An $18,840 phone based on a product that hasn’t been confirmed. That’s where we are right now with Caviar, the luxury smartphone customization brand that apparently has zero interest in waiting for Apple to do anything official.
As reported by Android Headlines, Caviar just added four new models to its iPhone Ultra lineup, bringing the total to eight custom versions of a phone Apple has not announced. The four new editions are called Liquid Metal, Jobs, Magenta, and Karat. They are priced at $18,840, $15,990, $15,270, and $14,130 respectively, and each run is limited to somewhere between 9 and 19 units. So yes, these are extremely expensive, extremely exclusive, and based entirely on leaked concepts and rumored designs.
This isn’t the first time Caviar has pulled this move. The company did the same thing with the iPhone Ultra earlier this year when it announced the first four custom versions, and it also did it with the iPhone 18 Pro. At this point it’s basically Caviar’s signature play: get ahead of Apple’s announcement, ride the hype wave, and adapt the final product later if the leaked design turns out to be wrong. It’s a bold strategy, and honestly, it works as a marketing stunt.
Of the four new models, the Liquid Metal is the one worth talking about. It has a sculpted 925 sterling silver exterior with a rippling, reflective finish that looks genuinely stunning in the renders. The Jobs edition is a tribute to Steve Jobs, which feels a little on the nose but will absolutely appeal to a certain kind of buyer. The Magenta and Karat editions both use crocodile leather, in raspberry pink and black, finished with 925 sterling silver and 24K gold respectively.
- Liquid Metal: 925 sterling silver rippled exterior, $18,840, limited to 17 units
- Jobs: Steve Jobs tribute design, $15,990, limited to 9 units
- Magenta: Raspberry pink crocodile leather with sterling silver, $15,270, limited to 19 units
- Karat: Black crocodile leather with 24K gold, $14,130, limited to 19 units
Here’s the thing though. Every image you see of these products is based on concept renders, not a confirmed iPhone Ultra design. If Apple’s foldable ends up looking different from the leaks, Caviar will adjust. The company has said as much. So what you’re looking at right now is more mood board than product listing, even if you can technically hand over nearly nineteen thousand dollars for one.
And that’s where it gets a bit strange. Caviar is a real business selling real products, but right now it’s essentially selling a promise wrapped in a concept. The audacity is kind of impressive. But it also raises a fair question: should a company be taking orders on something this expensive when the base product hasn’t been officially confirmed yet?
Still, there’s a bigger picture here. The buzz around Apple’s first foldable is massive, and Caviar knows that better than anyone. Luxury buyers in this bracket aren’t just paying for materials, they’re paying to be first and to own something nobody else has. Caviar is betting that the iPhone Ultra will land close enough to the leaked design that these editions will go ahead as planned. Given Apple’s usual design consistency between leaks and launch, that’s probably a safe bet. But probably isn’t certainly, and at these prices, that gap matters.