Apple’s annual iPhone launch occasion will happen on Wednesday, September 9. It’s a staple of the tech scene yearly, however this yr’s iPhone occasion is arguably one of the consequential for Apple in properly over a decade.
Not solely is the corporate anticipated to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, however this yr’s showcase may even be the primary beneath Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus. Right here’s what to anticipate—and what to be careful for.
The world’s first foldable iPhone
Regardless of being practically 20 years previous, the iPhone has had solely two main designs all through its historical past. The primary was the iPhone with the bodily residence button (on the vast backside bezel “chin” of each iPhone from the unique in 2007 to the iPhone 8 in 2017).
In 2017, Apple launched the iPhone X, which eradicated the bodily residence button in favor of an all-screen design and Face ID.
Subsequent week, the iPhone is predicted to get its third and most radical redesign but with the introduction of the so-called iPhone Extremely or iPhone Fold.
Because the latter title suggests, the brand new machine will flip the iPhone from a slab-only kind issue right into a foldable one, and comes at a time when foldables are extra widespread than ever. However in contrast to widespread compact-style flip and book-style fold Android telephones, the primary foldable iPhone is predicted to undertake a passport-style design that can give it roughly a 4:3 facet ratio when closed.
Provided that Apple hasn’t had successful new product in years (hiya Vision Pro), quite a bit will likely be using on how customers react to the corporate’s first foldable. If issues go properly, it may make the iPhone lineup really feel modern once more.
Some new iPhone 18s (however not others)
Whereas the iPhone Extremely/Fold will doubtless generate essentially the most hype, Apple can also be anticipated to launch new Professional variations of the iPhone, together with the iPhone 18 Professional and the iPhone 18 Professional Max. Nevertheless, these telephones are more likely to be primarily iterative updates over the present iPhone 17 Professional sequence, not revolutionary new merchandise. Count on a sooner A20 chipset, improved cameras, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a few new colours (bye-bye Cosmic Orange).
However in a primary for Apple, it should reportedly not launch a base iPhone 18 mannequin, or an up to date iPhone Air, alongside the iPhone 18 Professional sequence. As an alternative, Apple is claimed to be utilizing the 2026 launch to kick off a staggered launch schedule for its iPhone lineup: Professional fashions within the fall, and base fashions within the spring. Meaning should you have been wanting to purchase an iPhone 18 or iPhone Air 2, you’ll doubtless want to attend till March.
New residence merchandise
The foldable iPhone may not be the one totally new product Apple introduces this week. The occasion can also be rumored to deal with the corporate’s residence merchandise, which haven’t seen substantial updates in years.
Reporting, primarily from Bloomberg, suggests that Apple has a long-expected replace to its Apple TV set-top field ready within the wings, with a sooner chipset able to supporting the brand new Siri AI and presumably more advanced games. The corporate’s glorious HomePod mini sensible speaker is predicted to incorporate inner chip upgrades that enable it to assist the brand new Siri AI.
However Bloomberg additionally says that Apple might introduce a brand new “residence hub” product. That is most frequently described as primarily a HomePod with an iPad caught to it—in different phrases, a wise speaker with a multitouch show that provides fast entry to widgets that allow you to management all of the sensible residence equipment and leisure in your own home.
The so-called HomePad has been rumored for years, however with Apple’s new AI focus, it makes a variety of sense to introduce the countertop laptop now.
New wearables and working techniques
Apple is predicted to spherical out the occasion by introducing some comparatively iterative updates to the AirPods lineup and introducing the subsequent fashions of the Apple Watch (Sequence 12 and Extremely 4). The Apple Watch fashions are anticipated to retain the identical design however function sooner chips that allow enhanced health monitoring.
Alongside these {hardware} bulletins, Apple is predicted to indicate off the ultimate model of its iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 working techniques, which it previewed earlier this summer time. Whereas main new function reveals aren’t doubtless on the software program aspect, will probably be fascinating to lastly see the twin display model of iOS 27 that runs on the foldable iPhone, which the corporate has not but proven off.
John Ternus and better costs
In fact, it’s not simply new merchandise that Apple will unveil. This occasion marks the primary beneath the management of Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, who took the helm on September 1, ending 15 years of Tim Prepare dinner’s management.
Whereas the common shopper may not care a lot in regards to the new man giving the opening keynote on the iPhone occasion, business watchers and the media will doubtless scrutinize how Ternus presents himself and the way properly he comes throughout as Apple’s new figurehead. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t count on Ternus to say any radical adjustments to Apple’s ethos. This occasion, as at all times, will primarily be about Apple pitching its new merchandise to customers for the primary time.
And customers will doubtless be paying shut consideration to how a lot the brand new iPhones will price them. Because of the AI-fueled memory shortage, Apple—like practically each different shopper {hardware} maker on this planet—has needed to hike costs this yr. Over the summer time, Apple raised prices on its iPads, Macs, and House merchandise, however left the value of iPhones unchanged.
Count on that to vary on Wednesday. It’s a close to certainty that the iPhone 18 Professional sequence will price considerably greater than the iPhone 17 Professional sequence. The query we’re all ready to have answered is, “By how a lot?”
