Apple will host its annual autumn product presentation on Wednesday, September 9, unveiling the flagship iPhone 18 Pro series alongside the technology giant's first foldable smartphone.
The keynote event, titled Surprise and Shine, serves as the first major hardware presentation under new chief executive officer John Ternus, following his transition to leadership at the Cupertino, California technology company.
Alongside the new smartphone lineup, the company is expected to showcase updated Apple Watch models and fifth-generation AirPods wireless earbuds during the broadcast.
The presentation begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, corresponding to 20:00 Moscow time. Viewers can watch the live stream across multiple digital channels, including Apple's official YouTube channel, the Apple TV application, and the company website.
Product availability is expected to follow Apple's standard release timeline, which traditionally opens pre-orders on the Friday following an announcement. Under that schedule, pre-orders are slated for Friday, September 12, with official retail sales commencing on Friday, September 18.
The staggered rollout will see the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max enter retail stores in September, while the new foldable iPhone Duo is scheduled to reach consumers in October.
Pricing structure for flagship devices
Retail prices across the flagship lineup are set to increase this year, rising by $100 to $300 depending on storage configurations.
In the United States, the entry-level iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,200, representing a $100 price increase over the $1,100 starting price of the previous generation iPhone 17 Pro.
For customers in Russia, initial retail pricing during the first weeks after release is expected to start at 150,000 rubles for the new Pro hardware.
The premium foldable iPhone Duo will launch at a starting price of $2,000 for the base model, while the highest capacity version featuring 2 terabytes of internal storage will cost $3,000.
Exact pricing for the foldable device in Russia remains unconfirmed until after the presentation, though early retail sales in the region are anticipated to exceed 200,000 rubles.
Lineup focus and foldable naming
Apple's announcement strategy for the autumn event focuses exclusively on top tier flagship hardware, leaving standard models out of the immediate schedule.
The entry level base iPhone 18 will not be introduced during the Wednesday event. Reports indicate that the standard iPhone 18, alongside an updated iPhone Air 2 and an entry level iPhone 18e, will instead debut in spring 2027.
Naming conventions for the foldable hardware shifted immediately ahead of the reveal. While industry sources previously referred to the foldable prototype as the iPhone Ultra, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reported on the eve of the event that Apple chose the official designation iPhone Duo.
The iPhone Duo features a book-style folding mechanism equipped with two separate display surfaces. The exterior features a 5.5-inch cover display, while unfolding the device reveals a primary 7.8-inch internal screen.
The physical casing achieves a thin profile measuring 4.5 millimeters in thickness when open, expanding to approximately 9 millimeters when folded closed.
Chassis design and authentication technology
Constructed with a titanium chassis, the iPhone Duo shares aesthetic elements with the lightweight iPhone Air while adopting dimensions comparable to competing foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Due to structural design constraints imposed by the flexible hinge assembly, Apple removed its Face ID facial recognition system from the foldable model.
Biometric authentication on the iPhone Duo relies instead on a Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded directly within the physical power button.
The foldable smartphone will be offered in two color options: a standard white finish and a dark variant described by industry insiders as a very dark shade of indigo close to black.
Camera hardware on the foldable model is streamlined compared to the Pro line. It includes a primary rear lens and an ultra-wide camera, along with two front-facing selfie cameras positioned on the external cover screen and internal folding display respectively.
Pro series design and variable aperture camera
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max retain the core industrial design of their predecessors, featuring an aluminum body with a raised rear camera plateau housing the lens modules and flash assembly.
The primary front-facing update stems from a next-generation Face ID sensor layout that reduces the size of the Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the display.
Color selections for the Pro series include dark red and light blue, with additional leaks identifying either silver or black as the third available shade.
The flagship camera system introduces a primary lens with variable aperture technology. This mechanical feature allows users to adjust the physical aperture size to regulate light entry, exposure levels, and optical depth of field, though reports indicate the feature may remain exclusive to the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Optical improvements also extend to the telephoto camera, which receives wider, more light-sensitive optics, while the ultra-wide module and front camera remain largely unchanged from prior hardware generations.
Next generation silicon and battery performance
All devices introduced in the new generation lineup are powered by Apple's new A20 Pro system-on-chip, manufactured using an advanced 2-nanometer semiconductor process node.
Leaked performance metrics indicate the 2-nanometer architecture yields an 18 percent increase in processing speed alongside a 30 percent reduction in power consumption compared to previous chips.
System memory across all configurations expands to 12 gigabytes of RAM. Wireless connectivity is handled by Apple's proprietary C2 communications module, with United States models incorporating a Qualcomm cellular modem supporting high frequency 5G millimeter-wave bands.
Internal battery capacities show noticeable upgrades. Both the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Duo feature 5,500 milliampere-hour batteries, providing a capacity increase over the approximately 4,800 milliampere-hour battery found in the previous year's iPhone 17 Pro Max.
