What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV.

iPhone 18 Pro

The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting and a faster A20 Pro chip built on a new 2nm process. Battery life could improve with the updated chip and an upgraded LTPO+ OLED display, plus Apple could include a more efficient C2 modem and N2 networking chip. Dark Cherry is supposed to be this year's special color, and there will also be a light blue color.

iPhone 18 Pro Max

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max will have the same feature set as the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, but it will have a larger battery and a bigger screen. Multiple rumors indicate the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max will be slightly thicker than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ because it is slated to get a bigger battery than Apple used last year.

Both the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max could be up to $300 more expensive than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. Apple raised prices on Macs and iPads, but is waiting for the September refresh before upping iPhone prices.

Foldable iPhone

Apple's first foldable iPhone is almost ready to launch. The "iPhone Ultra" is expected to have a ~5.5-inch display when closed and a ~7.8-inch display when open. It'll have a 4:3 aspect ratio like an iPad, so when unfolded, it will be similar to using an iPad mini. Apple is supposedly using a hinge design that minimizes the visibility of the crease, and it'll get the same 2nm A20 chip Apple is using in the 18 Pro models.

The foldable iPhone is expected to have dual batteries with one on each side of the device, but it will be limited to a two-lens rear camera system. The iPhone is too thin for the TrueDepth camera system, so it is rumored to use Touch ID instead of Face ID. The foldable iPhone could cost somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500.

We've seen some reports of foldable iPhone manufacturing issues, and rumors that it could launch after the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max. Apple could introduce it in September, and then launch it a bit later, which is what the company did for the iPhone X back in 2017.

Apple Watch Series 12

Apple will refresh the Apple Watch this year, but it's going to be a somewhat boring update. No design changes are expected, but it could get a faster S-series chip, and the upgrade could add improvements to some health and fitness features. It could also have a bigger battery for longer battery life.

Apple Watch Ultra 4

There's going to be an Apple Watch Ultra 4, and it will get the same chip upgrade as the Series 12. DigiTimes claimed the Ultra 4 will be thinner with an upgrade to sensing functions, but the site isn't always accurate and no other rumors have backed up the claim.

Other Possibilities

There are home products and Macs Apple could launch before the end of the year, but it's possible Apple will hold a second event sometime in October or November. There are quite a few home devices in development, plus Apple is expected to introduce an all-new home hub, so a second smart home event would make sense.

• Home Hub - Apple is working on a home hub with a 7-inch square display. It can be used to control smart home products, view photos, make video calls, and display information. It will have full ‌Siri‌ AI integration, and it will run Apple apps. The hub could come as soon as 2026, but Apple might also hold it until early 2027.
• Apple TV 4K - The ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is finally getting an update with a faster processor, more RAM, and a new networking chip.
• HomePod mini - Apple will refresh the HomePod mini this year, adding a faster chip and new color options.
• HomePod - The full-size HomePod could also get a new chip.
• Smart Home Camera - Apple has its own security camera in development, and it could launch alongside the home hub.

Other late 2026 possibilities include an ‌OLED‌ ‌iPad mini‌, a refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip, an iMac with an M6 chip, a high-end ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ with touchscreen, a new Mac mini, and a new Mac Studio, but it's very doubtful these products would debut at the September iPhone event.

What's Not Launching

Apple isn't going to release a standard iPhone 18 in September 2026. The lineup will instead focus on more expensive iPhones. The ‌iPhone 18‌, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 will come out in spring 2027 instead. Apple does not plan to refresh the Apple Watch SE this year.

Hello, Ternus. Goodbye, Cook

Tim Cook is stepping down from his role as CEO on September 1 to become Apple's executive chairman, and John Ternus is taking over. Ternus will lead Apple's September iPhone event, and it's likely we won't see Cook during Apple's presentation.

Likely Event Dates

Given historical iPhone event dates, this year's presentation is most likely going to happen on Tuesday, September 8 or Wednesday, September 9. September 7 is Labor Day, and Apple may not want to make members of the media travel on a holiday.

Australia's ChannelNews said Apple's event will take place on September 8, but it's not clear if that's accurate information.

If the event is on September 8 or September 9, pre-orders would normally be on Friday, September 11. That date marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, so Apple might avoid holding pre-orders on that day. Instead, we could get pre-orders on Saturday, September 12, which is what Apple did when the iPhone 6s pre-order date fell on 9/11 in 2015.