It’s hard to believe it’s already time for Apple’s annual fall event next month, but here we are. Apple’s big event goes down on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, where the company is widely expected to announce its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, and new Apple Watches and AirPods.
Apple sent Gizmodo the below invite with the tagline “Surprise and shine.” Otherwise, there’s not much else of a hint, except maybe the faint burgundy fringe around the Apple logo, which could point at the rumored “dark cherry” iPhone 18 Pros.
This year's fall Apple Event is Wednesday, 9/9!
Rumored announcements:
>iPhone foldable
>iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max
>Apple Watch Series 12
>Apple Watch Ultra 4
>AirPods 5 with/without ANCLFGGGG! pic.twitter.com/wp3BaeaMrT
— Ray Wong (@raywongy) August 26, 2026
As usual, the keynote will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park. The event’s keynote will be streamed on Apple.com and Apple’s YouTube channel.
This year’s fall Apple event will be particularly significant for one reason: Tim Cook will have passed the CEO baton over to John Ternus, who will be leading his first iPhone launch. Ternus introduced the MacBook Neo at a March event in New York City, and he did a mini meet and greet at a media reception the night before WWDC in June. At both events, I found him approachable and very warm—exactly the kind of handoff Cook and Apple need.
Announcing the new iPhone will, however, put the spotlight on him. Non-techies who have not heard of Ternus before will judge him for the first time. The pressure will be on and the stakes high as he tries to convince consumers why the long-rumored foldable iPhone is potentially worth ponying up top dollar for. It’s widely believed the foldable iPhone could start at $2,000 or more. Will Apple’s new CEO be able to rekindle the hardware magic of the Steve Jobs era that felt neutered during Cook’s 15-year tenure? And what will the foldable iPhone be called? Rumors have been suggesting “iPhone Ultra” is the name, but I’m also holding out for “iPhone Duo.”
Of course, it’s not just the foldable iPhone that will matter, though it will suck up all the oxygen at the Steve Jobs Theater, where media, including Gizmodo, will get hands-on time with the device. Apple will reportedly not announce a regular iPhone 18 this year and instead only debut the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The larger version is rumored to have a “variable aperture” main camera that will allow users to control the amount of depth of field (background blur or, in photography terminology, bokeh) they want in a photo or video. The iPhone 18 Pros are both rumored to come in a new “dark cherry” colorway that will replace the popular Cosmic Orange on the current iPhone 17 Pros.
A second-generation iPhone Air will likely be a no-show, too. Apple is reportedly holding the successor to its thinnest iPhone ever until next spring to launch alongside the regular iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e.
Apple is also expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the event. Don’t expect anything major. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says both smartwatches will get a brand new chip that’s faster, presumably for processing Apple Intelligence and Siri AI tasks faster. Apple may also bring back a ceramic model; the last Apple Watch that used the material was the Series 5 back in 2019.
As for AirPods, Apple will likely introduce new versions (AirPods 5?) of the AirPods 4 with and without ANC. It’s still up in the air whether we’ll see AirPods with built-in “cameras” or IR sensors for use with Visual Intelligence. Though a video of AirPods that supported Visual Intelligence leaked a few weeks ago, Gurman said they’re still on track for a release next year, not in September. One thing is for sure, though: if Apple ever releases AirPods with built-in cameras, they won’t let you take POV photos and videos like you can with smart glasses.
Gizmodo Live Blog
As always, Gizmodo will be attending the Apple event and live blogging everything before, during, and after the keynote. It’s gonna be a fun time! Let us know what you guys want us to create when we’re in Cupertino. What kind of comparisons are you most interested in? Drop us a comment below.
