iPhone Ultra mockup looks a lot like Galaxy Z Fold 8

Apple still hasn’t shown its first foldable iPhone, but leaked mockups are already inviting comparisons with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. Images shared by leaker UniverseIce suggest the two devices are unusually similar, with near-matching proportions, body layout, and even camera styling.

According to the leaker, Apple is preparing an iPhone Ultra for September 2026. The rumored book-style foldable is said to feature a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch outer screen, two 48MP cameras, and an Apple A20 Pro chip. If that holds up, it would mark Apple’s biggest iPhone redesign since the Pro Max era.

Samsung is also expected to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8 around the same time, possibly a little earlier. But unlike Apple, Samsung is heading into its eighth Fold generation, so the focus is likely to be refinement rather than novelty: a more durable hinge, a less visible crease, and the multitasking features already familiar from One UI.

Recommended reading

Starlink hits 5 million NTT Docomo users in 2.5 months

That is what makes the iPhone mockup stand out. Its design appears to track unusually close to Samsung’s Fold line, down to a camera block that seems modeled on the same visual template.

Apple faces a tougher challenge than simply entering the category. The foldables market is already occupied by Samsung, Huawei, Honor, and Motorola, and the basic appeal of “a phone that folds” is no longer new. Apple’s usual playbook is different: arrive later, then pull the premium segment toward a more polished product.

As Counterpoint estimates, foldables still account for only a small share of the global smartphone market, though the segment carries more weight in revenue than its unit share would suggest. Prices remain high. Samsung, meanwhile, has been selling the Fold since 2019, giving it years to work through screen failures, hinge complaints, and several major hardware revisions.

If Apple really enters in 2026, it will be arriving after every major premium rival. That puts the pressure on the iPhone Ultra to offer more than a familiar form factor and an Apple logo.