When A New Product Launch Can Be Challenging

There’s no question mark hanging over the release of the other iPhones and Apple products expected for this fall.

Launching a new product category isn’t easy. Apple’s first AirPods were held up for ages, and the first iPhone with Face ID, iPhone X, arrived two months later than the other releases in fall 2017.

So, you can see why many are concerned that the iPhone Ultra will follow the same tardy route. However, a new report in China Securities Journal, picked up by DigiTimes, offers hope that it may not be late, after all.

The report is based on a source at an Apple supplier. According to the source, “the company recently started delivering components in small batches for Apple's first foldable iPhone,” MacRumors reported.

And there’s more reason to give succor to the impatient among us. “The supplier also reportedly received guidance indicating that the device is scheduled to be unveiled in September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max,” it went on.

Reliable commentators like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman have said that the iPhone Ultra is likely to be late, though he suggested this in March, and any delays may have been caught up on since then.

There are still rumors of delays, but the closer we get to launch, the less likely they are to be true. The production schedule is now advanced, so glitches will have been largely overcome by now. Though, of course, there can still be hiccups.

iPhone Ultra Release Date Predicted Schedule

Apple will by now have a date in mind for its September keynote, and the release date that follows it.

I believe the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 18 — you can read my full schedule for every event that will lead up to this date here.

And while it’s not impossible that the unveiling will be at the same time but the release come later, I would suggest that it won’t, or at least not by much.

That’s because this September sees the arrival of John Ternus as CEO, taking over from Tim Cook. Apple wants John Ternus’s first product launch to go as smoothly as possible, so you can bet that everything is being done to see the Ultra — easily the most exciting product that’s been rumored for September — arrive on time.