iPhone Ultra’s production line setup was completed at the end of July, marking the transition from trial production to full-scale manufacturing and putting the foldable on track for its expected September announcement alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital, posting over the weekend, confirmed there has been no delay to the iPhone Ultra. An issue scaling production had emerged earlier but has since been resolved, and the completion of line setup at the end of July is the clearest signal yet that Apple is through the hard part.
Vapor chamber and the crease problem
The same leaker describes the iPhone Ultra as having “impressive VC [vapor chamber] cooling performance,” which is the first time vapor chamber technology has been specifically confirmed for the device. Vapor chambers appeared in the iPhone 17 Pro line, where they proved effective at managing sustained loads, and the iPhone Ultra’s larger, more power-dense form factor makes the inclusion logical given how aggressively it will be used as a productivity device when unfolded. The iPhone Ultra battery situation adds further reason to expect serious thermal engineering here.
The crease is the more consequential detail from the upcoming foldable smartphone. Fixed Focus Digital describes the inner display crease as “nearly invisible,” with Apple having developed a new material property specifically to eliminate it. The leaker says Apple pursued this regardless of cost, which tracks with Apple’s well-documented reluctance to ship a foldable until the hardware could meet a bar competitors have not yet cleared. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup has improved year over year, but a visible crease has remained a persistent compromise across every generation.
The display dimensions now appear finalized:
- Inner (unfolded): 7.76 inches, 2,713 x 1,920 resolution
- Outer (folded): 5.49 inches, 2,088 x 1,422 resolution, 4:3 aspect ratio
The 7.76-inch inner panel puts the unfolded iPhone Ultra closer to iPad mini territory than to any existing iPhone, and the 4:3 outer display aspect ratio mirrors how most people hold a phone for photography and everyday use.
Apple has also raised its supplier production target to approximately 10 million units for this year, up from a prior estimate of 7 to 8 million units. That 25 to 40 percent increase in target volume suggests Apple is confident enough in both demand and supply chain stability to push for a meaningful first-year shipment figure rather than treating this as a limited launch.
Fixed Focus Digital also noted that Apple’s 2027 iPhone Pro lineup will bring a “radical new design” to mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary, though detail beyond that framing is thin for now. The 2027 Pro design is expected to be substantially different from current models, and two markedly different iPhone designs in back-to-back years is an unusual pace for Apple. The Ultra’s commercial performance this fall will inevitably shape how boldly the company moves on the anniversary models.
1 comment