Nowadays, it seems that design cues for Apple’s highly anticipated foldable iPhone have been somewhat vague…that is, until now, when a reputable Weibo leaker, “Instant Digital”, has revealed several design details for that foldable device. It’s worth noticing that this leaker has been accurate on past Apple rumors. For example, they correctly predicted the launch of the yellow iPhone 14 models in the spring of 2023 as well as the frosted black glass of the non-Pro iPhone 15 models. So with that said, today’s rumor should be considered seriously, so let’s dive into the details on what this source has to say, and it appears that the first foldable iPhone is going to borrow several design cues from both the iPad mini and the iPhone Air.
- The volume buttons will be located along the top edge of the foldable, which would be similar to that of the iPad mini, but instead, those buttons (on the foldable) would be right-aligned.
- Similar to the iPhone 16 lineup, the iPhone 17 lineup, and the iPhone Air, the power button and Camera Control button will be located on the right side of the foldable. Additionally, the power button will be Touch ID-enabled, similar to that of the iPad mini.
- The left side of the foldable is going to be clean, meaning there won’t be any buttons on that side.
- The front-facing cameras will feature a single hole-punch design that could mean a smaller Dynamic Island.
- The back left of the device will feature a camera plateau that will look similar to that of the iPhone Air. However, unlike the iPhone Air, it’s going to have two cameras, a microphone, and a flash, all in a horizontal layout. Another interesting tidbit is that this plateau is going to be completely black regardless of which color of the device you pick. Apple actually had an advanced camera layout that appeared black on the 2020/M1/M2 iPad Pro models.
- Speaking of colors, the source confirmed that Apple will offer a white option for the foldable, but they indicated that another color would be available upon launch, which meant there would be two color options. This may come as a disappointment for those who wanted more colors, but you have to consider that this foldable will have an even higher starting price, so it would be more expensive to produce this foldable for even more colors.
- The motherboard will apparently be located on the right side of the foldable, and seeing how Apple mastered space efficiency with the iPhone Air, it’s more than certain that this upcoming foldable will build upon the iPhone Air’s engineering feats by featuring an innovative stacked design to maximize even more space, which would allow Apple to pack in a high-density battery that may have the largest capacity ever on an iPhone. Come to think of it, this foldable might as well be called the “iPhone Ultra,” as suggested by 9to5Mac.
Some technical specs that we should be expecting are a ~5.3-inch outer display, a 7.8-inch inner display, the Apple A20 Pro chip, and the Apple C2 cellular modem. With all of these design details, we now have an even better picture of what this “iPhone Ultra” is going to look like, as we’ve seen 3D-printed concepts over the past month or so. The “iPhone Ultra” is expected to launch this coming September, and it could start at approximately $2,500. It will certainly be worth the premium considering all the advanced technology and engineering that went into this device.
