Apple has confirmed its biggest event of the year will take place on Wednesday, September 9, where the company is expected to reveal the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first ever foldable iPhone. The keynote was confirmed through invites sent to media and special guests, carrying the cryptic phrase Surprise and Shine alongside an accompanying image, continuing Apple’s tradition of teasing its September announcements without revealing specifics in advance.
The keynote will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, starting at 10 AM Pacific time, 1 PM Eastern time and 6 PM UK time. While the full list of announcements has not been officially confirmed, five products are considered near certain to debut at the event, the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, the first foldable iPhone, along with the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12. The event is also expected to reveal pricing for the new iPhone lineup, which could indicate whether pricing on the existing iPhone 17 series will shift as well.
Following the keynote, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to go on sale on Friday, September 18, continuing Apple’s typical pattern of releasing new iPhones exactly one week after the announcement event. The date also avoids falling immediately after the Labor Day holiday weekend, which lands on Monday, September 7, a scheduling consideration Apple has followed in previous years by avoiding events held the day directly after a public holiday.
The foldable iPhone’s own on-sale date remains less certain than that of the standard Pro models, given the added manufacturing complexity typically associated with a new form factor. Whether the foldable ships alongside the iPhone 18 Pro on September 18 or arrives on a later date will likely come down to Apple’s production capabilities, following a broader pattern in which the company has occasionally staggered availability for products introducing entirely new hardware designs. Confirmation of the complete announcement lineup, along with specific launch timing for each device, will come once the September 9 keynote takes place.
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