Dbrand is now in the middle of Apple’s foldable-iPhone naming fight, and the device still has no official name ahead of the Surprise and Shine event tomorrow. Mark Gurman said everyone calls it Ultra internally.
The naming choice will shape how buyers read the device before they ever hold it. Apple is expected to frame the foldable around a larger inner screen and a thinner profile than the iPhone Air when open.
Mark Gurman on Ultra
On August 11, 2026, Gurman wrote, “Everyone calls it the Ultra internally.”
That points to a label already circulating inside Apple, but it does not settle what lands on the box.
Max Weinbach said last month that iPhone Ultra seems off.
His objection is mechanical, not cosmetic. The foldable iPhone is not expected to have a telephoto lens, Face ID, or the Action button, and it probably will not have the same vapor cooling chamber as the Pro iPhones.
Ray Wong and iPhone Max
Ray Wong posted on September 8, 2026, “What if foldable iPhone is called: iPhone Max.”
He also wrote, “It’s not a “Pro” because it doesn’t have telephoto or the longest battery or Face ID or action button.”
That logic tracks Apple’s own naming history. Apple first used Plus for the iPhone 6 Plus through the iPhone 8 Plus. Apple later used Max for the bigger model with the iPhone XS Max. Apple introduced the first Pro iPhone with the iPhone 11 Pro. Apple has called the larger Pro model Pro Max since the iPhone 11 Pro era. Apple brought back Plus for the iPhone 14 through the iPhone 16 series. The iPhone 16 Plus was replaced with an iPhone Air last year.
Air Max and Apple’s lineup
The foldable is expected to measure around 4mm when open, while the iPhone Air measures 5.6mm.
That gap pushes the device toward a thin-and-light pitch, not a Pro-style feature list. The article says Nike would probably not be okay with Apple using “Air Max” branding, and it says Tim Cook may be on the Nike board.
Tomorrow’s event is the only place where the naming question should get an answer. Until then, the real issue is whether Apple picks a name that signals a new category, or one that fits its older Plus, Max, or Pro Max pattern.
