Apple's Foldable iPhone Ultra Projected To Cost $2,550 On Average Ahead Of Sept. 9 Reveal Event In Cupertino

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's long-anticipated first foldable iPhone is expected to carry an average selling price of roughly $2,550, according to a new projection from research firm IDC, positioning the device as by far the most expensive iPhone the company has ever produced ahead of its scheduled unveiling next week.

Apple is widely expected to formally introduce the device, likely under the "iPhone Ultra" branding, at its Sept. 9 media event, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. IDC's projection places the device's average selling price at approximately $2,550, with some higher-storage configurations potentially reaching or exceeding $3,000, according to the firm's estimates.

Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, said Apple's decision to enter the foldable market has already reshaped the trajectory of the broader industry segment, even before the device has been officially released.

"Without Apple, foldable shipments would have declined at a double-digit rate year-over-year," Popal said, underscoring the extent to which anticipation surrounding Apple's entry has already influenced overall market projections for foldable smartphones.

Separate estimates from Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, published ahead of Apple's Sept. 9 event, projected a somewhat lower starting price in the United States, in the range of $2,099 to $2,299, while noting that fully specced-out configurations featuring the highest available storage tier could still surpass the $3,000 threshold. Even at the lower end of that range, the device would comfortably exceed the starting price of Apple's current most expensive iPhone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199, making the foldable device easily the most expensive iPhone the company has ever released.

Other analyst estimates circulating ahead of the launch have landed in a broadly similar range. Prominent Apple supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested a possible price range between $2,300 and $2,500, according to reports citing his research, while separate Chinese supply-chain sources cited by outlets including Notebookcheck have pointed to fully configured units potentially costing more than 20,000 Chinese yuan, or roughly $2,900, once converted and adjusted for local taxes.

TrendForce has attributed part of the elevated pricing to broader cost pressures affecting the smartphone component supply chain, rather than factors specific only to Apple's foldable design. According to the firm's analysis, the cost of a standard 256-gigabyte storage module has climbed nearly 400% compared with the prior year, contributing to overall component cost increases of roughly 10% to 20% across upcoming smartphone models industrywide, a dynamic that has pushed manufacturers, including Apple, to absorb some costs while still passing along meaningful price increases to consumers.

Beyond rising component costs generally, the foldable form factor itself introduces additional expenses not present in Apple's conventional iPhone lineup. According to AppleMagazine's analysis of the pricing situation, the device's internal display, hinge mechanism, structural materials, battery configuration and manufacturing tolerances all introduce cost factors that simply do not exist in a traditional, non-folding iPhone, helping explain why the foldable model commands such a substantial premium over Apple's existing Pro and Pro Max lineup.

On the specifications front, the foldable iPhone is rumored to feature a 7.8-inch inner display alongside a smaller 5.5-inch external cover display when folded, according to reporting from MacRumors. The device is expected to notably omit Face ID in favor of Touch ID, a departure from Apple's current authentication approach across the rest of its iPhone lineup, reportedly due to space constraints created by the foldable design. The device is also expected to include Apple's new A20 chip and its in-house C2 modem, aligning it technically with the broader iPhone 18 generation despite its distinct form factor and pricing tier.

Despite the steep pricing, supply-chain reporting cited by Nikkei Asia indicates Apple has instructed component suppliers to prepare for approximately 10 million units of the device, a significant upward revision from earlier production estimates that had ranged between 7 million and 8 million units. That adjustment suggests Apple anticipates stronger-than-initially-expected demand for the device despite its premium price point.

IDC's broader market projections suggest the foldable iPhone could have an outsized impact on Apple's overall market position within the foldable smartphone category specifically. According to the firm's estimates, Apple is positioned to capture roughly 40% of the global foldable smartphone market by unit volume, while accounting for more than half of the category's total revenue value, reflecting the premium price point at which the device is expected to be sold relative to competing foldable devices from manufacturers including Samsung, Huawei and Google. IDC has separately projected sales of more than 17 million units of the iPhone Ultra by the end of 2027, generating more than $45.7 billion in cumulative revenue.

By comparison, Samsung's current book-style foldable flagship, the Galaxy Z Fold7, starts at $1,999 in the United States, while Apple's own current flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, tops out around $1,599 depending on storage configuration, underscoring how significantly Apple's foldable pricing is expected to exceed both its own existing lineup and its most direct foldable competitor.

Research firm Counterpoint has separately suggested that Apple's entry into the foldable category, even at a significant price premium, could help legitimize and expand the broader foldable smartphone segment as a higher-value category within the overall smartphone market, potentially increasing consumer and developer interest in software continuity, app support and productivity features tailored specifically to foldable devices, areas where the category has historically lagged behind conventional smartphones.

Even with Apple's anticipated entry, foldable devices as a whole are expected to remain a relatively small slice of the overall global smartphone market, representing an estimated 2% of total smartphone shipments throughout 2026, according to analyst estimates cited by Android Headlines, reflecting both the category's continued niche status and the elevated price points that have so far limited foldable devices largely to premium-focused buyers.

Apple has not officially confirmed the device's name, specifications or pricing ahead of its Sept. 9 event, and all figures related to the device's expected cost remain based on analyst projections and supply-chain reporting rather than confirmed information from the company itself. With the event just days away, further details, including official pricing, complete specifications and confirmed availability, are expected to be announced directly by Apple once the device is formally unveiled alongside the rest of its fall product lineup.