Faceless ID
Users will experience the downgrade from the moment they pick up their iPhone Ultra. Due to its complex folding design, Face ID, the decade-old biometric authenticator and standard across all iPhone models, will reportedly be missing from a flagship iPhone for the first time since 2017. Instead, you’ll have to precisely position your registered finger on the Touch ID sensor embedded into the power button, as wth the iPad.
I’ve used Apple’s side-mounted Touch ID reader on an iPad Air in the past, and, trust me, you wouldn’t want it on your primary device. The operating system relies on biometric authentication for numerous sensitive tasks, beyond merely unlocking your iDevice. It’s used for Apple Pay, Apple Passwords, App Store purchases, etc. If your fingertip is moist or you’re wearing gloves, you’re going to find yourself manually entering your iPhone’s passcode countless times per day.
The iPhone Ultra will reportedly have just two cameras, a stark downgrade from the Pro phones.
Foundry
Camera shy
iPhones are many users’ sole digital cameras, with the Pro models boasting three advanced rear lenses for wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto shots. Given the Ultra name’s perceived superiority, customers would assume that the folding iPhone would match or even outdo the Pro variants in photography. In reality, it likely won’t.
According to rumors, the iPhone Ultra will completely drop the telephoto lens, downgrading the maximum digital zoom from 40x to around 10x. This will bar users from taking crisp shots of faraway subjects. Furthermore, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to exclusively adopt a variable aperture main camera, letting you control the depth of field and produce more balanced photos. You won’t get that with an iPhone Ultra, either.
Lack of Action
A couple of years ago, the iPhone 15 Pro retired the classic mute switch in favor of an all-new Action button. The mappable button allows users to run any task by pressing and holding it, including custom shortcuts, menus, and conditionals, making the Action button highly personalizable and useful. Based on the latest reports, the iPhone Ultra will exclude the Action button, providing users without an easy way to perform frequent daily actions.
Another common iPhone feature that might be missing is MagSafe. Not only does MagSafe provide a more reliable wireless charging experience and unlock StandBy mode, but it also lets you effortlessly attach a wide range of accessories, including wallets, power banks, kickstands, tripods, and much, much more.
