iPhone 15 'Ultra' Could Replace Pro Max Model Next Year

Apple is gearing up to possibly replace its "Pro Max" iPhone with an all-new "Ultra" iPhone 15 model next year, reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said today.

iphone 14 pro max deep purple
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that for the ‌iPhone 15‌, Apple is planning a revamped design alongside USB-C and a potential name change. Apple could replace its "Pro Max" branding, which it started to use with the ‌iPhone‌ 11, with "Ultra," according to Gurman.

Based on Apple's current pattern, we can expect 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.

The shift to using "Ultra" branding for the highest-end ‌iPhone‌ would follow in the footsteps of other naming decisions Apple has made recently. Most notably, the most rugged and extreme Apple Watch yet is named Apple Watch Ultra, while the most powerful Apple silicon chip to date is M1 Ultra.

Specific details for the ‌iPhone 15‌ are still rather scarce given it's still a year away, but Apple is widely expected to shift to USB-C for next year's iPhones. Additionally, rumors suggest that the hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts, introduced with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro, will trickle down to all models of the iPhone 15 lineup.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 or Wait for Next Year?

Friday August 22, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through what to expect from the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Ultra 3, and whether it's worth holding off on an upgrade until next year. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The third-generation Apple Watch SE is rumored to feature a larger display (perhaps like the Apple Watch Series 7), the S11 chip, and...

Top Rated Comments

Zeke92 Avatar
38 months ago
I’m surprised to see the positive reaction to this news. I disagree. For computers and phones, consumers should have the ability to get the best features regardless of size like with MacBook Pro and iPhone Pro. Ultra works for the watch because the target audience and use case is very specific. Do phones have another use case beyond the people who like pro phones? Maybe I just don’t understand. But I better be able to get a 6.1 inch phone with the latest features next year. 6.7 is too big for me.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saudor Avatar
38 months ago
My wallet is safe until the iPhone Ultra Plus Max Pro Ultimate come out.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E-MO-TION Avatar
38 months ago
$1599 base
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
38 months ago
Ultra expensive I bet. But it’s definitely the one I will be getting. Time to put my iPhone X into retirement.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krspkbl Avatar
38 months ago

If Apple want to avoid negative press, they should not offer USB-C only to the Ultra or even the Pro and Ultra models.
They would be insanely stupid to make USB-C exclusive to only the most expensive models. It would definitely generate a lot of negative press for them.

Every iPhone next year should come with USB-C. from the basic iPhone 15 to the "iPhone 15 Ultra".
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kerr Avatar
38 months ago
If Apple want to avoid negative press, they should not offer USB-C only to the Ultra or even the Pro and Ultra models.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)