Apple may be preparing a clean break from its familiar ”Pro” ladder. According to a report cited by Macworld, the company is lining up ”Ultra” badges for its priciest iPhone and MacBook, turning what started as a chip-and-watch label into a new top tier for its most expensive hardware.
If that naming plan holds, the first foldable iPhone would sit outside the regular numbered lineup and arrive as a separate family, not as another member of the iPhone 18 set. That is classic Apple: make the premium thing feel like a category of its own, then charge accordingly.
iPhone Ultra could sit above the iPhone 18 Pro Max
The rumored iPhone Ultra would be Apple’s first foldable iPhone and, if the report is right, the only one that costs more than the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The expected debut is at Apple’s September 2026 launch event, which would instantly redraw the company’s premium hierarchy.
That move would also let Apple avoid the awkwardness of making a foldable look like a side project inside the main iPhone range. Samsung has spent years normalizing foldables as a category; Apple tends to arrive late and then make the naming feel inevitable. Annoying? Sure. Effective? Usually.
MacBook Ultra would be a touchscreen OLED flagship
The MacBook Ultra sounds even more ambitious. The report describes it as a touchscreen OLED MacBook above the current MacBook Pro models, with M6 Pro and M6 Max chips built on TSMC’s 2nm fabrication technology, plus a Dynamic Island, a thinner chassis, and a hinge built to survive regular touch use.
Originally, that machine was said to be due in late 2026, but the global memory crisis has apparently pushed it to early 2027. Apple is not immune to supply-chain math, no matter how much the keynote stage tries to pretend otherwise.
Ultra could spread to AirPods and iPad
The branding may not stop there. The same report suggests Ultra could be attached to a high-end AirPods model, including the rumored pair with built-in cameras, and even an iPad Ultra with a larger, potentially foldable display. Bloomberg has also said a foldable iPad has been a priority for incoming Apple CEO John Ternus.
That expansion makes strategic sense if Apple wants Ultra to mean ”most advanced,” not just ”more expensive.” It also gives the company another way to separate its wildest products from the Pro crowd, which has become crowded enough already.
Apple’s highest tier is about to get pricier
The obvious downside is price. The foldable iPhone is already rumored to start at $2,000 for the baseline model, and Apple has already shown how easily an Ultra label can double the bill: the Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 costs $799.
If Apple applies that same logic across iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, and iPad, the Ultra badge will become less about technical bragging rights and more about a very expensive fence around the company’s best toys. The real question is whether buyers see that as premium or simply as Apple doing what Apple does best.