In what has become a September tradition, Apple has announced its annual iPhone event for 9 September 2026, at 10 AM Pacific Time. You can stream it from Apple’s website, through the Apple TV app, or on YouTube, and Apple provides an easy way to add it to your calendar.
The event’s teaser title, “Surprise and shine,” was featured on invitations sent not just to select members of the media but also to iCloud users who have signed up for announcements from Apple. The Apple Events page features the characteristically cryptic tagline, which could hint at the long-rumored foldable iPhone finally making its debut. Or entirely unexpected improvements to core iPhone technologies like alarms and the flashlight.
This event will be the first product launch under new CEO John Ternus, who takes over from Tim Cook on 1 September 2026 (see “John Ternus to Lead Apple as Tim Cook Becomes Executive Chairman,” 20 April 2026). The former hardware chief will presumably be eager to make a strong first impression, and the rumor mill suggests he’ll have plenty of material to work with. The star of the show may be Apple’s first foldable iPhone, though Apple is also expected to announce iterative updates to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max; the base iPhone 18 is reportedly delayed until 2027. An updated Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are also likely candidates.
Based on Apple’s typical schedule, expect pre-orders to start on Friday, September 11 (or possibly Saturday, September 12, to avoid 9/11), with devices arriving on September 19. Apple will likely announce release dates for iOS 27 and watchOS 27 to accompany the new hardware, likely that same week. macOS 27 Golden Gate and the rest of the OS 27 crop will probably ship around then as well, given that the new Mac mini and Mac Studio are slated to arrive on September 22 (see “M6 and M5 Ultra Debut in Updated Mac mini and Mac Studio,” 25 August 2026).
If you’d like to kibitz with other TidBITS readers during Apple’s event, join us in the “Surprise and Shine” Event chat channel in TidBITS Talk.
Meh. Shortest Apple Event ever at a little over an hour. No mention of new base iPhone. Nothing about a new TV or iPad Mini. Also, I didn’t see a price or release date for the foldable iPhone Duo. I’m going to see if that info is on the Apple Store. OK $2,000 and 16 October.
If you didn’t see this, MacRumors made some predictions last week…
There are several other products rumored to be launching before the end of 2026, but they’ll likely come at a second event in October or November. There’s also a notable omission from the lineup, because Apple is going to delay the iPhone 18.
iPhone 18 - The standard iPhone 18 will not launch in September 2026, with Apple instead planning to debut it in spring 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2. In the fall, we’re only getting the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone.
Apple Watch SE 4 - There won’t be a new Apple Watch SE 4 this year.
M6 MacBook Pro - A new entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip is coming before the end of the year, but not at the September event.
M6 iMac - There’s also an M6 iMac rumored to be coming in 2026, but Apple is likely to hold a Mac event to announce it, or do it via press release at a later date.
OLED MacBook Pro - We’ve been waiting on an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro, and it’s rumored for late 2026 or early 2027. It’s not a candidate for Apple’s September event.
OLED iPad mini - There’s an OLED iPad mini in development, and it’s expected to launch before the end of October. It’s another one that’s unlikely for an iPhone event.
No, I didn’t see that. However, for almost 20 years, all the updated iPhones have been announced at the September event. Basically I wasted over an hour this morning. Looks like Apple won’t see me replacing my iPhone 12 anytime soon.
I think MacRumors has two sections that are useful in the lead up to Apple’s events. The main page tracks what prominent journalists and industry analysts think will happen, along with rumors (!) from various online sources. The Buyer’s Guide hosts roundups of MacRumors articles for each Apple product as well as “Buy Now/Don’t Buy Now” recommendations.
I don’t think that’s accurate. The iPhone SE arrived in March (and the SE 2 in April); the iPhone X came in November; the iPhone XR came in October, and so on:
FWIW, both of these phones were announced at the September event.
Apparently Apple has decided to offer their non-pro new models six months later, starting this year. We can all guess at the reasons; perhaps it’s because they want to better manage demand for new Apple Silicon processors at a time when the demand at fabricators like TSMC, which Apple has used exclusively for about a decade now for Apple Silicon, is at an all-time high, particularly from all of the AI firms installing data centers.
FWIW, the rumors that Apple were going to split the 18 series releases began many months ago, I believe starting with a report by Mark Gurman in April. This was no huge surprise if you follow Apple tech news.
I’ve been looking at the Australian site and it seems we still pay a hefty price for not living in the USA. The iPhone Duo starts at $3499 AUD. The US price of $1999 at current exchange rates equals $2775, then adding a 10% GST lands at $3050. I’m not sure where the additional $450 ends up, but it’s a little annoying.
I was annoyed (but unsurprised) to see that several of the older models had gone up by $100 each: iPhone 16, 17, 17e, and Air. Fortunately, I went to my wireless carrier’s website and managed to get two new 17e’s for family members before they adjust their prices to match Apple.
