iPhone Ultra: Will the foldable version be available in black? Apfelpatient

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Ironically, the most obvious of all iPhone colors might be missing from the foldable iPhone Ultra. A leaker claims that Apple hasn't yet decided whether the device will even be released in black – just a few months before its expected market launch. However, this report is not confirmed.

Few Apple products are currently generating as much speculation as the first foldable iPhone, expected to be called the iPhone Ultra. A new report from China now focuses on a seemingly trivial detail: the color options. According to this source, it's still unclear whether the foldable will be offered in black. While this claim fits with the overall picture surrounding the foldable iPhone so far, it should be treated with caution – the source is a Weibo leaker, and the information cannot currently be verified.

What the leaker suggests

The Weibo leaker known as Instant Digital wrote that Apple hasn't even decided whether the foldable display will be black – and added mockingly the question of whether the company has something against the color black. This remark suggests that black is at least being considered, but not yet a done deal. For a device that is about to enter mass production and is slated for release in September, this would be a remarkably open question.

Back in February, the same leaker had already described the device as having only two color options – white as the only confirmed option, the second remaining unnamed. In May, he reiterated this description without revising the color details. The current comment doesn't necessarily contradict this two-color calculation, but it does raise new questions about what the second option is actually supposed to be.

What other sources say about the color palette

Other reports paint a somewhat clearer picture. Macworld magazine cited a supply chain source who said the second finish would be an indigo tone similar to the Deep Blue of the iPhone 17 Pro – alongside a classic silver and white model. The same source expects the foldable to offer fewer colors than the iPhone 18 Pro models and to forgo any striking or bold tones.

A previous assessment by Mark Gurman points in the same direction: According to the Bloomberg reporter, Apple intends to forgo bright colors and limit itself to more traditional tones such as silver-white and space gray-black. Black would therefore be quite conceivable – just not yet officially confirmed.

Why a limited color range is plausible anyway

The current state of production argues against a genuine last-minute indecision. Samsung Display's OLED panels for the device are already in mass production, and the ramp-up is underway. Color decisions are directly incorporated into manufacturing and component procurement and must be finalized well in advance of the launch. With such a complex and supply-chain-critical product, a significant late-stage indecision seems unlikely – the announcement therefore probably reflects a certain degree of uncertainty in the supply chain regarding the second color rather than an actual, open-ended fundamental decision.

It's consistent with this that the dummy models that have surfaced so far have only been seen in white. New high-end products like the Apple Watch Ultra and the Vision Pro also launched with only one color option each. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also warned that initial production difficulties could limit availability until at least the end of 2026; the often-cited 15 to 20 million units likely refers to cumulative demand over the entire product lifecycle of two to three years, not just 2026. Every additional color variant increases the number of versions that need to be manufactured, stored, and distributed—an effort Apple is unlikely to undertake given the already limited initial availability.

Such an approach would be nothing new. The iPhone X was launched in November 2017 in only two colors, silver and space gray, at a record starting price of $999. The iPhone XS, which followed a year later, added gold to the lineup. Apple could choose a similarly gradual expansion for the iPhone Ultra.

At this price, color is of secondary importance

With a starting price that Gurman expects to exceed $2,000, the foldable iPhone is unlikely to appeal to buyers whose decision hinges primarily on color options. This gives Apple leeway to deliberately keep the initial color palette limited. The first foldable iPhone is expected to be unveiled in September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max – by then, at the latest, it should become clear which colors the Ultra model will actually be available in. (Image: Shutterstock / hurricanehank)