Apple Set to Launch First Foldable iPhone as Tim Cook Hands Off CEO Role
This week, Apple is widely expected to finally reveal its first foldable iPhone, five long years after Samsung kicked off the category — and it's doing...
This week, Apple is widely expected to finally reveal its first foldable iPhone, five long years after Samsung kicked off the category — and it's doing so in the middle of a historic leadership handoff. With Tim Cook reportedly stepping aside for hardware chief John Ternus, the rumored $2,000+ "iPhone Ultra" isn't just a new device; it's the first big test of whether Apple can still define a hardware category instead of chasing one. Here's what the leaks say is coming at the September 9 event — and what it means for everyone building on Apple's ecosystem.
The Backdrop: Apple's Biggest Hardware Bet in a Decade
For over half a decade, Apple watched rivals ship foldables while it stayed conspicuously on the sidelines. That patience — or stubbornness, depending on who you ask — appears to be ending now, and the timing is deliberate.
- The iPhone Ultra is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch cover display that opens into a 7.8-inch tablet-like screen.
- Early testers cited by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman describe a premium feel that fits in a pocket and unfolds into a wide, iPad-like canvas.
- The phone reportedly runs iOS, not iPadOS, and supports side-by-side multitasking with two apps running at once.
The stakes are enormous because Apple isn't just entering a mature category late. It's doing so at a premium price, with a new CEO taking the stage, and with AI features increasingly deciding how people judge new hardware. The foldable form factor is the box; the AI inside it is the gift.
The Core News: Meet the Foldable "iPhone Ultra"
All the credible leaks point to Apple unveiling its foldable this week, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max lineup. But the foldable is clearly the headliner — and it comes with some surprising trade-offs.
According to reporting from TechCrunch and Bloomberg, here's the rumored spec picture:
| Feature | Foldable "iPhone Ultra" (rumored) | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold (current gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Cover display | ~5.5 inches | ~6.3 inches |
| Unfolded display | ~7.8 inches | ~7.6 inches |
| Rear cameras | Dual lens (main + ultra-wide), no telephoto | Triple lens with telephoto |
| Biometrics | Touch ID side button (no Face ID) | Under-display fingerprint |
| Price | Over $2,000 (est. ₹1.7+ lakh in India) | ~$1,900+ |
| OS | iOS with multitasking | Android with DeX-style multitasking |
The trade-offs are real
- No telephoto camera: Buyers spending luxury-car-down-payment money reportedly won't get a zoom lens, a strange gap on a flagship.
- No Face ID: Apple is rumored to be swapping facial recognition for a Touch ID fingerprint button on the side to save internal space.
- The crease problem: Apple has supposedly engineered a display where the fold crease is far less visible — a claim every foldable maker has made, and none has fully delivered on.
None of this kills the appeal, because the core promise is clear: a phone that becomes a mini-iPad in your pocket, powered by the same chip inside Apple's budget MacBook Neo.
Why This Matters: A Leadership Change Meets a Form Factor Leap
This isn't just another iPhone launch. It's the moment the post-Cook era formally begins, with John Ternus, Apple's former VP of hardware engineering, expected to take the CEO reins. Launching a brand-new form factor during a CEO transition is a high-wire act — the foldable becomes the proof point for whether Ternus-era Apple can still ship hits.
The so-what for consumers and developers is threefold:
- Price anchoring: At over $2,000, Apple is repositioning the "Ultra" tier as a genuine luxury product, above the $3,500 Vision Pro's awkward cousin but far more mass-market viable.
- An AI showcase device: Expect the foldable to be the demo stage for Apple Intelligence and the newly reported Gemini-powered Siri, using the big unfolded screen to show off multitasking AI assistants.
- A signal to app developers: A 7.8-inch iOS canvas means apps that currently treat iPads as an afterthought may need to take large-screen layouts seriously on phones.
The ripple effect reaches India's massive developer and creator economy, too. If foldable iOS becomes a thing, app UI/UX work, content formats, and even ad layouts will need a new "unfolded" design lane.
Key Details: Display, Cameras, Chips and Creases
The hinge and display engineering
The hardest problem in foldables isn't the screen — it's the hinge and the crease. Foldable users have lived with a visible line across the display since 2019. Apple reportedly focused heavily on making the crease less obvious, which, if true, would be a genuine differentiator rather than a spec-sheet win.
Same chip as a laptop
The foldable is said to run on the same processor that powers Apple's budget MacBook Neo. That's a meaningful detail: it means the device has desktop-class headroom for on-device AI workloads, which is exactly what Apple Intelligence needs to feel fast without relying entirely on the cloud.
MagSafe stays, Face ID goes
The phone reportedly keeps MagSafe for wireless charging and accessories, but drops Face ID for a Touch ID side button. For users, that's a minor daily adjustment. For accessory makers, it's a sign that MagSafe's accessory ecosystem will be the foldable's expansion port.
Siri gets a Gemini brain
Apple is finally moving forward with its Gemini-powered Siri update, and the HomePod refresh expected this week is likely its first smart-speaker showcase. References to unreleased HomePods were reportedly spotted in a macOS preview build, hinting at a tighter Apple-smart-home push.
AirPods with cameras: the wildest rumor yet
The most surprising leak is AirPods with built-in cameras. A video found in a macOS preview build by researcher Aaron Perris reportedly shows someone wearing the earbuds, picking up a book, with a voiceover saying: "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later."
- Gurman reports the cameras aren't for taking photos or video — they're "eyes for Siri," capturing low-resolution visual info to power contextual AI.
- This positions AirPods as an ambient AI wearable, closer to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses territory, minus the glasses.
Competitive Landscape: Samsung's Five-Year Head Start
Apple is arriving late to a party Samsung has hosted since 2019, but late doesn't mean weak. The bigger question is whether the foldable category has actually matured into a mainstream market — or whether Apple is betting on a future its rivals haven't managed to build yet.
| Player | Foldable approach | AI angle | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | Premium Ultra tier, iOS, big-screen multitasking | Apple Intelligence + Gemini-powered Siri | Entering market now |
| Samsung | Galaxy Z Fold/Flip, years of iteration | Galaxy AI features baked into One UI | Market leader, defending share |
| Pixel Fold line | Gemini-native Android experience | Growing but niche | |
| Chinese OEMs (Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus) | Aggressive pricing and tri-folds | On-device LLMs, local AI models | Pushing specs and price |
For Samsung, Apple's entry is both validation and threat: validation that the category has legs, and a threat because iOS users who wanted a foldable now have a native option. For Google, it's a reminder that its own foldable push needs AI to feel indispensable, not just flexible.
What This Means for AI-Tool and AI-News Publishers
If you run an AI newsletter, a tool-review site, or a tech blog, this story is a traffic gift — if you know how to frame it. Here are five concrete angles:
- Publish a "leak vs. reality" tracker: A running comparison of every rumor versus what's actually announced on September 9. This is inherently linkable and search-friendly, and you can update it live.
- Write the "first foldable iOS apps" explainer: Developers will scramble for guidance on large-screen iOS layouts. A tutorial-style post on adapting apps for a 7.8-inch unfolded canvas will rank for high-intent queries.
- Compare Siri+Gemini vs. ChatGPT on-device assistants: The Gemini-powered Siri angle lets you bridge Apple news with AI-tool content your audience already loves.
- Cover the camera-AirPods privacy angle for India: Privacy and wearable cameras are hot-button topics globally, and Indian regulators are paying attention. A sharp analysis post can earn shares from security-conscious readers.
- Target "Ultra" buyer content: Frame the ₹1.7 lakh+ price tag in local terms — what else that money buys, and whether the foldable justifies it versus importing a Samsung or Google foldable. Price-comparison content converts well.
SEO tip: keywords like "iPhone Ultra foldable price in India," "iPhone 18 Pro release date," and "AirPods with cameras explained" are all spiking right now. Publish fast, update often, and cite the Bloomberg and TechCrunch sourcing so you look authoritative rather than speculative.
Challenges Ahead: Risks and Unanswered Questions
For all the hype, this launch carries serious risks that no amount of marketing can smooth over:
- The crease is still the crease: Apple's "less visible crease" claims remain unproven until hands-on reviewers stress-test the hinge over months of daily use.
- No telephoto at $2,000+: Ditching the zoom lens on a luxury device is a bizarre compromise that could alienate exactly the power users Apple is courting.
- Camera-equipped AirPods invite privacy backlash: Comparisons to Meta's criticized "pervert glasses" are already flying. Even low-res "eyes for Siri" will spook privacy-conscious buyers, and regulators in Europe and India are watching wearable cameras closely.
- The delayed standard iPhone 18: Releasing the Pro models first and the base model six months later would be a first for Apple — and could frustrate mainstream upgraders who feel nickel-and-dimed.
- A CEO transition is a wildcard: New leadership often means strategy shifts. If the foldable underwhelms, the blame won't fall on Cook this time.
Final Thoughts
Apple's first foldable isn't just a new product — it's the opening statement of the Ternus era, a bet that premium hardware plus genuinely useful on-device AI can justify a price tag most phones have never touched. Whether the crease is invisible, the cameras are forgiven, and the AirPods' "eyes" are trusted, the September 9 event will reset the conversation around foldables for the next five years.
FAQ
Is the foldable iPhone confirmed?
No. Apple hasn't officially confirmed anything, but consistent reporting from Bloomberg and TechCrunch, plus leaked macOS preview references, point strongly to a foldable iPhone reveal at the September 9 event.
How much will the foldable iPhone cost?
Rumors peg it at over $2,000, which translates to roughly ₹1.7 lakh or more in India before taxes and import duties — firmly in luxury territory.
What are the biggest compromises on the foldable?
The rumored device reportedly skips the telephoto camera and Face ID, relying instead on a dual-lens rear setup and a Touch ID side button to save internal space.
When will the standard iPhone 18 launch?
Unlike the Pro models expected this week, the base iPhone 18 is rumored to arrive about six months later, which would be an unprecedented release pattern for Apple.
Are the camera-equipped AirPods a privacy risk?
Potentially yes. The cameras reportedly capture only low-resolution visual data as "eyes for Siri," not photos or video — but any wearable that "sees" will face privacy scrutiny from users and regulators.
What does the Gemini-powered Siri mean for Apple users?
It means Siri is finally getting a serious AI upgrade powered by Google's Gemini, and the refreshed HomePod is expected to be its first showcase — bringing genuinely useful assistant AI into Apple's smart home.
