Apple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro, Foldable Duo and Siri AI at Apple Park

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, a new foldable iPhone Duo, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 during an event at Apple Park, placing artificial intelligence, on-device computing, battery life and health features at the center of its product announcements.

The company described the iPhone as an “intelligent personal hub,” arguing that the device combines personal context, on-device processing, networking, cameras, microphones and a display in a product users carry throughout the day. Apple said its Apple Intelligence system processes requests on-device when possible and uses its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure for more demanding tasks, which it said prevents Apple from accessing users’ data.

iPhone 18 Pro Adds Siri AI, A20 Pro Chip and Variable-Aperture Camera

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which will be available in black, silver, glacier and burgundy finishes. Lilian Rincon, Apple’s vice president of product marketing for AI, said the models will support “Siri AI,” a redesigned version of Siri that can use personal context from apps including Mail and Messages, answer questions based on camera input, and perform actions in first- and third-party apps.

Rincon said Siri AI works with more than 300,000 apps and can be accessed through voice, typing and a new Siri app on the home screen. Apple Intelligence features also include webpage monitoring in Safari, automation creation in Shortcuts and tools for image generation and editing in Image Playground and Photos.

Apple said Apple Intelligence will be available in 16 supported languages with operating system releases this month. Siri AI will initially launch in beta in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish support planned for October. The company noted that some server-based features will have usage limits, while increased access will be available through most iCloud+ plans.

Sribalan Santhanam, Apple’s vice president of Silicon Engineering Group, introduced the A20 Pro processor, built on 2-nanometer technology. The chip includes a six-core CPU, a seven-core GPU and two Neural Engines totaling 32 cores. Apple said the new GPU provides up to 40% higher performance, while the new thermal architecture and vapor chamber enable up to 40% higher sustained performance versus the iPhone 17 Pro.

The company said eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro models provide up to 36 hours of video playback, while the Pro Max reaches up to 45 hours. Apple also cited up to 24 hours and 30 hours, respectively, under its new battery usage model. Both models can charge to 50% in about 15 minutes with wired charging, according to Apple.

The iPhone 18 Pro camera system includes a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with a variable aperture system. Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone marketing, said the aperture can automatically widen in low-light settings or narrow to increase depth of field. New Pro Controls provide manual adjustments for aperture, shutter speed, white balance and exposure tools.

Apple also said it will support the C2PA standard for identifying images generated or edited with AI. Its Apple Reference Image feature is designed to securely sign camera sensor data at capture and create what the company described as an unalterable reference image through Private Cloud Compute.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. A 2-terabyte storage option is available. Preorders begin Sept. 12, with availability beginning Sept. 18.

Apple Enters Foldable Market With iPhone Duo

Apple also unveiled iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone. The device opens to a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR inner display and has a 5.4-inch external display. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the inner screen is 50% larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The company said iPhone Duo uses a titanium frame, a custom hinge with more than 100 components, Ceramic Shield protection and IP68 dust and water resistance. It is powered by the A20 Pro processor and uses Apple’s C2 cellular modem. Apple said C2 provides uploads up to 50% faster than C1X, supports 5G millimeter-wave service in the U.S. and uses 15% less energy.

iPhone Duo is eSIM-only globally and contains batteries on each side of the device. Apple said it delivers up to 31 hours of video playback using its inner screen, up to 44 hours on its outer display, and up to 24 hours of mixed usage. The device supports charging to 50% in around 20 minutes.

iOS 27 has been redesigned for the folding form factor, Apple said, with controls moved to the side and support for split-view multitasking, multiple windows from the same app and various partially folded viewing positions. iPhone Duo will also support Apple Pencil with USB-C later this year.

The device starts at $1,999, with storage ranging from 256 gigabytes to 2 terabytes. Preorders begin Oct. 16, with availability scheduled for Oct. 23.

AirPods and Apple Watch Updates

AirPods 5 will offer Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design. Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch Product Design, said the new architecture provides 50% more noise reduction than the prior generation. The $129 model offers up to four hours of ANC listening time and 20 hours with its charging case.

A $149 version adds wireless charging, on-stem volume controls and up to five hours of ANC listening. Both AirPods 5 models are available for preorder immediately and will arrive Sept. 18.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 add a new health sensing system that measures background heart rate every five seconds and heart-rate variability as often as every five minutes. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, introduced Readiness scores, Health Age and Apple Intelligence-generated summaries in a redesigned Health app.

The watches also add Audio Intelligence features, including sound recognition, Live Rewind transcription and Siri Recap conversation summaries. Apple said Live Rewind and Siri Recap will launch in beta later this year in English. Series 12 starts at $399, while Ultra 4 remains $799; both arrive Sept. 18.

About Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.