Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to start above $2,000, a level that would make it the most expensive handset the company has ever sold.
Key Points:
- Reports place the starting price for Apple's first foldable iPhone somewhere between $2,000 and $2,499.
- Samsung's newest book-style foldable starts at $1,899, setting a direct benchmark just below Apple's expected range.
- A new Klarna-backed leasing program gives Apple a way to spread the cost across monthly payments.
Foldable iPhone Price Reports
Mark Gurman, a longtime Apple reporter, wrote on Aug. 2 that buyers should prepare for a starting price of at least $2,000, and possibly more than that. He expects the rest of the iPhone 18 line to climb by $100 to $200 over current models, in step with recent Mac and iPad increases. Apple has confirmed no figures, and it rarely comments on pricing before a September launch event.
The device, widely reported as the iPhone Ultra, pairs a roughly 7.8-inch inner display with a 5.5-inch cover screen, and it drops Face ID for a side-mounted Touch ID sensor. Apple is expected to introduce it in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, though supply reports point to a slower rollout for the foldable.
The current iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple's priciest phone today, starts at $1,199.
Also Read: iPhone 18 Pro Max Could Be First With Apple's 2nm Chip, 15% Faster
Analyst Estimates And Apple's Foldable Bet
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates a starting range of $2,299 to $2,499, well above the $1,999 figure that circulated earlier in 2026. Research firm IDC has projected an average selling price near $2,500, with larger storage tiers running higher still. Kuo also expects thin early supply, and he believes pre-orders could slip into the fourth quarter.
Samsung set the benchmark last month, and analysts noted that it did not climb as high as some in the industry had expected. Its Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at $1,899, the Fold8 Ultra opens at $2,099, and both sit below the range now attached to Apple's device.
Ben Wood of CCS Insight said at the London launch that a foldable priced above $2,000 would become a talking point for shoppers. Analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities expects Apple's foldable to add as much as seven million units in sales this year. Pu still cut his rating on the stock to hold, citing higher component costs and thinner upgrade appeal across the standard Pro models.
Apple Pricing History And Memory Costs
Chief Executive Tim Cook told analysts in late July that the industry faces a hundred-year flood in memory pricing, with exponential increases pressing on margins for Mac, iPad and iPhone lines.
Apple launched a leasing program called Apple Upgrade on Jul. 28, a Klarna-backed plan that replaced the older iPhone Upgrade Program and now lists the iPhone 17 Pro Max from $34.99 a month across 24 months in the United States.
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