Apple will announce more than 10 new products Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time during its “Surprise and Shine” event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, marking the most product-dense hardware presentation in company history and the first major launch under newly appointed CEO John Ternus, who assumed the role on September 1, 2026, replacing Tim Cook, who moved to executive chairman.
Ternus, Apple’s former hardware engineering chief, inherits what Apple describes as “the biggest run of device releases in its history.” The announcement spans three new iPhones including the foldable iPhone Ultra, two Apple Watch models, redesigned Apple TV and HomePod mini hardware, a preview of a new 7-inch smart home hub, and AirPods 5.
Foldable iPhone debuts alongside two Pro models on A20 Pro chip
Apple will introduce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Ultra, its first foldable. A standard iPhone model will not ship in the fall 2026 lineup, with the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 deferred to spring 2027 in a strategic departure from decades of fall-only iPhone releases.
All three new iPhones use Apple’s A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process, designed for speed and efficiency improvements. The Pro models are expected to gain three upgrades: a variable-aperture main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island, and Apple’s proprietary C2 cellular modem.
The iPhone Ultra uses a book-style design with an outer display between 5.3 and 5.5 inches and an inner display between 7.6 and 7.8 inches. Its most significant engineering achievement is the treatment of the crease, a persistent complaint on competing foldables from Samsung and others. Apple pursued eliminating the crease “regardless of cost” and has developed a “new material property” that renders it nearly invisible when unfolded.
The extreme thinness necessitates compromises: the device uses Touch ID instead of Face ID and omits a telephoto camera. Pricing is expected to exceed $2,000, with analysts estimating a $100 to $300 price increase over current Pro models, which start at $1,099 for the iPhone 17 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Supply constraints are expected at launch. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, manufacturing complexity and reported production problems make limited availability likely. Gurman stated he would be “very surprised” if the foldable did not launch at the same time as the Pro iPhones or “very close to it. Either on the same launch date, a dual launch, or coming out within weeks later.” He discounted reports of delays extending into late October or November.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 arrive with S11 chip, no design overhaul
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are expected to launch Wednesday with no significant design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models but is expected to include upgraded internal components, including a more powerful S11 chip. This could arrive in tandem with watchOS 27’s Siri AI integration to handle on-device processing.
Current Watch models carry an S10 chip with performance improvements that have remained largely stagnant since the S9 in 2023, making the S11 upgrade potentially meaningful for Siri AI tasks.
Smart home hub, Apple TV 4K, AirPods 5, and HomePod mini redesigned
Apple will preview a 7-inch all-display smart home hub internally called “HomePad,” available in two configurations: wall-mounted or with an integrated speaker base resembling a HomePod mini. The device will handle smart home control, music playback, video calls, weather, Siri queries, photos, notes, and calendar functions as a stationary AI assistant.
Alongside the hub, Apple will announce a redesigned Apple TV 4K and updated HomePod mini. AirPods 5 will also get a specifications refresh and will be available in both variants: with and without active noise cancellation.
We will be reporting on the event next week so stay tuned for all the updates.
