Understanding what to expect from Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ event: iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and more

UPDATE: Apple’s Surprise and Shine has been taking place today: here’s what’s been announced:

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Apple’s September event is usually the fruit company’s biggest consumer hardware moment of the year, and the 2026 version looks set to follow that tradition with a new range of iPhones. The ‘Surprise and shine‘ event is now set for today, Wednesday 9 September. Yet there will be some key differences this time around.

When is the Apple Event?

The event will kick off at 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm BST, and will be available to stream on YouTube and the Apple TV app. There will be a live event for invited members of the press and other guests to attend. Here’s the live event video from YouTube:

Play

So what’s set to be different this year?

Multiple reports suggest that Apple will look to break its regular yearly cycle of iPhone launches as smartphone development slows. Rumors suggest that the standard iPhone 18 would launch in Spring 2027 instead, possibly alongside an iPhone 18e.

What that does mean is that we will get a premium-only lineup this year, with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September alongside a foldable iPhone called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra. There is now too much noise for this not to happen. Pre-orders would most likely start on Friday 11 September with the general iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold release date on Friday 19 September.

What doesn’t seem to be known is when – or if – an iPhone Air 2 would appear. While reviews weren’t great and sales apparently poor, there’s little doubt that the iPhone Air shows us what a future iPhone would look like and so I think it’s a format Apple will stick with… but that’s by no means certain.

What to expect from the iPhone Fold

The foldable iPhone has been long-rumored and is seemingly nailed-on, but it would still be a big departure for Apple. For context, Samsung’s first Fold debuted in 2019.

I think iPhone Fold is the most likely name for this devices as it will make it crystal-clear what it is. iPhone Ultra is another rumored name, however. While rival foldables have largely allayed durability concerns, expect Apple to major on this as it is likely to be a key concern from consumers upgrading to it. And they’ll also surely talk about the lack of a crease in the display.

I’ve also heard that iOS 27 will have app features that change between folded and unfolded states and we should get some software chat about this that we won’t get at WWDC26.

What to expect from iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

These phones will look a little different thanks to a smaller Dynamic Island front cutout. Not all rumors suggest this, but it would be a natural step. Macworld has reported on the new colors that may ship, including a very dark red, almost purple.

These phones are set to have a new A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process. Performance will better yet it won’t be a major leap. But there will be greater efficiency from the change and that will in turn lead to longer battery life.

Rumours also point to a variable-aperture main camera giving more control over depth and low-light performance. There may also be more RAM on board.

What else will we get?

As usual, we’ll also get an Apple Watch refresh at the event. So that means an Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 at the very least. I’d expect the Ultra 4 announcement to major on battery life and as usual fitness will be at the heart of what Apple talks about for both watches. We might also get a refreshed Watch SE, of course. The Watch Series 12 appears to be an incremental update.

The AirPods lineup is quite settled at the moment and so I had expected that we wouldn’t get any new AirPods this year. However, it does seem to be the case that Apple has been developing AirPods with cameras which are designed to give you more information on things you take photos of with them – such as a product in a shop. There now seems to be a lot of rumors that we’ll see them during tje upcoming event – we’ll see.

Finally, we’ll also get the release date announcement of Apple’s operating systems such as iOS 27 and watchOS 27. Because these are set to include the revamped Siri, we might also get a lot of chat about what Siri is now capable of for everyday users.

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