Apple’s September 9 Event Preview: A Foldable iPhone and No Standard iPhone 18
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on September 9 is set to introduce the company's first-ever foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, marking new CEO John Ternus's debut on stage and a starting price that could top $2,000 for the foldable model.
Apple will hold its “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, unveiling what could be its most significant iPhone lineup in years.
Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple is widely expected to debut its first-ever foldable iPhone, a book-style device that folds an iPad-like display in half, while also refreshing its AirPods and Apple Watch lines.
The event carries extra weight this year because it will be the first Apple keynote hosted by John Ternus as CEO, following Tim Cook’s move to executive chairman after 15 years leading the company.
The Foldable iPhone Could Cost More Than $2,000
According to MacRumors, the device, widely expected to be called the iPhone Ultra, will feature a roughly 5.5-inch outer OLED display and a 7.8-inch inner display when unfolded. A liquid metal hinge is designed to minimize the crease seen on rival foldables.
Apple reportedly made compromises to achieve an unfolded thickness of just 4.5mm. The device drops Face ID for a Touch ID side button, while its rear camera loses the telephoto lens found on Pro models, keeping only Wide and Ultra Wide lenses.
Research firm TrendForce estimates a starting U.S. price between $2,099 and $2,299, with higher-capacity configurations climbing further, positioning the device as Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever by a wide margin.
Bloomberg has separately reported that MagSafe charging, like iPhone 17e, will be included despite early leaked dummy models lacking a visible magnetic ring.
iPhone 18 Pro Gets New Colors, But Also a Price Hike
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max keep a familiar design close to last year’s models, but Apple is introducing dark cherry, light blue, and silver color options while dropping black, MacRumors notes.
The bigger change is under the hood: a DSLR-style variable aperture camera, an A20 Pro chip built on a 2-nanometer process for improved power efficiency, and a more efficient LTPO+ display that could extend battery life alongside a larger Pro Max battery.
That upgraded hardware comes at a cost, with prices expected to rise by $100 to $300 over last year’s models, which Apple has attributed to rising memory and storage costs across the industry.
Notably, the case leaks showed no standard iPhone 18 renders, reinforcing reports that Apple is delaying that model until spring 2027 alongside the new iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2.
What This Event Really Signals About Apple’s Direction
The most telling detail of September 9 isn’t a spec sheet; it’s the stage itself.
Handing the keynote to Ternus is Apple’s clearest signal yet that its leadership transition is real and permanent, a decision that went public at WWDC 2026.
Doing so in a year featuring a first foldable, a redesigned AirPods lineup, and a delayed flagship iPhone also puts Ternus under pressure to sell Apple’s direction to the public, not just its board.
Delaying the iPhone 18 to spring 2027 is equally strategic.
Rather than splitting attention across four new iPhones, Apple is betting its foldable debut and Pro tier upgrades can carry the fall keynote, leaving a second launch window next year for its more affordable models.
If the foldable launches anywhere near its rumored $2,099 starting price, Apple would be testing how much customers are willing to pay for a first-generation product at a moment when its new CEO needs that decision to look decisive rather than risky.
Source: iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, and More: Apple’s September 9 Event Preview
