As early as September last year, it was rumored that one of Apple’s 2023 iPhones could indeed come with the “Ultra” branding following the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra. Between the rugged wearable and Apple’s top-of-the-line Apple silicon chips, “Ultra” has become Apple’s new go-to name for the best of the best across multiple product lines.
In September, top insider Mark Gurman revealed Apple was planning “a revamped iPhone design next year, coinciding with a shift to USB-C and the potential of a new Ultra model replacing the Pro Max.”
Later, in January, prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo referred to new devices as “the highest-end model of the 2H23 new iPhone 15 model (15 Pro Max or 15 Ultra)", and in February Gurman reiterated that Apple could debut both an iPhone 15 Pro Max and an iPhone 15 Ultra.
iPhone 15 Ultra? It’s back!
Now, a source without a previous track record, but who could well be in the know, claims multiple sources have told them “Apple will indeed use the “iPhone 15 Ultra” moniker for the plus-sized pro phone.”
Apple Insider’s Andrew O’Hara reiterates this “was an early rumor that got backpedaled”, noting that most people (ourselves included) have since been looking ahead to the iPhone 15 Pro Max nomenclature.
According to O’Hara, the Ultra “will have the larger display and the 10X periscope tele lens,” while the iPhone 15 Pro will also get the Action Button and A17 Bionic chip, as expected.
While Gurman has previously hinted at a Pro Max and Ultra possibility, O’Hara explicitly states there will be an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and an iPhone 15 Ultra, with “no more” Pro Max name.
