Apple may be gearing up to launch the iPhone 15 Ultra — a name that would signal the company is borrowing a page from Samsung and Xiaomi's playbook of ultra-tier flagships. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the 2023 iPhone lineup will see the biggest Pro-versus-standard split in Apple's history, with the top-end model potentially rebranded as the iPhone 15 Ultra.
iPhone 15 Ultra: What the Analysts Are Saying
Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the most reliable Apple analysts in the industry, has stated that Apple plans to widen the gap between the iPhone 15 Pro models and the standard iPhone 15 lineup. The strategy is straightforward: push customers toward the more expensive models by making the Pro Max — potentially renamed iPhone 15 Ultra — meaningfully more capable than anything else in the range.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg separately corroborated the naming rumour, reporting that Apple is considering dropping the Pro Max suffix in favour of Ultra. The Ultra branding would clearly differentiate this device from the rest of the iPhone 15 family and align with the kind of aspirational positioning Apple has already established with the Apple Watch Ultra.
How Apple Is Already Splitting the iPhone 14 Lineup
Apple's approach with the iPhone 14 series gives a strong preview of what is to come. The differences between the standard and Pro models in 2022 were larger than in any previous generation:
- The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus ship with Apple's older A15 Bionic chipset, carried over from the iPhone 13 Pro.
- The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are powered by the newer A16 Bionic chip.
- Pro models feature a pill-shaped cutout that enables the Dynamic Island — a software-hardware feature absent on the standard models.
- The Pro lineup gets a 48MP primary camera, while the standard models retain a 12MP sensor with a slightly wider aperture.
- Screen size and battery capacity remain the primary hardware differences between the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
What Makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max Different From the Pro?
Kuo indicates that next year the differentiation will extend beyond just screen size and battery. The iPhone 15 Pro Max — or iPhone 15 Ultra — is expected to receive exclusive hardware upgrades that will not trickle down to the standard iPhone 15 Pro. While specific details of those exclusive features had not been fully disclosed at the time of reporting, the overarching goal is clear: Apple wants to create a halo product at the very top of its lineup, similar to what Samsung achieved with the Galaxy S Ultra series and what Xiaomi has done with its Ultra-branded flagships.
This strategy also makes business sense. By concentrating the most desirable features in the priciest model, Apple can drive average selling prices higher. Kuo explicitly noted that this approach should boost sales of Apple's high-end iPhones and, by extension, improve the company's profit margins.
The Ultra Name and What It Means for Apple's Lineup
The word Ultra carries significant weight in the premium smartphone market. Samsung uses it for the Galaxy S Ultra, its most feature-packed flagship. Xiaomi has similarly applied the Ultra suffix to its most advanced camera phones. By potentially adopting the same naming convention, Apple would be signalling that the iPhone 15 Ultra is not merely a bigger Pro Max — it is a category of its own.
Apple has already shown it is comfortable with the Ultra branding. The Apple Watch Ultra, launched in 2022, introduced a new tier above the standard Apple Watch lineup and was positioned as a rugged, high-performance device for extreme use cases. Applying the same name to an iPhone would carry similar connotations of premium capability and exclusivity.
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Key Takeaways
The iPhone 15 cycle looks set to be the most segmented iPhone generation yet. With Ming-Chi Kuo predicting deeper feature splits between the Pro and standard models, and Mark Gurman reporting on the possible iPhone 15 Ultra rebranding, Apple appears intent on creating a true flagship-of-flagships at the top of its 2023 lineup. Whether the name sticks remains to be seen, but the direction of travel is clear: Apple is moving toward an Ultra tier.
