Key Points
Apple launches iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone Ultra on September 9 under new CEO John Ternus.
iPhone 18 Pro Max gets 10% larger battery and variable aperture camera, starting at $1,299.
iPhone Ultra foldable expected to cost around $2,000 with Touch ID only, no Face ID.
Standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air delayed to spring 2027 as Apple focuses premium lineup.
Apple confirmed its September 9 event titled ‘Surprise and shine’ to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and its first foldable phone, the iPhone Ultra. The event marks new CEO John Ternus’s first product launch after taking over from Tim Cook on September 1. Apple is narrowing its lineup to premium models only, pushing standard iPhone 18 and iPhone Air to spring 2027.
What Apple will announce on September 9
Apple will showcase the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max alongside the iPhone Ultra foldable. The event starts at 10 a.m. PT at Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park. Pre-orders for the Pro models are rumored to begin September 12, with general release on September 19. The iPhone Ultra may have a separate, later pre-order window. New Apple Watch Series 12 models are also expected.
How iPhone 18 Pro outperforms the foldable Ultra
The iPhone 18 Pro gains a variable aperture main camera that the Ultra lacks, improving portrait mode and low-light photography. The Pro Max will offer the best battery life ever in an iPhone, with a 10% larger physical battery plus efficiency gains from the A20 Pro and C2 chips. The Pro retains Face ID, while the Ultra is limited to Touch ID due to its ultra-thin design constraints.
iPhone 18 Pro pricing and design changes
The iPhone 18 Pro Max faces a $100 price hike, with the 256GB model starting at $1,299. New colors include Dark Cherry (Pantone 6076), Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver. The Pro models feature a smaller Dynamic Island cutout and unified single-tone back glass instead of last year’s two-tone finish. The A20 and A20 Pro chips bring 5G satellite support and improved WiFi and AirDrop reliability via the new C2 modem.
Foldable iPhone Ultra pricing and repair concerns
The iPhone Ultra is expected to start around $2,000. Repair specialists warn that replacing the inner folding display could cost £850 (roughly $1,155), or about 58% of the phone’s purchase price. That compares to $579 for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. AppleCare+ may cost closer to £100 per screen repair incident rather than the usual £29, and Apple may limit unlimited repairs given foldable display costs.
Final Thoughts
Apple’s September 9 event will reshape its iPhone lineup around premium models and its first foldable. With Meyka grading AAPL a B+ and forecasting $348 in three years versus the current $319.70, investors should watch whether the foldable drives upgrade cycles or cannibalizes Pro sales.
FAQs
Pre-orders are rumored to start September 12, with general release on September 19, 2026. The iPhone Ultra may have a later pre-order window.
The 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to start at $1,299, a $100 increase from the previous generation.
No. The iPhone Ultra will use Touch ID only because its ultra-thin design cannot accommodate Face ID components.
Repair specialists estimate £850 (about $1,155) to replace the inner folding display, roughly 58% of the phone’s $2,000 purchase price.
Disclaimer:
The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.
About Author
Huzaifa Zahoor
Co FounderHuzaifa Zahoor is the engineer who built Meyka. He has spent years writing Python, training AI models, and building data pipelines specifically for financial markets. His technical articles have reached over 30,000 readers on Medium, so he knows how to make complex things easy to follow. If this article touches on how the tools work, he is the person who actually built them.
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