Apple Launches iPhone Ultra at $1,999 on September 10, Faces Off Against Huawei's Mate XT 2 and Xiaomi

Apple is set to unveil its first foldable iPhone on Wednesday, September 10, at its "Surprise and Shine" event, a product launch that will serve as the earliest gauge of whether new CEO John Ternus can restore the company's hardware momentum after years of incremental upgrades and the Vision Pro's lukewarm reception. The device, expected to be branded "iPhone Ultra" and priced from roughly $1,999, arrives just eight days after Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as chief executive. According to Bloomberg and industry analysts, the 256GB model will start at $1,999, with top-tier configurations reaching up to $2,999, making it Apple's most expensive iPhone ever. The device features a book-style foldable design with a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display at a 4:3 aspect ratio—roughly the size of an iPad mini when opened. It will run Apple's A20 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM, pack a combined 5,000 to 5,500mAh battery across two cells, and include two 48-megapixel rear cameras. Apple has prioritized crease reduction through variable-thickness glass and a LiquidMetal hinge, with Samsung Display developing a near-creaseless OLED panel specifically to meet Apple's standards. However, the device makes several compromises to achieve its ultra-thin 4.5mm unfolded profile: it replaces Face ID with a side-mounted Touch ID sensor, omits a dedicated telephoto camera, and ships without an Apple Pencil at launch. The launch carries significant financial stakes, with analysts at TrendForce projecting a starting price between $2,099 and $2,299, positioning the iPhone Ultra well above Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series. The foldable iPhone enters a market that has been dominated by Samsung since 2019, and it arrives amid intense competition in China's premium foldable segment. Huawei launched its second-generation tri-fold Mate XT 2 on September 7, starting at 19,999 yuan ($2,980), featuring a redesigned U-shaped dual-inward folding mechanism and the Kirin 9050 Pro chip. Just two hours later, Xiaomi unveiled its first "mid-fold" phone, the 18 Fold, with prices ranging from $1,824 to $2,496. Counterpoint Research analyst David Naranjo noted that with supply constraints expected, Apple's foldable will serve as a "halo product" to boost average selling prices rather than a volume driver. Barclays analyst Tim Long has cautioned that supply constraints could push retail availability to December, while Tim Cook warned on Apple's Q3 earnings call that supply chain impacts would "increase significantly". The event also marks a strategic inflection point for Apple beyond the foldable itself; the company is expected to debut the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with its new A20 chip, camera upgrades, and higher prices, while the standard iPhone 18 and a successor to the iPhone Air are reportedly pushed to spring 2027 as Apple splits its launch cycle. For new CEO John Ternus, a 50-year-old Apple veteran who previously ran the hardware engineering division, the foldable iPhone represents the most ambitious hardware project Apple has shipped since the Apple Watch—and the first real test of whether Apple can still surprise people.