Updated August 26
• Apple has set a date for its fall product event, and we're likely to see new iPhone models there.
• iPhone 16 Pro models could have an advanced OLED panel, and a hypothetical Ultra model would no doubt do the same.
We're going to see the new iPhone 16 models next month. But don't expect an iPhone 16 Ultra to be among the models Apple shows off at its fall product event on September 9.
That's disappointing if you've been following the rumblings about an iPhone 16 Ultra that suggested a super-premium iPhone has been in the works. But every iPhone 16 rumor of more recent vintage has suggested that the iPhone 16 Pro Max, not the Ultra, will be a part of the new lineup that rolls out this fall.
You can understand why people think the iPhone's future eventually means an Ultra model is coming to the lineup, even if it won't be the iPhone 16 Ultra. We already have the Apple Watch Ultra, plus some Ultra-branded Mac chips, as precedent for Apple making ultra products. The only question now is how to make the Ultra stand out from the existing Pro or Pro Max models, whether it's with unique features like advanced cameras or a different external design.
It's apparently a question Apple's not going to answer this year. Nevertheless, here's what we had heard about the iPhone 16 Ultra until it became apparent that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will remain part of Apple's lineup this year. We'll also look at what this means for the iPhone 17 lineup in 2025.
iPhone 16 Ultra: release date speculation
Talk of an Ultra model for the iPhone lineup dates back to 2022 when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman predicted that such a phone would follow the Apple Watch Ultra "in the next couple of years." That didn't turn out to be 2023 despite a number of rumor mongers claiming Apple would redub its Pro Max phone as the iPhone 15 Ultra.
For his part, Gurman was not among the people expecting an Ultra model at that time. Instead, in February 2023, Gurman reported that Apple was "working towards an even higher-end Ultra model for as early as 2024 in addition to adding more exclusive features to the Pro Max."
Since Apple's fall 2023 iPhone launch came and went without any sign of an Ultra model, the next earliest date that an Ultra would appear is in the coming months. With a September 9 date now set for Apple's fall event, that would be the date where we'd see an Ultra model — if it exists.
All signs point to the Ultra not existing as part of the iPhone 16 lineup. Samsung Securities — the financial services arm of Samsung — has a road map of potential Apple product releases. There's no mention of an iPhone Ultra under the 2024 heading. That would seem to suggest the firm doesn't expect such a prodcut to arrive this year.
iPhone 16 Ultra: possible price
If we don't know a release date for the iPhone 16 Ultra — or even if the phone is coming this year — then we're even less certain about the price. The iPhone 15 Pro Max saw a price increase by $100 to $1,199. That would seem to set a floor for the iPhone 16 Ultra price, especially if the Ultra eventually replaces the Pro Max as Apple's top-of-the-line phone.
For what's it worth, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799, which is $400 more than the Apple Watch Series 9. If Apple were to apply that same pricing strategy to its phone lineup, an Ultra model would come in at $1,399, as that's $400 than the iPhone 15 Pro's $999 starting price. That wouldn't make the iPhone 16 Ultra the most expensive smartphone out there — both Samsung and Google charge $1,799 for their foldable phones — but it would price the Ultra outside of most shoppers' budgets. We're pretty sure that would be a non-starter.
For now, we'd just assume that the iPhone 16 Ultra would cost around the same as the iPhone 15 Pro Max and adjust our expectations once pricing rumors emerge.
iPhone 16 Ultra: design and display
The biggest iPhone 16 Ultra rumor is that Apple could grow the display from 6.7 inches from the iPhone 15 Pro Max to 6.9 inches for the new flagship. This would be the biggest screen ever on an iPhone. This is apparently happening, though not for an Ultra model — instead the iPhone 16 Pro models are getting larger screens if rumors prove to be accurate.
Phone Arena compared a 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max render to one featuring the Galaxy S24 Ultra prior to that latter device's January 2024 release, and found that Apple's phone would be fractionally taller but less wide than the rumored specs for the Samsung device.
As for the iPhone 16 Ultra display, a rumor leading up to the iPhone 15 launch had suggested Apple might use newer Samsung panels that offered more brightness. As it turns out, the iPhone 15 Pro Max's peak brightness remained at the same 2,000 nit maximum outdoors as the iPhone 14 Pro Max. But it's likely the iPhone 16 Ultra will turn to a brighter panel, especially now that Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL offers the brightest display we've ever tested.
Reports from Apple's supply chain tip the iPhone 16 models to feature a more power-efficient display. Samsung, which traditionally provides Apple with panels for its phones, is reportedly switching from blue fluorescent technology to blue phosphorescence technology, which will allow the screens to consume less power.
The display could also benefit from pin-thin 1.15mm bezels, thanks to a new Border Reduction Structure manufacturing method. That hopefully means the body of the iPhone 16 Ultra wouldn't be that much larger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, even with the extra 0.2 inches of display.
Another iPhone 15 Pro rumor could also find its way to the iPhone 16 Ultra design: Solid State Buttons. Some had expected Apple's new phones to feature solid-state buttons. Instead of moving like the current volume buttons do, these buttons would instead use haptic feedback to indicate a press. The advantage of solid-state buttons is that it reduces the number of moving parts that can break down over time.
While the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro models offers haptic feedback, Apple reportedly ran into technical problems trying to implement solid-state buttons for mass production. Recent rumors claim that the iPhone 16 series will feature solid state power and volume buttons, alongside a new Capture button.
Whether the Action Button will get the same treatment isn't clear, however. Perhaps Apple figured out a way to resolve the issues for the iPhone 16 Ultra, but at least one analyst casts doubt on that possibility. Plus it sounds like the iPhone 16 Action button will be basically the same as the iPhone 15 Pro's.
Rumors of a buttonless iPhone have circulated for years. If it's ever going to come to pass, it would seemingly involve an Ultra version of the iPhone.
In fact, we could see yet another button added to the right side of the iPhone 16 Ultra, which is rumored to be called the Capture button, according to MacRumors. This could be dedicated to the camera and capturing content. As it turns out, the Capture button is tipped to appear on all four iPhone 16 models.
iPhone 16 Ultra: cameras
The big move on the camera front for the iPhone 15 was the tetraprism telephoto lens adopted by the iPhone 15 Pro Max that allowed it to increase its optical zoom to 5x. (The more conventional telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro still offers a 3x zoom.) With iPhone 16 rumors tipping the tetraprism lens to feature on all iPhone 16 Pro models, you'd expect the iPhone 16 Ultra to also use that approach, although maybe with a more powerful zoom to challenge the 10x optical zoom that Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra features.
Additionally, Apple may be switching to a different type of telephoto lens for the iPhones that come equipped with that type of camera. The new lens is thinner and offers improved magnification, according to reports.
Other iPhone 16 camera rumors point to a potentially larger sensor the 48MP main camera to capture more light and an increase in the megapixel rating on the ultrawide camera to 48MP, matching a move Google introduced with the Pixel 8 Pro and continues to offer with its Pixel 9 phones. Both these potential changes would have impacted the iPhone 16 Ultra, though we're expecting them to appear in the Pro Max version now.
While we would expect spatial video capture with the iPhone 16 Ultra, it looks as though it may no longer be exclusive to the top-of-the-line models, as a rumor hints to a vertical camera layout design change for the standard iPhone models, which could bring spatial video capture to them. Another set of leaked molds and mockups of the iPhone 16 seem to corroborate this with a vertical camera arrangement.
iPhone 16 Ultra: chipset and battery
With the A17 Pro debuting in the iPhone 15 Pro lineup, logic would dictate that the iPhone 16 Ultra would use whatever top-of-the-line chipset Apple is developing for its next high-end phones — presumably the A18 Pro, though there aren't many rumors about that silicon yet.
One report from MacRumors quotes analyst Jeff Pu, who says that all iPhone 16 models will feature an A18 chip of some sort, with the more powerful A18 Pro (with alleged laptop-beating power) reserved for the iPhone 16 Pro models. That would seem to include the iPhone 16 Ultra if it's really part of Apple's iPhone lineup.
It won't be a 2nm chip — that's apparently an iPhone 17 upgrade — but the 3nm process used by the A17 Pro is still very potent and should mean excellent performance for the alleged Ultra model. Pu also claims some variants will have more die space than A17 Pro, which means extra room for more specialized hardware that could help boost on-device AI.
The iPhone 15 Pro models reportedly feature 8GB of RAM — Apple never confirms the amount of memory it includes, so we have to rely on teardowns for that information. You would think that 8GB of RAM would be a minimum requirement for an Ultra model, though we've seen high-end phones offer 12GB of memory in multiple instances. One prominent leaker suggests that Apple isn't changing the RAM for the iPhone 16 lineup, which might be a sign that the Ultra won't materialize after all.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the first iPhone to offer 256GB of storage in its base configuration. Again, we'd expect the iPhone 16 Ultra to follow suit with at least that much storage. However, this storage could use a denser, but slower, type of memory, allowing for higher capacities, possibly up to 2TB, but slower read/write speeds.
Apple had been rumored to be working on its own modem for future iPhones, and while that work may be continuing, Qualcomm announced back in September that it would supply Apple with modems through 2026. If the iPhone 16 Ultra makes a surprise arrival this year, that means it's going to feature a Qualcomm-supplied modem, especially with Apple reportedly cancelling efforts to build a 5G modem of its own. (A 6G modem is an entirely different story.)
Battery life has been a distinguishing feature for the Apple Watch Ultra, which promises to last twice as long as the standard Apple Watch. We haven't heard any rumors involving the iPhone 16 Ultra battery, apart from reports that Apple is wrapping batteries with a frosted metal shell in an effort to improve heat dispersion. In other battery news, Apple is reportedly looking to diversify where its batteries are assembled in an effort to head off supply shortages.
iPhone 16 Ultra: Software
Any iPhone released in the fall is going to feature iOS 18. And Apple's given us a lot of info about what to expect at WWDC 2024.
As well as the Apple Intelligence features that apply to all Apple's main product lines, iOS 18 introduces a revamped Photos app, greater customization for the placement and look of your Home Screen apps, the ability to rework your Control Center and Lock Screen shortcuts, new app locking and hiding abilities and much more.
iPhone Ultra — what about the iPhone 17?
With the iPhone 16 Ultra unlikely to be a part of the upcoming iPhone lineup, it's time to look ahead to 2025 and the prospects of an Ultra model showing up then. iPhone 17 rumors have already started to trickle out, and there's a very strong possibility of a new premium phone joining Apple's offerings. However, it may no longer have the Ultra name.
Instead, the phone we've been hearing about for 2025 is the iPhone 17 Slim. Like the Ultra, this would be a premium model with its distinguishing feature being how Slim it is. The iPhone 15 is 7.8mm thin, but the iPhone 17 Slim is tipped to be even thinner than that.
Other Slim rumors suggest that the phone would have a 6.6-inch display and possibly just a single 48MP rear camera, with the idea of keeping the phone as slim as possible. The Slim would be the highest-priced of Apple's iPhone 17 models, inheriting that from the rumored Ultra.
Otherwise, details are pretty sparse right now, but it's worth keeping an eye on whether Apple rumors shift from an Ultra model to a Slim one.
iPhone 16 Ultra: Outlook
As we've noted throughout this article, the outlook for the iPhone 16 Ultra isn't bright, with much of the improvements slated for this phone allegedly heading to the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead. And talk of an Ultra model for future iPhones may give way to the iPhone 17 Slim, should Apple put the focus on thinner, lighter devices.
If the Ultra isn't going to happen, we do hope some of its rumored features like the buttonless design find their way to the Slim model. And if the Slim proves to be the ultimate iPhone that the Ultra was rumored to be, no one's really going to care about the name change.
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