Tim Cook helped shape Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra — and the $2,199 price talk
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Tim Cook pushed Apple’s foldable iPhone after seeing rivals in Asia, with internal pricing now discussed around $2,199.
On the eve of Apple’s Surprise and Shine event, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman published fresh detail on how Apple’s first foldable iPhone took shape — and how expensive it may be.
According to reporting summarized by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, Apple’s hardware teams had studied foldable phones for years, but former CEO Tim Cook became an unusually hands-on champion around 2020. After a trip to Asia where he saw many people using Samsung and Huawei foldables, Cook returned “unusually energized” and pressed the company to accelerate a mainstream foldable iPhone, rather than starting with a foldable iPad concept.
People familiar with the project told Gurman that Cook’s involvement stood out because he typically stayed farther from early product conception. One source called him “the earliest and biggest champion” of the foldable phone effort. New CEO John Ternus, previously Apple’s hardware engineering chief, is also described as a major champion who helped push the device over the finish line — making the foldable an apt showcase for his first September keynote as CEO.
Pricing: from a $1,999 target to $2,199 talk
Internally, Apple has referred to the device as the iPhone Ultra. Gurman’s report says the company originally aimed for a starting price of $1,999, hoping to stay under a psychologically sharp $2,000 line in the spirit of the original iPhone X’s $999 debut.
More recently, amid the global memory shortage and higher component costs, Apple has discussed pricing around $2,199. Some higher-storage configurations could approach $3,000. Apple expects sticker shock, the report says, but has been encouraged by customers already paying near $2,000 for heavily configured iPhones.
That money angle overlaps with — but is distinct from — KeyBanc’s event warning and earlier generic foldable price questions. Gurman’s account adds the Cook development history and a more specific internal pricing discussion.
Engineering trade-offs still in the rumor mix
Gurman restates the familiar book-style design: roughly a 5.5-inch outer display and 7.8-inch inner display, with designers comparing folded proportions to a passport and unfolded proportions to a Magic Trackpad. Prior reporting has also flagged compromises versus a conventional Pro iPhone — including Touch ID instead of Face ID, a two-camera rear system without telephoto, and durability/battery trade-offs for the ultra-thin chassis.
Apple is expected to unveil the foldable alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models on September 9. Final name, price, and availability remain unconfirmed until Apple speaks.