[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] A claim has emerged that Apple has internally approved development of its next premium smartphone, the iPhone Ultra 2. By contrast, the iPhone Air 3, touted as an affordable premium line, has yet to have its launch confirmed, a report said.

According to IT outlet 9to5Mac on June 25, the leaker Digital Chat Station claimed Apple has internally given a go-ahead to proceed with development of a second-generation iPhone Ultra.

What stands out is that development of a follow-up model has already moved into the review stage even though the first-generation iPhone Ultra has not been officially released. Digital Chat Station did not mention specific feature changes, but said there would be no major change to the display.

Uncertainty over the launch timing of the first-generation iPhone Ultra has also eased somewhat recently. The industry had previously suggested the launch could slip to the end of the year or early next year, but more recently weight has shifted to the possibility it will be unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. With a follow-up development rumour also emerging, some interpretations say Apple may be looking to run the Ultra lineup over the long term.

The future of the iPhone Air series, however, remains unclear. The same leaker claimed Apple has not yet made a final decision on whether to release the iPhone Air 3. The industry currently expects the next iPhone Air 2 to add an ultra-wide camera and adopt a dual-camera setup.

Apple is widely known to be likely to decide whether to launch a follow-up model after watching sales performance of the iPhone Air 2. This shows that business strategies for the Ultra and Air series could differ. While a next-generation model for the iPhone Ultra is being reviewed even before the first product is released, the iPhone Air lineup could be maintained depending on sales performance.

Still, this information alone makes it difficult to be definitive about an actual launch. Apple typically develops new products years in advance, meaning internal development approval and an actual launch are separate issues. The outlet also said it cannot rule out the possibility that the follow-up project could be cancelled if the first-generation iPhone Ultra falls short of expectations.

The same applies to the iPhone Air 3. It has not been confirmed for release, but it is difficult to say development review itself has stopped. Within Apple, related development teams are likely to continue operating, but final commercialisation is expected to be decided depending on future market reactions.

The market is watching two things going forward. First is whether the first-generation iPhone Ultra will in fact be unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Another focus is whether the iPhone Air 2 can deliver sufficient sales performance through improved product competitiveness such as a dual-camera setup.

The industry believes Apple’s future iPhone product strategy and the direction of a premium lineup reshuffle will also change depending on what criteria it uses to maintain and expand the Ultra and Air lineups.