iPhone Ultra: Know When to Fold ‘Em (And When to Run)

by

2 minute read

Ok, so Kenny Rogers song lyrics aside, this fall a new foldable iPhone Ultra is coming from Apple. From what I’ve read, it will: fold, be expensive, be something new for them, and yes be very expensive… That said, I love new Apple tech as much as the next guy, but do I want to spend more than $2000? Uh, hell no.

Sure, it’s supposed to be almost like a convertible iPad mini that folds into a short and thin yet double stacked phone. I mean, this kind of feels like when the Vision Pro was announced for $3600 which was a holy crap moment. But who doesn’t want a $2,000 pocket-sandwich that feels like two “very thin” iPhones taped together? For anyone reading the latest sounds like Vision Pro is a flop and didn’t sell well. No surprise there.

Available but not “FULLY” Available

Granted, they say it’s going to launch in the fall but not be available until December because of “production limitations.” Fancy speak for you can’t have it till Christmas yet because we said so! Now, buy lots of them for Christmas, please. I suppose perhaps scarcity helps drive demand, but in the end, if the yield is not there on those panels and all the parts, then it becomes a rare item. I mean, one could say folding phones have already been done (Samsung folds a plenty, Moto Razrs all over the place with a new one that just dropped) but typically Apple may take longer to release something, but when they do, it’s usually very well put together and thought out.

Never buy a 1.0

Like the old saying goes. “Never buy the first version of anything unless you want to be a beta tester.” And I’m not really in the mood to be a $2000-plus beta tester for an iPhone Ultra that I will use daily and need reliably from. I mean, let’s look back at the original iPhone. Yes, I’m that old… Sure, it was cool and different, but it didn’t have an app store and it ran on 2G internet when everything else was rockin’ 3G. It kind of felt like a flattened wide bar of soap, but the fact that you had apps on it and could touch the screen was the IT factor. Personally, I waited until the Apple 3GS, as i recall, before I actually got one, and it was a good experience by that point. Look, products evolve, but in order to do that, they need to be tested both internally and externally. The first set of buyers for the iPhone Ultra, if that’s what it’s called, will be external beta testers no matter whether they think otherwise. I’ll thank them for their service and potential pain as Beta testers so I can maybe get version 3.0 down the road 😉

So what to do

The answer to this question largely depends on who you are and what you want. If you must have the bleeding edge of everything, then you’ve already mentally said, “shut up and take my money.” So enjoy showing off your beta product to your friends, and I hope it works well for you. Now, if you are more risk-averse, you will wait and read reviews and watch videos to form your own opinion. I can tell you this as soon as they have one at a Best Buy or Apple Store, I will be sure to pick it up and hold it just to get a feel for what everybody is crazy about.

Here’s my take

So, this is from someone who’s had their iPhone 15 Pro Max for almost three years now (ok so 2.5 but who’s counting), so I’m really looking forward to an 18 Pro Max to replace it because that’s my type of phone. The reality is I kind of had to wait three years to replace it anyway because AT&T had a promo that required 36 months for you to get all the money back that they were giving you for your last phone in the form of “bill credits.” I’m in the home stretch, granted I’m not a total fan of the camera bump or “plateau” as they call it. So, if I trade early, those remaining credits just disappear. Let’s call it forced financial patience.

So sure, I would have liked to maybe upgrade sooner, but thinking back, there’s not a whole lot of difference from one version to the other hence my “Should You wait three years to upgrade your iPhone” article. Feel free to check it out here.

What to read more about phones or Apple in general? Check these articles out:

Join our Talkin’ Bit Substack

Leave a Comment