Apple might be gearing up to make its boldest iPhone branding change yet and all signs point to “Ultra.”
While the term “Ultra” only recently entered Apple’s naming playbook, it’s quickly becoming a signal for the company’s most premium, high-performance devices. And if history is any indication, the next big product to wear the Ultra badge could be the iPhone.
From M1 to CarPlay: The Rise of “Ultra”
Apple first introduced “Ultra” in 2022 with the M1 Ultra, a chip that sat above the already top-of-the-line M1 Max. That alone turned heads, after all, how do you go higher than “maximum”? But Apple wasn’t done.
Soon after, the Apple Watch Ultra arrived: a rugged, high-end smartwatch clearly designed to sit above the standard Apple Watch and even the stainless steel models. In 2023, Apple doubled down with the M2 Ultra chip and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Now, the Ultra name is moving beyond chips and wearables.
Just this week, Apple christened its next-generation CarPlay, also referred to as “the delayed CarPlay” or “Apple Car 2.0”, with the name CarPlay Ultra. Notably, the branding was showcased alongside Aston Martin, one of the most luxurious names in the automotive world. The signal is clear: Ultra means premium.
What About the iPhone?
Talk of an iPhone Ultra isn’t new. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first floated the idea back in 2022, suggesting Apple could eventually replace the Pro Max with a new Ultra tier.
In a September edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman wrote:
“If you have an iPhone 13, I’d wait another 12 months for the iPhone 15. That’s when we’ll see bigger changes, including a potential rebranding of the Pro Max as the Ultra.”
Well, the iPhone 15 came and went with no Ultra in sight. But with each new product launch, the possibility of an Ultra iPhone seems less like speculation and more like a question of when, not if.
A New Naming Strategy?
Apple is known for being conservative with iPhone naming conventions, but a shift may be on the horizon. Rumors suggest that a new iPhone 17 Air is in the pipeline. If that’s true, Apple could be planning to reframe the entire iPhone lineup, similar to how it’s structured its MacBook and iPad ranges.
Here’s what that could look like:
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Plus Air
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 17 Pro Max Ultra
This kind of naming not only mirrors the MacBook Air / Pro and iPad Air / Pro approach, it also gives Apple room to clearly differentiate its top-tier iPhone with exclusive features, designs, or even software.
As one insider reportedly put it: “It’s cleaner.”
Why an Ultra iPhone Makes Sense
There are currently fewer distinctions between the Pro and Pro Max models than ever before. With each iteration, the hardware and features grow more aligned, making it harder for Apple to justify two separate labels.
By introducing an iPhone Ultra, Apple could:
- Clearly position one iPhone as the absolute top-tier experience
- Add exclusive hardware or features to justify the premium price
- Streamline its branding to match its other products
Final Thoughts
There’s no official word from Apple yet. No product leaks. No spec sheets. No marketing materials. But if you follow the patterns, from chips and watches to cars, it’s clear the Ultra identity is gaining power inside Apple’s ecosystem.
And when you zoom out, an iPhone Ultra doesn’t just feel possible anymore.
It feels inevitable.
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