Our Verdict: Who Should Buy the Foldable iPhone Ultra
Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra is a first‑generation, ultra‑premium smartphone expected around USD 2,500 (approx. RM11,500) that combines a book‑style folding screen with top‑tier hardware but faces unusually steep depreciation compared with standard flagship phones, making it best suited to buyers who value cutting‑edge design over long‑term resale value. The short answer: this is not the default upgrade for most iPhone owners. For the average user, the foldable iPhone price and resale hit make it a poor value play compared with sticking to a mainstream Pro model. Our top recommendation is clear: only buy the iPhone Ultra if you are an early adopter who wants the foldable experience first and can afford to ignore what happens to its resale value in the first year. Everyone else should wait or skip.
Price, Supply and What Apple Is Betting On
Analyst estimates place the average foldable iPhone price near USD 2,500 (approx. RM11,500), with high‑end configurations reportedly approaching USD 3,000 (approx. RM13,800). That makes the iPhone Ultra far more expensive than Apple’s current slab‑style flagships and pricier than rival foldables, which typically sit in the USD 1,799–1,999 (approx. RM8,300–9,200) band. Apple has reportedly told suppliers to prepare roughly 10 million units for launch, while more cautious guidance pegs initial manufacturing closer to 3 million units—a 70% swing that shows real uncertainty about demand at this price. According to IDC, Apple could still capture over 22% of foldable unit share and 34% of market value in year one, driven by a roughly USD 2,400 (approx. RM11,000) average selling price. This is a premium phone investment by design: Apple is counting on deep‑pocketed iOS fans to pay more for the hinge and the brand.
Depreciation: The $1,000+ Hit Hiding Under the Hinge
Foldable phones lose value faster than any other smartphone category. SellCell’s June 2026 analysis shows foldables shed an average of 64.6% of their value in 12 months, versus 55.3% for traditional flagships. In practice, that means foldable owners eat about USD 997 (approx. RM4,600) in depreciation, compared with USD 605 (approx. RM2,800) for slab‑phone buyers—a USD 392 (approx. RM1,800) penalty “just for the hinge.” When you apply those foldable phone depreciation rates to an iPhone‑class device, the numbers sting. A modeled USD 2,000 (approx. RM9,200) iPhone Fold would be worth roughly USD 708 (approx. RM3,300) after a year, a USD 1,292 (approx. RM5,900) drop. Even using Apple’s historically stronger retention, a buyer still absorbs close to a USD 1,000 (approx. RM4,600) loss. Five of the six largest value drops in SellCell’s dataset came from foldables, underscoring that “the resale math doesn’t work in any scenario.”
Does the iPhone Ultra’s Premium Price Ever Make Sense?
Apple historically leads the industry in resale performance, with recent iPhones retaining around 51.5% of their value after 12 months and outpacing major Android brands. That cushion does not erase the four‑figure loss you face on a foldable. Foldables are already “the single worst category for holding value,” and first‑generation models tend to fare even worse. Premium pricing alone cannot close this resale gap; it amplifies it. If you buy the iPhone Ultra at launch, you are paying an early‑adopter tax and “taking the full depreciation hit on the chin for an unproven product category,” as SellCell bluntly puts it. For most people, a premium phone investment should balance performance, enjoyment, and exit value. With the iPhone Ultra, you pay unprecedented money for a form factor whose long‑term appeal is still unproven and whose depreciation is almost guaranteed to be steep.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the iPhone Ultra if you are an early adopter who wants Apple’s first foldable experience and can afford heavy depreciation.
- Skip the iPhone Ultra if you care about iPhone Ultra resale value and prefer a phone that holds more of its price after one year.
- Buy the iPhone Ultra if you value owning Apple’s most expensive, most experimental iPhone and treat it as a luxury tech purchase.
- Skip the iPhone Ultra if you see a phone as a premium phone investment and expect strong, proven resale performance.
- Skip the iPhone Ultra if you are comfortable with current slab‑style iPhones and don’t need a book‑style folding display.
- Buy the iPhone Ultra if you accept the foldable phone depreciation penalty as the cost of being among the first to use the new form factor.
- Skip the iPhone Ultra if you prefer to wait for a second‑generation model with refined hardware and clearer market demand.
