iPhone Ultra Testers Like the Fold — Gurman Says There's No Telephoto
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman talked to people who have used Apple's foldable. They like the pocket, the hinge, and iPad-like apps. The camera is two lenses, no zoom. If you need a telephoto this year, buy a 17 Pro.
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What is new today (August 24, 2026): Bloomberg's Mark Gurman talked to people who have actually used Apple's foldable. That is not another dummy photo. It is not the September/spring calendar I already wrote. Testers like the pocket fit, the hinge, and iPad-like apps on the inner screen. They also get a two-lens camera. No telephoto.
I did not open the paywalled Power On. I am using the public recaps: MacRumors (Tim Hardwick, August 23) and 9to5Mac (August 23). Both attribute the hands-on notes to Gurman's latest newsletter. If a Twitter collage contradicts them, I am ignoring the collage.
##### What Gurman's testers liked
9to5Mac lists four points Gurman says he heard from several people who used the device:
- It fits in a pocket. The outer display rumor sitting next to that line is still about 5.5 inches.
- The hinge feels durable.
- New iPad-like app layouts on the inner display. That panel is still rumored around 7.8 inches and wider than it is tall.
- It works well as a camera viewfinder.
MacRumors has the same four. Productivity, video, and games are the use cases they name. I am not turning that into a lab score.
##### The catch Gurman is willing to print
The foldable is a dual-lens rear camera: a 48-megapixel main and an ultra-wide. No telephoto. MacRumors says that gap could cost Apple some sales at the rumored price. 9to5Mac says the same two-camera setup. I am not inventing a 5x zoom that is not in those recaps.
Touch ID in the side button, not Face ID. MacRumors frames that as a thickness compromise, with a reported unfolded depth around 4.5mm. Gurman, in their telling, also says some people may prefer the fingerprint button. CNET's foldable roundup has been on Touch ID-for-thinness for a while. That part is not new. The tester notes are.
Internally, Gurman has said "everyone" at Apple calls it iPhone Ultra. MacRumors, August 12. He also cautioned that an internal nickname is not a locked retail name. I will keep writing Ultra in quotes until Apple puts it on a slide.
##### What I am not treating as a spec sheet
I am not inventing a battery mAh, a crease measurement, or a preorder price. MacRumors recaps rumor talk of about $2,000, and higher storage "past $2,500." That is gossip until Apple says a number. I will not put either figure on a buy button.
A20 on 2nm and a C2 modem are still in the 18 Pro / Ultra rumor pile — AppleInsider's August 7 Pro roundup and 9to5Mac's July 24 Ultra feature list. They are not what Gurman's testers added yesterday. I already used the split-launch calendar. This page is the hands-on.
##### My note, not a leak
I still see more Galaxy Folds on Caltrain than I see people actually unfolding one at a café table in SoMa. The viewfinder pitch is the first foldable argument that sounds like something I would use. Missing optical zoom is why I would not trade a Pro camera for it on day one.
If you need a telephoto this year, the phone that exists is the iPhone 17 Pro in our catalog — Renewed 256GB Deep Blue on that card, not a fake "new $699" listing. If you already live with one rear camera and you care about thin, iPhone Air is the live slab. I am not quoting our catalog dollars on either card. One of those prices has been wrong before. Open the listing.
I would not preorder a foldable from a rumor recap. I would not skip a phone you need this month because testers liked a hinge.
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Products in This Review
iPhone Air Space Black, 512GB (Unlocked)
iPhone Air. The thinnest iPhone ever. 6.5-inch display, durable Ceramic Shield front and back, A19 Pro chip, 48MP Fusion camera system, and Center Stage front camera.