Apple’s battery supplier has filed new regulatory registrations that suggest the iPhone Ultra’s capacity may fall below earlier predictions. Two battery cells registered at 1921mAh and 2962mAh would combine for a minimum capacity of 4,883 mAh, well below the 5,400 to 5,800 mAh range that had circulated in supply-chain reports, as per leaker Digital Chat Station.
If the 4,883 mAh figure is accurate, the iPhone Ultra would sit below the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 5,088 mAh cell and fall behind Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, which manages 4,400 mAh, and Google’s Pixel Fold at 4,821 mAh. The smaller capacity is somewhat surprising given the device’s need to power a substantially larger display footprint than any traditional iPhone, though Apple may be prioritizing thinness and crease elimination over raw battery numbers.
That battery constraint will matter at launch as Apple’s foldable iPhone is hitting a wall on manufacturing: third-quarter 2026 shipments are pegged at just 0.5 to 1 million units, with total second-half 2026 production roughly 7 to 8 million units. For a device launching at over $2,000 and landing in the middle of Apple’s busiest selling season, that is a rounding error.
Delivery times are expected to stretch to 4 to 6 weeks or longer at announcement. The device will almost certainly remain supply-constrained through the holidays, with meaningful stock unlikely before December. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that iPhone Ultras will command a 50 to 100% price premium in the secondary market due to scarcity.
The iPhone Ultra launches this fall alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, though it is likely to ship later, potentially not until December. Apple has already formally approved a second-generation foldable iPhone for development. This suggests confidence in the category despite the first model’s supply constraints and unproven demand. That approval also suggests Apple is hedging: if Gen 1 stumbles, Gen 2 is already greenlit to carry the foldable torch.
The battery might be smaller than expected, but the real test is whether customers will wait months and pay over $2,000 to own one.
