Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumoured foldable iPhone Ultra at its September event, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, a new report claims that the foldable will not go on sale at the same time as the other new iPhone models, with Apple allegedly facing production issues that could limit its initial availability.
According to reports from Australia’s Channel News, the iPhone Ultra will initially be launched exclusively in the United States before expanding to a handful of other major markets, with China among those reportedly in line to receive it. Australia, according to the publication, is said to be left out of the initial rollout.
Apple May Only Show The Ultra In September
Apple is said to simply show off the device before revealing its retail price at a later date, with unresolved production issues said to be one of the reasons behind the unusual approach. This is reportedly linked to problems encountered during production verification testing. Apple suppliers are said to have encountered “more issues than expected”, particularly with the foldable display and hinge mechanism.
Mass production was originally scheduled to begin in June, but was subsequently pushed back to August. Foxconn was reportedly still making adjustments to its mass production plans as recently as late July, while unnamed sources now claim that the engineering validation process could result in another delay of up to two months.
Pricing
The production difficulties are also reportedly contributing to the limited initial availability. Apple is said to simply not have enough units ready to launch the iPhone Ultra across multiple markets at once, hence the US-first strategy.
As for pricing, the report claims that the device could cost up to AUD700 (~RM2,026) more than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, which currently retails for AUD2,999 (~RM8,680) in the country. If that turns out to be accurate, the iPhone Ultra could potentially carry a price tag of around AUD3,699 (~RM10,707), although it is important to stress that this is still unconfirmed.
Could Malaysia Be Left Waiting?
An initial US-only launch would not be entirely new for Apple. The company also launched the Vision Pro exclusively in the US before gradually expanding the headset to other markets, although Malaysia was ultimately not among the countries where it became officially available.
Whether the iPhone Ultra will eventually make its way here remains unclear. If these latest reports are accurate, however, Malaysian buyers may have to wait considerably longer than their counterparts in the US and other priority markets.
(Source: Channel News, via GSMArena)
