Surprise and shine. That is the tagline on Apple’s invitation to its September 9 event, and the company has now sent the invites for a keynote at 10:00 a.m. Pacific at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. Smartprix reports that the show will carry two big hardware stories: a camera aperture that physically moves, and Apple’s first foldable phone.
A new man on stage
John Ternus will give his first flagship iPhone presentation as chief executive. He took over from Tim Cook on September 1, and Cook now serves as executive chairman. Here’s what that means in plain terms: the usual Cook-era keynote is over, and this one is the first real test of the new boss.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
Apple is expected to stick to its premium models this fall, the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro and the 6.9-inch Pro Max. The headline feature is a motorized aperture on the main wide-angle lens on the Pro Max. Think of it like the iris of your eye. It opens wider in dim light and narrows to control depth of field, which Smartprix says software portrait modes cannot match.
Under the glass sits the A20 Pro chip, built on TSMC’s 2nm process. Smartprix puts the gain at about 18 percent faster performance and up to 30 percent better power efficiency than last year’s A19 Pro. Other changes it lists:
- A smaller Dynamic Island, made possible by moving the ambient light and proximity sensors under the OLED panel.
- Apple’s new C2 modem, with direct-to-cell 5G satellite connectivity.
- A Pro Max battery of 5,200 to 5,567 mAh, roughly 10 percent more than last year.
- A new Sky Blue titanium finish, joining Dark Cherry, Dark Gray and Silver. Space Black is gone.
The foldable
The iPhone Ultra is billed as Apple’s first foldable for the mass market. Smartprix describes a 7.8-inch book-style design with Touch ID on the side, starting at around $2,500. Retail availability is projected for the fourth quarter of 2026, because the display is hard to manufacture at scale.
Watches, earbuds and a home hub
Around the phones, Apple is expected to update the Apple Watch Series 12, which may bring back the white ceramic case, with an S12 chip, a 2,000-nit screen and vascular biometric tracking that still awaits FDA clearance. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is expected to be 10 to 15 percent thinner, with a grade-5 titanium case and a 3,500-nit tandem-OLED display. AirPods 5 are tipped to add heart-rate tracking, and a tabletop smart home hub running homeOS may appear alongside the HomePod mini 2.
The event streams on Apple’s website, YouTube and the Apple TV app.
