Apple Unveils First Foldable iPhone Under New CEO John Ternus

Apple used its September 9 “Surprise and Shine” event at Apple Park to introduce its first foldable iPhone, widely referred to as the iPhone Ultra, alongside updated iPhone 18 Pro models — marking the first major product launch under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1, 2026.

A New Product Category

The foldable device, expected to carry a starting price above $2,000, features a book-style folding design with a roughly 7.8-inch interior display and a 5.3-inch external cover screen. Reports point to a titanium-and-aluminum body and a return of Touch ID built into the power button, a departure from the Face ID system used on Apple’s recent standard models.

Incremental Gains for the Core Lineup

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are said to retain their 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screen sizes while moving to Apple’s2nm A20 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM, and Apple’s own C2 cellular modem — continuing a multi-year push to bringmore core components in-house.

Leadership Transition in the Spotlight

Much of the pre-event attention centered on Ternus, Apple’s former hardware engineering chief, stepping into the CEO role for the first time, with Cook moving into the role of executive chairman. Industry watchers framed the\event as an early signal of how Apple’s new leadership team plans to balance continuity with new product risktaking.