Your wallet can sit out next week’s Apple event

Insufficiently Ultra

Perhaps the event’s most exciting announcement will be the iPhone Ultra. The first-generation product will mark Apple’s entry into the foldable market, rivaling Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the like. It’ll probably offer some neat benefits, like a more powerful iOS multitasking system and the ability to seamlessly switch between the small and large screen form factors. Essentially, it’s a hybrid device that blends an iPhone with an iPad mini. It all sounds great until you take a closer look at the full package.

Despite its rumored Ultra branding, the foldable will sacrifice several iPhone features available on cheaper models. Most notably, it’ll downgrade biometric authentication from Face ID to Touch ID and exclude the telephoto camera that enables a longer zoom range. It may also come in just two lifeless colorways.

Taking its high cost into consideration, it’s hard to justify buying the iPhone Ultra. It’s usually advisable to steer clear of first-gen devices, especially when they cost $2,000-2,500 and aren’t as capable as the rest of the lineup. I’d recommend waiting for its successor, which will almost surely address some of the original iPhone Ultra’s shortcomings and potentially be more durable. Until then, using an iPhone and iPad separately provides a wider feature set and a longer combined battery life.

Familiar Pro-file

With the iPhone Ultra out of the way, you may be eyeing an iPhone 18 Pro instead. After all, the Pro models are the most advanced and reliable of their kind, offering Apple’s latest innovations in the mobile department. Nevertheless, you’ll want to skip that, too.