iPhone Ultra gets a direct nod from Apple
The latest iOS 27 beta reveals something about the iPhone Ultra.
The iPhone Ultra will have the same battery setup as other foldables. | Image by AppleTrack
While evidence mounts that Apple is prepping its first foldable phone for a September unveiling, the Cupertino giant hasn't officially confirmed the iPhone Ultra's existence. Not directly, anyway, though the latest iOS 27 developer beta contains evidence that the first bendable iPhone is on its way.
Book-style foldables feature two batteries, placing one cell in each half of the device.
Rumors have suggested that the iPhone Ultra would take the same approach, a detail practically confirmed by the fourth iOS 27 developer beta.
The new battery strings reside in the Battery Health section, covering standard diagnostic checks such as whether everything is up to par. Interestingly, the code also flags if one of the batteries is inauthentic, doubling down on multi-battery architecture.
While Apple tends to be secretive about future products, developers often dig up information about upcoming products in pre-release software. The first iOS 27 beta, for instance, included reference to angle detection and fold modes.
As for the battery capacity, the two units are rumored to sport rated capacities of 1,921mAh and 2,962mAh, totaling 4,883mAh. The marketed capacity may be 5,000mAh, which falls short of the 5,800mAh figure floated by some earlier rumors.
A 5,000mAh battery would still edge out what other mainstream foldable phones offer, though it would pale next to the 6,660mAh silicon-carbon batteries found in Chinese foldables.
Despite entering the foldable market late, the iPhone Ultra is predicted to perform better than Samsung's foldables.
While the South Korean company is expected to ship just 5.5 to 6 million foldables this year, Apple is targeting shipments of 10 million units.
Samsung ceded nearly 14% of its market share to Motorola last year and is projected to lose more to Apple.
Taking after other foldables
Book-style foldables feature two batteries, placing one cell in each half of the device.
Rumors have suggested that the iPhone Ultra would take the same approach, a detail practically confirmed by the fourth iOS 27 developer beta.
First reported by Macworld and later confirmed by MacRumors, code sleuths trawling through the code found snippets explicitly referencing an iPhone with multiple batteries.
No current iPhone has a dual-battery layout, making it sufficiently clear that the iPhone Ultra, or whatever it ends up being called, will indeed be sharing the stage with the iPhone 18 Pro.
No current iPhone has a dual-battery layout, making it sufficiently clear that the iPhone Ultra, or whatever it ends up being called, will indeed be sharing the stage with the iPhone 18 Pro.
The batteries in this iPhone are performing as expected.
fourth iOS 27 developer beta
The health of the batteries in this iPhone has significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the batteries to restore full performance and capacity.
fourth iOS 27 developer beta
The health of the batteries in this iPhone has significantly degraded, and one of the batteries could not be verified as a genuine Apple battery. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the batteries to restore full performance and capacity.
fourth iOS 27 developer beta
Digging deeper
The new battery strings reside in the Battery Health section, covering standard diagnostic checks such as whether everything is up to par. Interestingly, the code also flags if one of the batteries is inauthentic, doubling down on multi-battery architecture.
Why would you buy the iPhone Ultra over an Android foldable?
Not the first time
While Apple tends to be secretive about future products, developers often dig up information about upcoming products in pre-release software. The first iOS 27 beta, for instance, included reference to angle detection and fold modes.
As for the battery capacity, the two units are rumored to sport rated capacities of 1,921mAh and 2,962mAh, totaling 4,883mAh. The marketed capacity may be 5,000mAh, which falls short of the 5,800mAh figure floated by some earlier rumors.
A 5,000mAh battery would still edge out what other mainstream foldable phones offer, though it would pale next to the 6,660mAh silicon-carbon batteries found in Chinese foldables.
Winning early
Despite entering the foldable market late, the iPhone Ultra is predicted to perform better than Samsung's foldables.
While the South Korean company is expected to ship just 5.5 to 6 million foldables this year, Apple is targeting shipments of 10 million units.
Samsung ceded nearly 14% of its market share to Motorola last year and is projected to lose more to Apple.
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