPhone Ultra is Apple's first foldable; a book-style fold with a 7.8-inch inner screen, roughly iPad mini size, expected September 2026

• The price is $2,000 USD and that deserves an honest conversation before anyone considers buying

• The screen is the story for anyone over 55 whose vision has changed, this is not a phone upgrade, it's a reading surface upgrade

• Accessibility features; VoiceOver, enlarged text, Assistive Access, and the returning Touch ID all become meaningfully more powerful on a screen this size

• One device instead of two for anyone carrying both a phone and an iPad, the Ultra may eliminate the second device entirely

• The honest advice; don't pre-order; wait for real-world reviews; if your current iPhone works, September is not a deadline

• The Virtuous Machine question; What is this phone actually for? If the answer is a bigger, more accessible screen that serves you better, that's a good answer

➡️ Want the full written breakdown with all specs and source links? [Read: Apple Is About to Fold - And For Once, That's a Good Thing].

➡️ Want to know what tech is actually worth your time right now? [Read: Tech That Actually Matters — Part 2].

➡️ Questions about whether this phone is right for you? [Come find us in the free Tech 4 Grown-Ups community — honest answers, no pressure].