The most anticipated Apple event in years arrives September 9 — and this time, a folding iPhone might steal the whole show.
Apple officially confirmed its “Surprise and Shine” keynote for Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at Apple Park in Cupertino, with a 10:00 AM PT livestream expected across Apple.com and major social platforms. What’s generating the most buzz is not merely a new generation of iPhones — it’s the possibility that Apple is finally, after years of leaks and speculation, ready to unveil its first foldable device: the iPhone Ultra.
The iPhone 18 Lineup
At its core, the event is expected to introduce the standard iPhone 18 family alongside the premium iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. If prior Apple events are any guide, the Pro models will carry the headline hardware improvements while the standard lineup benefits from trickle-down technology from previous generations.
The iPhone 18 Pro is widely expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro aesthetically, but with meaningful internal upgrades. Apple’s A20 Pro chip, built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 2nm process, is expected to power the Pro models. Analysts expect this chip to deliver significant gains in both CPU and neural engine performance — a critical spec in an era where on-device AI processing is increasingly the differentiator between smartphone tiers.
The Pro camera system will reportedly gain a new wide-angle sensor with variable aperture, giving users more manual control over depth of field and low-light exposure — a feature long available on dedicated cameras but rare in smartphones. A smaller Dynamic Island cutout, improved LTPO+ OLED display, and Apple’s C2 modem round out what looks to be a strong iterative upgrade.
Enter the iPhone Ultra
The real question mark — and the device lighting up the internet — is the rumored iPhone Ultra. If Apple’s naming convention holds (following the “Ultra” branding first applied to the M1 Ultra chip and later the Apple Watch Ultra), the name signals Apple’s intent to position this as a category-defining premium product.
The iPhone Ultra is expected to be Apple’s first book-style foldable smartphone, featuring a roughly 7.8-inch inner foldable display that unfolds to tablet-like proportions, paired with a smaller outer cover display for quick interactions. According to multiple supply chain reports, Apple invested heavily in eliminating the crease that has plagued every competing foldable — multiple sources describe the crease as “nearly invisible” when the device is fully open, a potential differentiator against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series and Google’s Pixel Fold.
Under the hood, the iPhone Ultra is expected to carry the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro, 12GB of RAM, and a dual 48-megapixel rear camera system. Notably, Face ID is out: leaked schematics indicate Apple is using a side-mounted Touch ID sensor instead, likely due to the mechanical constraints of the folding chassis. The trade-off is notable — Face ID has been a cornerstone of Apple’s premium device identity since 2017.
Pricing is the other major story. Estimates from analysts and supply chain watchers range from $1,999 to as high as $2,499 for base configurations, putting the iPhone Ultra in a tier well above any iPhone Apple has ever sold. That’s not surprising given the engineering complexity of the device, but it will inevitably raise questions about market viability in a year when consumer spending remains uneven.
Apple Intelligence Gets a Bigger Stage
All new devices are expected to ship with iOS 27, which brings a deeper and more capable version of Apple Intelligence — Apple’s on-device AI platform launched with iOS 18 in 2024 and steadily expanded since. The iOS 27 release is expected to bring a significantly more capable Siri, now capable of multi-step agentic tasks across apps, along with new AI-powered editing tools in Photos, automated writing assistance in Mail and Notes, and what sources describe as “contextual awareness” features that allow the assistant to draw on recent device activity when answering queries.
For the iPhone Ultra specifically, Apple Intelligence is rumored to include a modified multitasking experience that takes advantage of the larger unfolded display — think split-screen AI workflows and contextual panels that would feel at home on an iPad. If Apple pulls this off seamlessly, it could make the Ultra feel less like a phone with a big screen and more like a genuinely new device category.
Why This Event Matters
The foldable smartphone market has existed since Samsung opened it in 2019, but it has remained a niche — a curiosity for early adopters rather than a mass-market phenomenon. Apple’s entry into the space would almost certainly change that calculus.
Every major tech category Apple has entered — tablets, smartwatches, truly wireless earbuds — has seen a step-change in mainstream adoption after Apple’s arrival. If the iPhone Ultra launches with the polish and ecosystem integration that Apple’s hardware typically delivers, competing manufacturers should expect significant pressure. Samsung, in particular, has been the dominant foldable brand for years; Apple’s entry could erode that position quickly.
There’s also the AI dimension. Rivals like Samsung and Google have been aggressive about building generative AI features directly into their foldable devices. Apple’s delayed entry gives it the advantage of shipping a product polished enough to avoid the early pitfalls while leveraging the deep Apple Intelligence infrastructure already embedded in hundreds of millions of active devices.
What to Watch On September 9
Beyond hardware specs, the September 9 keynote will be closely watched for pricing tiers and availability, confirmation of the iPhone Ultra name and foldable form factor, iOS 27’s full feature set, and any announcements around the Apple Watch Series 12 and the two new AirPods 5 models also rumored for the event.
For the technology industry broadly, this event carries a specific weight: if Apple launches its first foldable successfully, 2026 will be remembered as the year the foldable went mainstream. If the iPhone Ultra disappoints — in specs, price, or execution — it could set the category back just as it was gaining traction.
Either way, September 9 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential Apple events in recent memory. The livestream starts at 10 AM PT. Set a reminder.
