iPhone Ultra Fold Leaks: Apple's foldable iPhone Ultra has been in the works for years, and the wait has not gone as smoothly as the company had hoped. From visible display creases to prototype hardware that creaks, the road to launching its first foldable flagship is proving rougher than expected.
On top of the hardware troubles, a recent poll suggests that a large portion of Apple's customer base is not particularly enthusiastic about the device, raising questions about whether the company can stick the landing on what should be a landmark product.
The most talked-about issue is the display crease. Apple had spent years waiting for technology that would allow it to release a foldable with no visible crease at all, but the company has had to let go of that goal and settle for a crease that, while manageable, is clearly visible.
Beyond the screen, current prototypes of the foldable iPhone Ultra have reportedly been producing a creaking sound from the hinge area, which is serious enough that Apple is once again weighing a production delay.
The device has reached a stage where pushing it back by another year or two is not a straightforward option either.
As per a report by Phone Arena, a poll asking whether excitement for the iPhone Ultra was fading gave a fairly candid picture of where consumer sentiment stands. A little over 56% of respondents said excitement had never been there in the first place.
Around 24% of voters, however, feel that Apple will launch an excellent folding phone in the end, and that further delays are of no concern. Over 11% questioned whether the phone could even be ready on time, given the dropped creaseless ambition and the hinge noise. Almost nine percent said the reports were concerning, though not enough to write the device off entirely before launch.
According to reports, this year and the next are years of compromise for Apple. The iPhone 18 Pro may not receive the smaller Dynamic Island and under-display Face ID that were originally planned, and the iPhone 20 Pro is also expected to fall short of Apple's initial vision before a more refined version eventually arrives.
Apple's hardware and software have faced several setbacks since mid-2024, starting with Apple Intelligence missing its announced timeline, and including the iPadOS 18 rollout that caused M4 iPad models to stop working.
