Apple's upcoming foldable, tentatively dubbed the iPhone Ultra or the iPhone Fold, has been an attraction magnet for quite some time, not just because of its sky-high price but also on account of the various innovations it's expected to sport, including the world's first OLED panel that can produce native 10-bit color depth, an intricate hinge mechanism, and a novel adhesive that keeps the display crease at bay.
Alas! The iPhone Ultra/iPhone Fold won't be able to graduate beyond a novelty product if the thesis of a troubling new study pans out.
A new study claims Apple's iPhone Ultra might lose as much as $1,292 of its residual value within a 12-month period
According to a study commissioned by the used phone platform SellCell, "foldable smartphone owners lose almost $1,000 on average within 12 months — nearly $400 more than consumers who purchase traditional flagship devices."
The study's main findings include:
- Foldable smartphones lose an average of 64.6% of their value (or $997.69) within 12 months, while traditional smartphones lose an average of 55.3% of their value (or $605.32) in the same period.
- Foldables retain just 35.4% of their launch value after 12 months, while traditional smartphones retain 44.7% of their launch value after 1 year.
- The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 1TB lost $1,479.99 in value within 12 months.
- Five of the six largest monetary losses recorded in the study came from foldable devices.
- Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup retained 51.5% of its value after 12 months.
- A hypothetical $2,000 foldable iPhone could lose as much as $1,292 in its first year if it follows current foldable depreciation trends.
The last point is the key here. Apple is expected to price the base variant of the iPhone Ultra at around $2,000. As such, if the foldable iPhone follows the prevailing depreciation trends, it could lose $1,292 of its value within 1 year, resulting in a residual value of just $708.
Of course, there are a few caveats. The study itself notes that "nine of the ten best-performing devices for value retention were iPhones."
Given the heightened demand profile for Apple iPhones in general and the iPhone Ultra/iPhone Fold in particular, it is quite likely that the foldable iPhone would manage to outcompete its rivals by retaining a larger proportion of its list value, especially as any subsequent discount to the list value will, in all likelihood, unlock additional demand tiers.
On the other hand, the iPhone Ultra is expected to be a fragile device, and any physical damage is likely to spur a more aggressive loss of value.
At the end of the day, a lot appears to be riding on how robust of a construction is Apple able to pull off with its first foldable iPhone. Its Liquid metal hinge and a titanium frame are positives in this assessment, while the delicate display layers are a net negative.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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