The first foldable iPhone should be the great protagonist of Apple’s “Dawn of new surprises” keynote, scheduled for Wednesday 9 September, at 7pm Italian time. It is the same title that suggests that the first foldable device with the apple will finally see the light after years of rumors and half-confirmations.
Apple, the debut of the new CEO
But it won’t be the only epochal innovation to debut on the Cupertino stage. In fact, after 15 years of an honorable career, Tim Cook has stepped down from the role of CEO, handing over the baton to John Ternus, in charge since September 1st in the most prestigious position in the company, after 25 years at the helm of Apple’s hardware department.
Ternus, it must be said, will not be a simple task: it will have to deal – like all tech giants – with the increase in chip prices and consequently devices (the costs of Macs and iPads have already increased in recent weeks), but at the same time it will have to reduce the gap precisely on the foldable smartphone front and even more so on the battlefield of artificial intelligence, on which Cupertino is extremely behind.
What the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be like
According to analysts, Apple will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, leaving the base model, the iPhone 18, for availability in the coming months. A choice due to the difficulty in finding the necessary hardware, including RAM memories, preferring to focus on the more powerful versions, capable of providing, It goes without sayinga more important economic return.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max should be equipped with faster processors, optimized battery life and advanced cameras. In particular, the new generation of Apple smartphones should mark the first step towards ‘full screen’ and the adoption of Ltpo+ panels, a technology that would allow Apple to hide part of the Face ID sensors directly under the pixels of the display. In this small upheaval, Dynamic Island will not disappear completely, but it should become significantly smaller.
However, the top-of-the-range versions of the iPhone 18 could mark the real turning point compared to the past and the competition, particularly in terms of the photographic sector: the two models should introduce a variable aperture system on the main lens for the first time. In essence, as happens in professional cameras, the lens will be able to physically adjust the amount of light that hits the sensor. The improvements will particularly concern night shots and the bokeh effect of portraits, which will no longer depend exclusively on the software.
First foldable iPhone
And the first foldable iPhone? It should be called Ultra: we are talking about a device with an internal display between 7 and 8 inches, and an external panel between 5 and 6 inches; the front camera would be positioned under the screen, and the display crease should be almost invisible to the eye. Already in March, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had anticipated that the design of the new smartphone would be very similar to that of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, with a book-like opening and low energy consumption modem.
The pain point for consumers should be the price. Cupertino’s foldable could fit into a price range between 2,000 and 2,500 dollars (which for the European market could be close to 3,000 euros). A product that is not incorrect to define as ‘luxury’. Certainly not suitable for all budgets.