Apple has raised its production target for the foldable iPhone Ultra to roughly 10 million units, up from earlier estimates of 7 to 8 million. That is a significant jump for a brand-new product category, and it signals that Apple is betting hard on consumer demand for its first foldable device.
According to 9to5Mac, citing a Nikkei Asia report, Apple has instructed suppliers to prepare for the higher volume and has told some of them to expect as many as 85 million total new iPhone orders in the second half of 2026. That figure includes roughly 70 million units of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max alongside the foldable model.
When you add that to the rest of Apple’s 2026 iPhone orders, the full-year total comes to around 220 million units. IDC has forecast Apple will ship close to 240 million iPhones this year, so the numbers are tracking closely.
The price point is what will turn heads. IDC predicts the foldable iPhone Ultra will carry an average selling price of $2,500, with higher storage configurations pushing that figure to $3,000. That would make it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold, and by a wide margin. For context, the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at around $1,199. The Ultra would cost more than double that at its base price.
That kind of pricing puts the foldable iPhone Ultra in a different category altogether. It is not competing with standard smartphones at that point. It is competing with laptops, and with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series, which itself sells for around $1,800. Apple would be pricing above every Android foldable currently on the market.
Whether consumers will pay that much is the real question. The foldable phone market has grown steadily, but it remains a niche. Samsung has sold foldables since 2019 and still moves far fewer units than its standard Galaxy S line. Apple entering the category will bring more attention to foldables, but a $2,500 starting price creates a high barrier.
On the launch timeline, Apple is expected to show the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra together in September. The Ultra may ship slightly later than the Pro models, though it is still expected to arrive in 2026. A few other timeline details worth noting:
- The standard iPhone 18 is not expected until spring, extending the iPhone 17’s market life to around 18 months instead of the usual 12
- Apple is also expected to update the iPhone Air, introduced in September 2025, with a new version in spring 2026
- Apple has asked suppliers to reserve components from the iPhone 17 series for use in the upcoming iPhone 18 premium lineup, suggesting some shared parts across generations
The production ramp-up also comes against a backdrop of ongoing component shortages. Apple is reportedly moving aggressively to lock in parts, which is partly why the supplier guidance has come earlier and in larger volumes than usual.
A 10 million unit target for a first-generation product at $2,500 is an ambitious call. Apple clearly believes there is an audience for a premium foldable, even at a price that will make most buyers pause. How that bet plays out will say a lot about where the smartphone market goes next.