The iPhone Fold Already Has a $20 Case

We’re getting very close to the point where the iPhone Fold — or iPhone Ultra, if Apple goes with the name we’ve been hearing — stops feeling like a rumour and starts feeling like something you could actually walk into a shop and buy.

And this might be my favourite example yet.

Mark Gurman has shared a photo of what appears to be a $20 case made for Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone.

Yes, a case.

For a phone that hasn’t even been officially announced yet.

That feels slightly ludicrous when you stop and think about it.

The funny thing is that cases have become one of the more entertaining parts of the pre-iPhone rumour cycle. Long before Apple puts a new iPhone on a table, accessory manufacturers are already trying to work out its dimensions, camera layout, buttons and every tiny detail that could determine whether their next batch of cases fits.

And with the foldable iPhone, there’s obviously a lot more at stake.

This isn’t just another iPhone getting a slightly different camera bump. We’re supposedly looking at an entirely new form factor for Apple, with a large inner display, a very thin body and a hinge running through the middle.

Yet somewhere out there, someone has apparently made a $20 case for it.

Gurman hasn’t revealed where the case came from or where he bought it, and the image itself doesn’t prove that this is exactly what Apple’s final product will look like, of course.

We’ve seen plenty of cases over the years that have been based on rumours, early dimensions or information that ultimately turned out to be wrong.

But it’s still a fascinating little glimpse into just how close we are getting.

Apple’s September media event is now only days away, and the rumour cycle has reached that strange final stage where we’re no longer just talking about what the iPhone might be.

We’re looking at the accessories that will surround it. Cases. Dummies. Displays. Packaging. Retail listings.

Soon enough, there won’t be much left to leak.

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On September 9, we’ll finally find out whether all of these little pieces have been pointing towards the same thing.

Or has Apple thrown us all a complete curveball?

Honestly, after all these years of waiting for a foldable iPhone, I’m starting to get more excited about seeing the real thing — than reading another potential rumour about it.

Even if someone has already made a case for it.