Apple just all-but-confirmed the iPhone Ultra in the iOS 27 beta

• References to a foldable phone have been found in iOS 27 beta code
• These references weren't present in iOS 26
• They strongly suggest both that a foldable phone is in the works and that it will be launching soon

The long-rumored iPhone Ultra could be the most exciting iPhone of the year, as this is set to be Apple’s first foldable phone. And if there was any doubt that it’s coming soon, that’s largely been put to rest by some code found in the first iOS 27 beta.

As spotted by Sam Henri Gold (via 9to5Mac), some code in the iOS 27 developer beta mentions “foldState” and “angleDegrees”. The first of those seems like an obvious reference to a foldable phone, and the second presumably refers to the different angles you could have the screen open at — so, again, a clear hint that a foldable phone is coming soon.

If that wasn’t enough, they also found a check for the total number of built-in displays, which would be completely unnecessary if a foldable device isn’t on the way, since the answer would always be one with a conventional phone.

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Probably launching this year

Not only are these clear signs of an Apple-made foldable phone being in the works, but they strongly suggest it’s coming soon — likely in time for the finished launch of iOS 27 in September, especially as 9to5Mac has verified that iOS 26 didn’t have any of these references.

So, while it’s always possible the iPhone Ultra will be delayed, right now, it looks like Apple plans to launch it this year — just like most recent release date leaks have suggested.

In which case, you can probably expect it to land alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September, with the base iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e reportedly not launching until early next year.

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