Apple has scheduled its next event for Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. PT, and the invitation features the Apple logo shining with a flash of light alongside the slogan “Surprise and shine”. Although the company has not said what it will announce, the date and the choice of words point to one thing: Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to be the main announcement, together with the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The following outlines what has actually been confirmed, what is still just a rumor, and whether it’s worth upgrading.
What Apple has actually confirmed
The only thing confirmed is the event itself. Invitations went out on August 26 for a keynote taking place on September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, which corresponds to 1 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be available to watch on apple.com, via the Apple TV app, and on YouTube, so there’s no need to download any special app. The tagline is “Surprise and shine”, and the invitation artwork features a brightly lit Apple logo with a sun-flare effect.
All the information that follows, namely the product names, the specifications, and the prices, comes from supply-chain reports and leaks rather than from Apple. The remainder of this article should be regarded as an informed estimate rather than as fact.
The foldable iPhone: what the rumors say
There have been reports of a book-like foldable with the same general shape as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold range, which unfolds from a phone-sized outer screen into a small tablet. The outer screen is reported to measure about 5.3 to 5.5 inches, while the inner screen is said to be approximately 7.6 to 7.8 inches. Some leak sources have suggested the name “iPhone Ultra”, though no official confirmation exists yet.
The feature that has attracted the most attention is the crease. It is reported that Samsung Display will provide the folding OLED panel, and that Apple insisted on reducing the visible fold line “regardless of cost”. According to some reports, the crease is less than 0.15mm deep, shallow enough to be difficult to see or feel in normal use. If that proves accurate, it would be the most significant hardware difference between this device and current Android foldables.
It has also been said that the new A20 Pro chip will be used, the same processor expected in the iPhone 18 Pro, and that instead of the triple-lens setup on the Pro models there will be a dual rear camera system. The first production batch has been reported as thin, which generally means limited availability and longer shipping times in the early weeks.
What to expect on price
The pricing rumor has stayed remarkably steady for over a year, with the starting price put at about $1,999. Some reports give higher-storage models a price of $2,500 or above, and a few leakers in Asia have suggested figures in the $2,600 to $2,900 range for the 512GB and 1TB versions. Whichever figure is correct, this would be the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold, above the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The iPhone 18 Pro is the safer story
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are due for iterative updates rather than a redesign. The key improvement is the A20 Pro chip, which tipsters claim is about 18% faster and roughly 30% more power-efficient than the A19 Pro in this year’s phones. Expect the usual camera and battery improvements as well.
One notable omission is that the standard, non-Pro iPhone 18 is said not to be among the devices being unveiled at this event, and has instead moved to spring 2027. So if you were waiting for the more affordable model, that wait is now even longer.
Apple is also expected to show the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the same event, with new AirPods a possibility.
Should you wait to upgrade?
If you have a Pro model iPhone and your device is an iPhone 15 Pro or older, the iPhone 18 Pro is a simple upgrade, and there is no good reason to buy the current model in the next two weeks. Pre-orders usually begin the Friday after the event, with phones arriving the following Friday, so a late-September delivery is the likely timeline.
The decision about a foldable is different. First-generation Apple devices are generally costly, supply-constrained, and improved substantially in the second version. Unless a book-style foldable is specifically what you want, most people will be better off with the iPhone 18 Pro at about half the price. If you are interested, watch the September 9 keynote and then wait for real-world reviews of durability and hinge quality before deciding to buy.
Why it matters
Apple is the only leading phone manufacturer that still hasn’t introduced a foldable, and it is entering a market that Samsung, Google, and others have developed over six years. Apple’s pitch will be that it waited until it had solved the crease and the bulk, not that it wanted to be first. Whether the first iPhone fold delivers on that, and whether enough people will pay $2,000 to find out, is what makes this launch worth watching.
Bottom line
September 9 is confirmed, and the foldable iPhone plus the iPhone 18 Pro range are the widely anticipated headline. If you want a Pro model, wait the two weeks and buy the 18 Pro. If you want the foldable, watch the keynote but wait for the first batch of reviews before spending $2,000 on a first-generation device.