Apple has set September 9 for its next major iPhone event, confirming the date for a presentation that is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and the company’s first foldable iPhone.
The event, titled “Surprise and shine,” will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, or 8 p.m. in Kenya, with Apple also streaming the presentation online.
Apple has confirmed the event itself, while the products expected on stage remain based on reports and leaks. The September launch is nevertheless shaping up to be one of Apple’s most significant iPhone events in years, with a new form factor potentially arriving alongside the company’s conventional flagship models.
The timing also gives the event another layer of importance inside Apple. John Ternus is scheduled to become CEO on September 1, taking over from Tim Cook, which means the September 9 presentation will be the first major iPhone launch under Apple’s incoming chief executive. Ternus previously led Apple’s hardware engineering organisation, making the timing particularly notable as the company prepares to introduce one of its biggest departures from the traditional iPhone design.
Apple’s September event puts the iPhone 18 Pro in the spotlight
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to form the conventional iPhone portion of the September lineup. Reports point to familiar screen sizes and an overall design close to the iPhone 17 Pro generation, with many of the changes expected to focus on the display, camera system and connectivity rather than a dramatic exterior redesign.
Several upgrades have been associated with the Pro models, including a smaller Dynamic Island, a variable-aperture main camera and Apple’s C2 cellular modem. The phones are also expected to use Apple’s A20 Pro chip, reportedly built on a 2nm process, while 12GB of RAM has also been linked to the new generation.
The variable-aperture camera could be among the more meaningful changes for photography. A mechanical aperture would allow the main lens to regulate the amount of light reaching the sensor, giving Apple another way to manage exposure and depth of field. The smaller Dynamic Island could reclaim some display space around the front-facing hardware, while the C2 modem would represent another step in Apple’s effort to control more of the technologies at the heart of the iPhone.
The Pro models could also arrive in four colours: black, silver, dark cherry and light blue. The light-blue option has attracted particular attention because of the glowing imagery used for Apple’s event invitation, although the artwork does not confirm the colour lineup or any particular hardware feature.
The foldable iPhone could be Apple’s biggest announcement
The product likely to dominate the September 9 presentation is Apple’s first foldable iPhone. Reports point to a book-style design with an external display measuring roughly 5.3 to 5.5 inches and an internal screen between 7.6 and 7.8 inches. The format would resemble Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold approach, opening from a conventional smartphone into a device with a much larger tablet-like display.
The larger internal screen could give Apple an opportunity to make the foldable useful for more than watching videos or viewing enlarged versions of iPhone apps. Reports have pointed to an interface that could borrow elements from Apple’s tablet software, including side-by-side applications and layouts designed around the larger display.
That makes the software experience almost as important as the hardware. Apple will need to show what the additional screen enables in everyday use, particularly when the device is likely to command a price well above the company’s conventional iPhone models.
The foldable is also rumoured to use a titanium frame, a very thin construction and a display with a greatly reduced crease. Touch ID could return through the power button instead of Face ID, while the camera system is expected to include two front-facing cameras and two rear cameras. These specifications remain unconfirmed until Apple takes the stage.
Pricing will be another major part of the story. Most reports have placed the foldable at around $1,999 to start, while some estimates suggest higher configurations could reach $2,500. At that level, Apple would be placing its first foldable among the most expensive mainstream smartphones available.
The price also raises a straightforward question: what is Apple offering that makes the premium worthwhile? The answer will likely involve the combination of the larger display, iOS, Apple Intelligence, multitasking and the wider Apple ecosystem rather than the folding mechanism alone.
Samsung has already raised the bar for foldables
Apple is entering a category that is already familiar to consumers. Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra provide a useful benchmark because the company has moved toward wider book-style designs intended to make the closed phone easier to type on, browse with and use for everyday tasks.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 uses a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch internal display, dimensions that sit close to the reported proportions of Apple’s foldable. Samsung has also positioned the Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra at different points within the premium market, with prices approaching or exceeding $2,000 depending on the model and configuration.
That gives Apple a very different challenge from the one it would have faced if it had entered the category several years ago. The basic concept has been tested, refined and sold by Samsung and Chinese manufacturers including Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo. Buyers already have established expectations around hinge quality, screen durability, thickness, battery life, cameras and multitasking.
Apple’s advantage is the ecosystem surrounding the iPhone. Its challenge is making the foldable experience sufficiently useful that the additional hardware and cost make sense to people who already own an iPhone. The first public demonstration of that proposition will come on September 9.
Apple is changing the iPhone release calendar
The other major development could have a longer-term effect on Apple’s product strategy. The company is reportedly separating the iPhone 18 family across two launch periods, with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max expected in September alongside the foldable, while the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and second-generation iPhone Air are expected in 2027.
That would leave the September event focused heavily on premium hardware. Apple could devote its main annual iPhone presentation to its highest-end models, then use a later launch to address customers looking for a standard iPhone, a lower-priced option or another version of the Air.
The arrangement would also create a clearer hierarchy within the iPhone family. The Pro models would remain Apple’s premium conventional smartphones, while the foldable could become an entirely new top tier if Apple adopts the reported iPhone Ultra name.
That name is still unconfirmed, but it would fit a broader premium strategy in which Apple reserves its highest-end branding for its most ambitious hardware. A foldable positioned as an Ultra model would also give the company a way to separate the device from the regular iPhone range rather than treating it as simply another version of the iPhone 18.
The reported launch split could also make Apple’s pricing strategy easier to manage. A $1,999-plus foldable would sit in a different commercial category from a conventional iPhone, while the Pro models could maintain a more familiar position for customers upgrading from previous generations.
The event begins the John Ternus era
The leadership transition adds another layer to the presentation. Ternus will inherit an Apple dealing with artificial intelligence, new device categories and intense competition among premium smartphone manufacturers.
His background makes the hardware focus particularly notable. Before becoming CEO, Ternus was Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, where he oversaw the teams responsible for many of the company’s major devices. The products unveiled on September 9 were developed long before his appointment as CEO, so the event should not be treated as a personal product launch, but its timing will inevitably attach the presentation to the beginning of his tenure.
The foldable is especially interesting in that context. Apple has spent considerable time watching competitors establish the foldable category, and Ternus now takes the top job just as the company prepares to show its own interpretation of the form factor.
The event will also provide an opportunity to see how Apple’s hardware plans connect with its software and AI ambitions. A foldable with a larger internal screen could offer more room for multitasking, visual intelligence and other features that benefit from additional display space.
Apple Watch and AirPods could also feature
The iPhone and foldable are expected to dominate the presentation, but Apple is also expected to refresh its wearable lineup.
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are reportedly headed for the event, although neither is expected to receive a major redesign. New processors and health-related features are likely to be the focus, while a new Apple Watch SE is not currently expected.
AirPods 5 are also expected, adding another product category to the presentation. Camera-equipped AirPods with Visual Intelligence, however, are reportedly unlikely to arrive this year and could come later.
Apple has already announced new Mac mini and Mac Studio hardware that is scheduled to go on sale on September 22, so the company is spreading its hardware releases across the calendar rather than placing every major product announcement into the September presentation.
What Kenyan buyers should watch
For Kenyan consumers, the most immediate questions will be price and availability. Apple’s US pricing will provide the starting point, but local retail prices depend on taxes, distribution costs, storage configurations, exchange rates and the timing of official availability.
Samsung’s current foldable pricing gives some indication of the territory Apple could enter. A device starting around $1,999 would likely sit at the very top of Kenya’s premium smartphone market once local pricing and distribution costs are factored in. Any estimate in shillings, however, should wait until Apple confirms the US price, storage options and regional availability.
The timing of local availability will also matter. Apple’s global presentation date does not necessarily mean every market receives the products on the same day, so Kenyan buyers will need to watch for official regional launch information alongside the hardware announcement.
For Apple, September 9 is therefore about much more than adding another number to the iPhone range. The company is expected to introduce its first foldable at a premium price, place its Pro models at the centre of the September iPhone cycle and begin a new leadership chapter under John Ternus. If the reported launch structure holds, Apple will be asking consumers to think about the iPhone family in a different way, with the foldable potentially occupying a new Ultra tier above the conventional Pro models.
Apple has confirmed the date, venue and “Surprise and shine” theme. On September 9, the company will have to fill in the rest: the hardware, the price, the software experience and, most importantly, its case for why a foldable iPhone belongs at the top of the iPhone family.
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