In the August 23, 2026 edition of his "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, reporter Mark Gurman wrote that several people who have used Apple's unannounced foldable iPhone responded positively to how it fits in a pocket, the feel and sturdiness of its hinge, the iPad-like layout of its inner display, and its large camera viewfinder. Until now, most leaks had centered on predicted screen dimensions and thickness. The fact that qualitative impressions from actual users are now circulating shifts the conversation toward how the foldable design might affect everyday usability.
That said, Apple has not disclosed the product's name, specifications, price, announcement date, or release date. "iPhone Ultra" is not an official name—it's simply what Gurman says the device is called internally. Because details about who used the device, how much, and under what conditions remain unknown, the comments about the hinge should not be mistaken for durability test results.
Four things hands-on users reportedly liked
What's notable about this report isn't detailed specs for the unannounced device, but rather that both portability and the value of the opened display were praised together. When closed, the device reportedly fits easily in a pocket; when opened, it offers an iPad-like app layout and a large viewfinder. This transition between two states is the central value proposition of foldable devices, and the report touches on both ends of that spectrum.
At the same time, a subjective impression that something "feels sturdy" cannot be equated with guarantees about fold-cycle counts, drop resistance, dust and water resistance, or long-term durability. Google states that the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is three times more durable than its predecessor, but that figure comes from internal testing using pre-production units, and Google itself notes that real-world results may vary. The hinge impressions relayed by Bloomberg come with no comparison benchmark or testing conditions attached.
A roughly 5.5-inch outer display underpins the portability
According to the report and prior predictions, the unannounced device is said to have an outer display of about 5.5 inches, an inner display of about 7.8 inches, and a thickness of about 4.5mm when unfolded. None of these figures are official specifications, but for comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold8 sold by Samsung in the US has a 5.5-inch outer display, a 7.6-inch inner display, a thickness of 4.5mm when unfolded, and weighs 201g. The similarity in dimensions suggests that praise for portability may stem not from the hinge alone, but from the combination of a smaller outer display and a thin, single-sided chassis.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction from March 2025 similarly pointed to an outer display of about 5.5 inches, an inner display of about 7.8 inches, a thickness of 4.5–4.8mm when unfolded, and 9–9.5mm when folded. The current user reports do not confirm the accuracy of those figures. Still, the fact that a commercially available device in the same size range already delivers on portability gives us a useful point of comparison for weighing the design choices Apple may be making as a late entrant.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $1,899.99, while the unannounced device is reportedly expected to exceed $2,000. That price gap means simply matching similar dimensions won't be enough of a reason to choose an Apple product. Apple will need to demonstrate, as a finished product, how comfortably everyday tasks can be handled on the outer display and what kinds of tasks become newly possible on the roughly 7.8-inch opened display.
A large screen only becomes useful once apps adapt to it
The "iPad-like layout" of the inner display is not something that materializes simply because the screen is larger. Apple's UIKit documentation states that an app's scene needs to adapt to different window sizes, and calls for the use of Auto Layout and trait collections. Nowhere does it say that existing iPhone apps will automatically transform into an optimal large-screen UI the moment the device is unfolded.
For foldable devices, the split between what the OS handles and what each app implements determines the user experience. Google lists Split Screen, Drag and Drop, and Instant View as large-screen features for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. For Apple's unannounced device as well, it will be necessary to verify—once real hardware is available after launch—whether apps can preserve their state through the folding and unfolding process, and how major apps handle multiple panes and changing aspect ratios.
In particular, simply porting over iPad-style layouts won't suffice. A foldable iPhone's available display area and aspect ratio change between the closed and open states. Until it's clear how much of this transition Apple handles at the system level versus how much individual developers must implement in their own apps, it's premature to extend the "iPad-like" impression to app compatibility as a whole.
A large viewfinder and no telephoto lens are separate trade-offs
According to the specifications reported by Bloomberg, the rear camera setup consists of two lenses—a 48MP main camera and an ultra-wide camera—with no optical telephoto camera. A large inner display makes it easier to frame a shot, but that's a separate matter from whether you can optically magnify a distant subject. Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature a three-lens setup with a 48MP main camera, an ultra-wide camera, and a telephoto camera, offering 4x optical zoom at 100mm and an 8x optical-equivalent zoom at 200mm. If the lack of a telephoto lens is accurate, the unannounced device would not carry over the shooting range of the current Pro lineup.
Omitting a telephoto lens isn't necessarily an unavoidable constraint for foldable devices, either. The Galaxy Z Fold8 lacks optical telephoto, but the larger Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra includes a 3x optical telephoto camera. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold, too, pairs its 48MP main camera with a telephoto camera capable of up to 30x Super Zoom. What Apple prioritizes at a price point reportedly exceeding $2,000 will reveal how much it's willing to compromise on camera capability in favor of screen size and thinness.
| Device | What the rear camera can capture | Telephoto handling |
|---|---|---|
| Unannounced foldable iPhone | Bloomberg reports a two-lens setup: 48MP main and ultra-wide | Reportedly no telephoto |
| iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max | 48MP main, ultra-wide, and telephoto | 4x optical zoom, 8x optical-equivalent |
| Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra | Three lenses per official specs | 3x optical telephoto |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | Configuration includes 48MP main and telephoto | Up to 30x Super Zoom |
This comparison shows that while some foldable devices go without a telephoto lens, others can include one depending on the device's size and price tier. When evaluating the camera, it's worth separating the comfort of composing a shot on a large screen from the actual breadth of focal lengths the camera can capture.
Once an official announcement arrives, actual camera performance will need to be verified. Also worth watching: how major apps handle the folding, unfolding, and large-screen experience, and how well the hinge holds up under independent third-party testing. Only once all of these are confirmed will the design—a smartphone when closed, a small tablet when opened—become a genuine reason to choose an expensive first-generation device.