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TechRadar

James Rogerson

Will there still be an iPhone Ultra?

Apple Mark Gurman Lance Ulanoff

One of the more curious claims we heard last year was that there might be an iPhone 15 Ultra – this being a super-premium iPhone that would be even more expensive than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

There was some debate over whether this would launch instead of or as well as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but of course in the end it didn’t launch at all. So does that mean dreams of an iPhone Ultra are dead? Well, not necessarily, as some sources have pointed to an iPhone 16 Ultra instead.

But are we actually likely to see an iPhone 16 Ultra? Or an iPhone Ultra any year? Or will Apple stick with its current selection of model types?

The case for the iPhone Ultra

The iPhone 15 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While there was some talk of an iPhone 15 Ultra, arguably the most credible source on the Ultra subject was Mark Gurman, who claimed in a February 2023 Bloomberg newsletter that Apple had discussed launching a higher end Ultra model alongside the Pro Max, and that it could do so in time for the iPhone 16 line. So in other words they reckoned we might see an iPhone 16 Ultra instead.

So that remains a possibility, especially as Gurman – who has a great track record for Apple leaks – has talked about an Ultra phone a number of times. Back in 2022 for example he specifically said “Ultra is coming” in a post on X.

Gurman seems to think this would could land as well as a Pro Max model, but given that the iPhone 16 Pro Max might be substantially better than the iPhone 16 Pro, it’s also possible that Apple could simply rebrand the Pro Max to the Ultra.

After all, leaks suggest the iPhone 16 Pro Max might exclusively have a ‘super-telephoto’ camera, along with a much larger 6.9-inch screen, and the biggest iPhone battery ever.

With those sorts of upgrades Apple could potentially justify the iPhone Ultra name – and a price rise to go with it.

Indeed, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has previously suggested that he believes people are prepared to spend even more than they currently do on iPhones, which could suggest a pricey Ultra model is planned.

And the Ultra name also makes sense, given that Apple has launched the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Arguably, launching an iPhone Ultra would also make the phone feel like a more direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which could be desirable for Apple.

The case against the iPhone Ultra

While some credible sources have spoken of an iPhone Ultra in the past, and even specifically mentioned that it might launch this year or later, we haven’t heard anything about an Ultra recently.

That includes from Mark Gurman, who was one of the main sources on the subject, but no other leakers have recently mentioned an iPhone Ultra either.

Not only that, but early iOS 18 code obtained by MacRumors only mentions model numbers for four upcoming iPhones, which would presumably be the iPhone 16 (listed as ‘D47’), iPhone 16 Plus (D48), iPhone 16 Pro (D93), and iPhone 16 Pro Max (D94).

Now, that still leaves the possibility that an iPhone 16 Ultra could land in place of a Pro Max, but makes it seems unlikely that we’ll see both models anyway.

So will there be an iPhone Ultra?

Given that talk of an iPhone Ultra has died down, and that there’s no real evidence or recent suggestion of one among the iPhone 16 line, we’d think it’s very unlikely that we’ll see an iPhone Ultra this year.

If we do, it will probably be a rebranded iPhone 16 Pro Max, rather than an additional model that sits above the Pro Max. And given the rumored specs of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you could probably basically consider it an iPhone 16 Ultra even if that’s not what it’s called.

But with no recent talk of the Ultra name, our best guess is that this year we’ll see an iPhone 16, an iPhone 16 Plus, an iPhone 16 Pro, and an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

It’s still entirely possible that an iPhone Ultra could land in 2025 or beyond, and whether through rebranding or a new model we doubt the Pro Max line will be Apple’s top phones forever. But there’s little to suggest we’ll see an Ultra iPhone anytime soon.