A striking set of renders showing what appears to be Apple’s first foldable iPhone has been making the rounds online, and the deep red version is easily the star of the show. There’s just one problem: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says this isn’t a legitimate look at Apple’s upcoming foldable at all. According to Gurman, the images actually came from Xiaomi, and Apple isn’t planning red or green finishes for the device.
The renders, shared by well-known leaker Evan Blass, imagine the so-called iPhone Ultra in three finishes: a clean silver/white, a dark graphite-like grey and a rich metallic red. That last option gives the foldable an almost PRODUCT(RED)-like personality and extends across the frame, hinge, camera island and even the matching wallpaper. It’s considerably more adventurous than Apple’s usual Pro palette, while the silver and graphite versions feel much closer to what you might realistically expect from Cupertino.
The design itself is equally interesting. It depicts a book-style foldable with very rounded corners, flat sides and a horizontal pill-shaped camera island housing two large cameras and an LED flash. The outer display has extremely slim bezels and a centered punch-hole camera, while the hinge appears remarkably compact when the phone is unfolded. Viewed from the back, the minimalist dual-camera arrangement almost resembles an elongated version of the camera treatment Apple has used on its non-Pro iPhones.
Gurman has effectively poured cold water over the entire leak, however. He says he is hearing that “these renders came from Xiaomi”, adding that this is not a legitimate representation of the foldable iPhone. More importantly for anyone hoping Apple was finally ready to embrace bold colors on a premium device, Gurman says the actual foldable “doesn’t come in red or green.” Apple has yet to confirm the iPhone Ultra name, its final design or its colors, so these images are best treated as an elaborate concept rather than a genuine leak. Still, they make a pretty convincing argument that Apple should consider bringing a proper deep red finish back to the iPhone lineup.
