Take this moment in. It will likely be the last time the world exists without a foldable iPhone.
A reported decade in the making, Apple is widely expected to debut its first foldable iPhone tomorrow at its “Surprise and Shine” fall event. Not only will it be the biggest change to the iPhone since the original launched in 2007, its announcement will truly mark the beginning of a new era under new CEO John Ternus.
Gizmodo will be liveblogging the event, which starts at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Before Apple potentially changes everything again, let’s take a look at what the tea leaves are saying. The foldable iPhone is only one of several products we’re expecting Apple to announce tomorrow.
Foldable iPhone
I’ve been writing about the foldable iPhone for so many years that I’m personally glad it’s finally happening. Based on rumors, Apple’s foldable iPhone should have a screen size of around 5.5 inches when it’s closed. The inner screen is expected to be around 7.8 inches. All credible leaks suggest it will also be Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever, measuring at a little over 4mm, which is skinnier than even the 5.6mm iPhone Air. It will reportedly launch in two colors: a dark and light version, although the rumor mill is still undecided on if that means a white and a black or a dark blue model.
The rear should have an oblong camera plateau similar to the one on the iPhone Air, but with an ultrawide camera in addition to the main lens. There won’t be a telephoto lens. There should also be a hole-punch camera on the outside and inner screens. There won’t, however, be Face ID, because the phone is too thin. Instead, the device will use Touch ID built into a power button.
Apple has reportedly put great effort into engineering the hinge on the foldable iPhone, which is said to be made of aluminum and titanium. Together with a custom glass cover for the inner display, the device may have a far less visible crease on the inner screen compared to other foldables on the market like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and 8 Ultra.
What I’m looking forward to seeing is how Apple has adapted iOS to work with the larger inner screen. What kinds of multitasking will it have? And how similar of an experience will it be compared to an iPad mini running iPadOS 27?
There’s also the matter of pricing. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple had initially targeted a $1,999 starting price, but the current RAMpocalypse that has been causing increases for consumer electronics may push that up to $2,199 or beyond.
iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to be the only non-folding smartphones Apple announces tomorrow. They should look very similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, coming in at the same 6.3 and 6.9-inch screens, but with refreshed colors. Leaked dummy models suggest the iPhone 18 Pros will come in a “dark cherry” color that replaces Cosmic Orange, a dark blue or black, a silver or dark gray, and a light blue.
These iPhones are expected to have a more powerful A20 chip that’s also more efficient for image processing for the triple rear cameras and AI tasks that make use of the Neural Engine. Battery life may be extended as a result of the chip’s efficiency, too.
First look at iPhone 18 dummies in the new colors: Black, Silver, Dark Cherry and Light Blue. Cherry will probably be the next hit, orange did very well. pic.twitter.com/2qpZDA7oEK
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) May 29, 2026
While I’m expecting Apple to tout improvements to all of the cameras on both models, it’s the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s main lens that may have an exclusive new feature: a “variable” aperture that opens and closes mechanically to let in more light. This would make the main camera work more like a traditional camera lens, widening to take better photos and video in low light or with more bokeh (background blur) and narrowing to increase sharpness with ample lighting conditions. The result could mean improved portrait mode photos.
Apple Watch Series 12
Still no redesign for the Apple Watch this year. Instead, all rumors suggest we’ll see the return of a model made of ceramic for the Apple Watch Series 12. It should also have a slightly faster S-series chipset.
In addition to features added with watchOS 27, Gurman says there will be a new “Readiness” app, which is reportedly a version of the Vitals app. “The idea is to better compete with software from Whoop and Oura. There’s also the revamped heart rate sensing,” he wrote on X.
Gurman has previously said that Apple plans to add continuous heart-rate sensing (beyond workouts) to the smartwatch for more accurate tracking and to better compete with other wearables on the market.
MacRumors also shared several workout and heart-sensing features and improvements discovered in the latest developer betas for watchOS 27 and iOS 27. The Apple fan blog also claims there may be an 128GB version of the Apple Watch, but it’s unclear if that may be for the Series 12 or Ultra 4.
Apple Watch Ultra 4
There hasn’t been much leaked about the Apple Watch Ultra 4. It may look identical to the Ultra 3 and come with all of the improvements in the Series 12. Apple could always upgrade small things like making the display brighter or battery last a little bit longer. There may potentially be some new bands to satisfy consumers for what may otherwise be a specs-bump refresh.
AirPods 5
It’s been two years since the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC came out. They’re due for an upgrade. I wouldn’t expect anything beyond a mild upgrade for AirPods 5, adding features like improved active noise cancellation and, perhaps, some of the stuff from AirPods Pro 3, such as heart-rate monitoring during workouts, hearing aid/hearing protection, and Ultra Wideband for more precise Find My tracking.
Just don’t expect AirPods 5 to have in-ear tips. That’s a featured reserved for AirPods Pro models.
New Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini?
Both devices are looking long in the tooth. The Apple TV 4K set-top box was last updated in October 2022, and the HomePod mini last got a refresh in 2020. Gurman has been saying Apple’s streaming box may get an updated remote. Apple is also reportedly working on two game controllers, according to code discovered in macOS 26.7. It would be big if Apple finally took gaming seriously on Apple TV 4K and turned it into a proper console. Currently, you can play some console-quality games like Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the box, but you can only do so with third-party wireless controllers, like a PlayStation or Xbox gamepad.
As for the HomePod mini, new colors and a new chip to support Siri AI? It could happen.
