Leak reveals Apple's plans for the iPhone and iPhone Ultra over the next few years
Apple has big plans for the 20th anniversary iPhone and a larger iPhone Ultra is coming soon.
Leaked iPhone roadmap | Image by TechDroider
The iPhone has gone through several changes since the 1st generation model shocked and excited the world (including this writer, who rushed out and bought one) in 2007. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman posted an iPhone roadmap that runs from next week's announcements through 2028.
The world changed on January 9, 2007
Some of you might not have been old enough when the late Steve Jobs unveiled the device to truly understand how revolutionary the OG iPhone was. It is not an overstatement to say that the world changed on January 9, 2007, and Jobs knew exactly what was going to take place.
This year, Apple is shaking things up by introducing its premium iPhone models in September 2026. The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone (the iPhone Ultra) will be unwrapped next Wednesday, September 9 during Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event. The base iPhone 18, the svelte iPhone Air 2, and the "lower-priced" iPhone 18e will be released next spring.
New features for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
According to Gurman, we can expect to see the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max add some new features this year such as mechanical variable aperture on the main camera (possibly limited to the iPhone 18 Pro Max). This will allow users to adjust the amount of light that reaches the image sensor and delivers true optical subject separation instead of relying on computational depth maps. It will also result in a more natural, smoother, and softer background blur (bokeh effect).
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The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have longer battery life, and will be powered by the A20 Pro processor. This will be the first chipset to power an iPhone that was manufactured using the 2nm process node and use the Gate-All-Around transistor architecture. Improved vapor chambers will keep the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max comfortably cool, and both models are expected to feature Apple's in-house C2 5G modem.
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The iPhone Ultra will debut next week
Many inside Apple refer to the first foldable iPhone as the iPhone Ultra. The device, rumored to be priced at $1,999 and up according to the latest rumors, features a large internal display and a smaller external screen. It will also be powered by the 2nm A20 Pro chipset and employ the C2 5G modem. The iPhone Ultra will come with Touch ID, an advanced hinge, and a crease that is more shallow and less visible than the one seen on other foldable phones.
The lack of a noticeable crease is supposed to be the first foldable iPhone's claim to fame. When closed, the iPhone Ultra is the size of a passport and will feature a main and an ultra-wide camera.
Next year will see Apple release three iPhone models next spring. The iPhone 17 base model had a great year thanks to the addition of some features that had been previously reserved for the Pro models. For $799 and up, the iPhone 17 was equipped with a 120Hz ProMotion display, an always-on screen, and twice the base storage at 256GB. Add the upgraded 48MP Ultra Wide camera and the 18MP front-facing camera that takes landscape selfies without having to rotate the phone, and you have a hot tamale on your hand.
Apple is hoping to see a repeat in demand for the iPhone 18. If you're working with a tight budget, the iPhone 18e might be your cup of tea. When Apple released the iPhone 17e last March, it was priced at $599 with 256GB of storage. As for the iPhone Air 2, it is expected to add an Ultra-Wide camera on the back, a faster SoC, and improvements to the battery life.
2028 will be the year of the iPhone 20
In about a year, the 20th Anniversary iPhone will be the topic of discussion. Curved glass will be wrapped over the corners and the edges with thinner bezels around the screen. This model will be the first significant change for the iPhone since the iPhone X was released in 2017.
Render of the iPhone 20. | Image by FPT
Apple has yet to release its first foldable iPhone and already it is actively testing the second-gen model. The only change appears to be a new chipset. And that takes us to 2028. A third-generation foldable iPhone is expected in 2028 and it will reportedly feature an external display larger than the 5.5-inch screen on the first two generation iPhone foldables. The internal 7.8-inch display will also increase in size with the third-gen iPhone Ultra.
Gurman also included information about a possible larger foldable iPad that could arrive before the end of this decade. You might recall that back in 2024, my colleague Johanna wrote that Apple was working on an iPad with a 20-inch foldable display for a 2028 launch. Talk about such a device had circulated as early as 2023.
Gurman also wrote that Apple's augmented reality (AR) glasses could launch no earlier than the end of the decade. These would be similar to the Google Glass with computer produced images projected over the real-world images seen through each lens.
This sounds as though an exciting future is in store for Apple fans.
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