Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models, Apple is widely reported to be launching something genuinely new this September: its first folding iPhone. Reporting has referred to it as both an iPhone Fold and an iPhone Ultra, and Apple has confirmed neither the name nor the product.
If you are considering one, the single most useful thing you can do before the keynote is work out what your current iPhone is worth. Folding phones sit at the very top of the market, and the handset in your pocket is the most straightforward way to bring that number down.
What Is Expected, and What Is Not#
Apple confirms its lineup at the keynote and not before. What follows is reporting.
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Foldable iPhone launching September 2026 | Consistently reported |
| Announced alongside iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max | Consistently reported |
| Final product name | Unclear — "Fold" and "Ultra" both used |
| UK pricing | Not announced. We will not guess |
| Specifications | Rumoured, and rumours have been wrong before |
We are deliberately not putting a price on it. Speculating about a number Apple has not published would be guessing dressed up as advice, and you would be planning a four-figure purchase around it.
Funding It With the Phone You Already Own#
This is the part you can act on today. Our top pristine quotes on 18 August 2026 — the ceiling for a flawless, unlocked handset at the highest storage tier:
| Your current iPhone | Top quote |
|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | £905 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | £716 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | £711 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | £606 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | £511 |
| iPhone 16 | £476 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | £441 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | £401 |
For anyone holding a recent Pro Max, that is a substantial contribution to a top-of-range purchase — and it is the difference between the foldable being a stretch and being reasonable.
Cash or Apple Credit?#
For a top-of-range purchase this distinction matters more than usual.
Apple Trade In gives you credit against an Apple purchase. Convenient if you are buying direct, and it happens in one transaction. The limitation is that the value only spends at Apple.
Cash from a buyback goes into your bank account. You can then buy from Apple, take a carrier deal, or wait — whichever turns out to be best once actual pricing exists.
On a first-generation product where you may genuinely change your mind after the reviews land, flexibility has real value. Credit commits you to the purchase before you have seen it; cash does not.
The First-Generation Question#
Worth being honest about. First-generation hardware from any manufacturer — Apple included — carries more unknowns than a mature product line. Folding displays in particular have taken several generations across the industry to become reliably durable, and early software often needs a cycle to settle.
None of that means the product will be bad. It means the risk profile differs from buying an iPhone 18 Pro, which is an iteration of something Apple has refined for years.
If waiting a generation appeals, that is a legitimate choice. Just build the cost of waiting into it: your current phone will be worth meaningfully less by the time a second-generation foldable arrives. The generational price ladder shows how much value a year typically removes.
What to Do Between Now and the Keynote#
Check your exact model and storage
Settings → General → About. Storage tiers can differ by more than £200 on a Pro Max.
Get a quote and lock it
This protects your price through the launch window. Ours holds for 21 days.
Keep the phone protected
Case and screen protector until the day you sell. A drop from Fair to Poor grade costs far more than any timing decision.
Wait for the actual announcement
Reporting is for planning. Apple confirms pricing, specs and availability at the event.
Read the reviews before committing
Especially on a first-generation folding device. There is no prize for pre-ordering blind.
Post your old phone once the new one arrives
Back up, sign out of your Apple Account, turn off Find My, erase, then send.