Apple could be preparing one of its biggest hardware shakeups in years, with rep...

Apple could be preparing one of its biggest hardware shakeups in years, with reports claiming the company may finally enter the foldable phone market and introduce a new “Ultra” laptop category.
According to the latest leak, Apple’s first foldable iPhone may be branded iPhone Ultra, while a premium MacBook Ultra with an OLED touchscreen could also be in development.
If true, this would mark a major shift in Apple’s product strategy — expanding the Ultra branding beyond watches and pushing into two categories where the company has long held back.

• What happened: A new report claims Apple is planning to launch its first book-style foldable iPhone as the iPhone Ultra, alongside a new MacBook Ultra lineup with an OLED touchscreen.
• Why it matters now: If accurate, this would be Apple’s first foldable phone and first touchscreen MacBook, two long-rumoured products that could reshape its premium device lineup.
• What changes for people: Apple users may soon see a new top-tier “Ultra” category in both smartphones and laptops, potentially bringing foldable design, OLED displays, and touch support to premium Apple hardware.
• Who is affected: iPhone buyers, Mac users, Apple fans, premium smartphone shoppers, foldable phone competitors like Samsung, and the wider laptop market.

Apple is once again at the centre of a major product leak cycle, and this time the report points to two devices that could significantly expand the company’s premium ecosystem: a foldable iPhone and a touchscreen MacBook.

According to a new report cited by Macworld, Apple is expected to launch its first book-style foldable smartphone later this year, and the device may be marketed not as the widely speculated iPhone Fold, but as the iPhone Ultra. That would be the first time Apple uses the Ultra branding for an iPhone, potentially signaling a new flagship tier above the traditional Pro and Pro Max lineup.

The report says the foldable device could be unveiled alongside the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, suggesting Apple may position it as a parallel premium category rather than simply another variant in the main iPhone family.

That distinction matters.

If Apple launches the foldable as iPhone Ultra, it would likely treat the device as a separate, elite product line — similar to how it has handled the Apple Watch Ultra, which exists outside the standard Apple Watch Series naming structure. That strategy would allow Apple to preserve the core iPhone lineup while carving out a higher-margin experimental flagship for users willing to pay for cutting-edge hardware.

This also aligns with how Apple has increasingly used branding to create clear separation between mainstream and aspirational devices. The Ultra label already carries a rugged, premium, and top-of-the-line identity in Apple’s ecosystem, so extending it to a foldable iPhone would be a logical marketing move.

The timing of this leak is especially notable because recent schematics and dummy leaks have already fueled speculation about Apple’s foldable design. Those leaks reportedly suggest a book-style form factor, which would place Apple in direct competition with devices in the Galaxy Z Fold category rather than clamshell foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip.

That would make strategic sense.

A book-style foldable would allow Apple to pitch the device as a productivity-focused premium phone — something closer to a pocketable iPad experience — instead of chasing the fashion-driven compact foldable segment. It would also better fit Apple’s ecosystem strengths around multitasking, large-screen content consumption, and premium app experiences.

But the foldable iPhone is only one part of the story.

The same report also claims Apple is preparing a MacBook Ultra, a brand-new laptop lineup that could become the company’s most premium MacBook category yet. The standout detail is that this model is expected to feature an OLED touchscreen, which would be a major first for the Mac.

That is a huge deal because Apple has historically resisted putting touchscreens on MacBooks, repeatedly arguing that touch works better on iPad while macOS is built around keyboard, trackpad, and pointer input. If Apple finally introduces a touchscreen MacBook, it would represent one of the company’s most significant philosophy shifts in years.

An OLED touchscreen MacBook Ultra would likely target creators, power users, and high-end professionals who want richer visuals, deeper contrast, better battery efficiency, and more direct interaction. It could also help Apple create stronger differentiation between standard MacBooks and a truly premium flagship tier.

In practical terms, a touchscreen MacBook could also change how users think about the Mac-iPad divide.

For years, Apple has kept the Mac and iPad intentionally separate, even while slowly bringing their software ecosystems closer through features like Universal Control, Stage Manager, and shared app frameworks. A touchscreen MacBook would blur that boundary more than ever — and could raise bigger questions about whether Apple is slowly moving toward hybrid workflows without openly calling them hybrids.

Still, there are important caveats.

At this stage, these details remain report-based and unconfirmed. Apple has not officially announced an iPhone Ultra, a foldable iPhone, or a MacBook Ultra. While the naming logic is plausible and the rumours fit long-running industry expectations, the company is known for testing multiple prototypes and branding directions before launch.

That means the biggest uncertainty right now is not whether Apple is exploring these categories — it almost certainly is — but when it feels the products are mature enough to release.

If Apple does move ahead this year, the launch would be more than a product update. It would be a statement that the company is finally ready to enter two spaces it has deliberately avoided: foldables and touchscreen laptops.

That would immediately intensify competition across the premium market.

Samsung, which has spent years building the foldable category, would suddenly face Apple in its strongest innovation battleground. Meanwhile, Windows laptop makers that have long used touchscreen OLED designs would lose one of their key differentiation points if Apple adopts the same approach — but with its own hardware-software integration advantage.

Bottom line

If the report is accurate, Apple may be preparing a major “Ultra” expansion with two headline-grabbing devices: its first foldable iPhone, likely branded iPhone Ultra, and a MacBook Ultra featuring an OLED touchscreen. Neither product is official yet, but together they suggest Apple could be ready to reshape its premium hardware strategy in a big way.

What to watch next

• Whether Apple officially confirms a foldable iPhone launch window
• If more leaks clarify whether the device is truly called iPhone Ultra or iPhone Fold
• Whether Apple separates the foldable into a new standalone flagship tier
• If supply-chain reports increasingly point to an OLED touchscreen MacBook
• How Apple positions MacBook Ultra relative to MacBook Pro and iPad Pro
• The competitive response from Samsung and premium Windows laptop brands