What to expect from the Apple Surprise and Shine event today

Table of contents

When the Apple Surprise and Shine event starts and how to watch it

What Apple is expected to announce

What happens after the Apple event

What to watch for during the keynote

Apple is holding its fall hardware event today, Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Apple calls it “Surprise and Shine.” The keynote starts at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern) (6:00 p.m WAT), and it streams live from Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

This is Apple’s first big event under a new boss, John Ternus, who resumed as CEO on September 1, eight days before this keynote. Ternus spent more than two decades at Apple and led its hardware engineering team for five years before stepping into the top role. This keynote is his first major product presentation as CEO.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the event:

When the Apple Surprise and Shine event starts and how to watch it

The keynote begins at 10 a.m. Pacific time. You can watch it in a few ways:

• Apple’s official events website
• The Apple TV app
• Apple’s YouTube channel
• Any regular web browser on a Windows computer, an Android phone, or any other device

You do not need an iPhone or a Mac to watch. Apple usually leaves the full recording online once the live broadcast ends, so you can catch up later if you miss it.

Here is when the keynote starts in different parts of the world.

What Apple is expected to announce

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the safest predictions on this list. Apple has refreshed its premium iPhones every September for years, and Reuters reported in June that both models were still on track for a September release. Screen sizes are expected to stay the same as last year, at 6.3 inches for the Pro and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max.

The bigger upgrade may sit inside the phone. Reports point to a new A20 Pro chip built on a smaller 2-nanometre manufacturing process, which should make it faster or more power-efficient without taking up more space. Apple may also add more memory to support its on-device AI features. None of this is confirmed yet.

The camera could see a more visible change. Several reports mention a variable-aperture system for the 48-megapixel main camera, which would let the lens open wider for more light or narrow for a sharper background blur. How much this actually improves your photos will depend on the sensor and lens Apple uses, along with its software, so the feature alone will not guarantee better pictures.

Other rumoured changes include a smaller Dynamic Island, bigger batteries, and slightly thicker bodies. Leaked dummy units point to black, silver, light blue, and dark purple colour options. Every detail here comes from reporting or leaks, not Apple, and colour plans can still shift before launch.

Price is one of the bigger open questions. Apple told investors earlier in 2026 that rising memory and storage costs were hurting its hardware margins, and Reuters reported that the company planned to raise prices to cover that gap. Since the iPhone 17 Pro already launched at a premium price in 2025, analysts expect the iPhone 18 Pro line to cost even more this year. 

The foldable iPhone is the biggest possible announcement at this event. Recent reports describe a book-style phone that looks like a regular iPhone when closed, then opens into a small tablet screen. Analysts quoted by Reuters expect Apple to focus on hinge durability and a less visible crease across the folding display, since these two issues have shaped how people judge other foldable phones on the market.

Even the product’s name is still unclear. Most reports call it the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra, but a late Bloomberg report cited by The Verge says Apple may go with “iPhone Duo” instead. That same report puts the starting price at around $2,000 for the 256GB version, with a 2TB model possibly reaching close to $3,000. Reuters separately reports that analysts expect a price above $2,500. Because these numbers don’t agree, treat none as fact until Apple confirms a price on stage.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously described a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer screen, alongside Touch ID built into the side button instead of Face ID, two rear cameras, and a body around 9 to 9.5 millimetres thick when folded shut. Later reports have repeated these numbers. Bloomberg’s most recent reporting adds side-by-side apps and iPad-style multitasking, plus Apple Pencil support. These details remain unconfirmed by Apple.

This device could matter well beyond its first year on shelves. Foldable phones made up only about 1.6% of global smartphone shipments in 2025, according to figures cited by The Verge. IDC research in the same report estimates Apple could capture 28% of foldable phone shipments in its first year alone, and an IDC analyst told Reuters that Apple’s foldable could bring in more than $45 billion in revenue by the end of 2027. These are forecasts for a product that has not launched yet, but they explain why so much attention is on this one device.

Apple is stepping into a space Samsung, Huawei, Google, and Motorola have built over several years. Its challenge is making the bigger screen worth the higher price and the added weight and complexity. A sturdy hinge and a barely visible crease would fix two common hardware complaints. That extra screen space is only useful if the software uses it well, and that becomes clear once people start using it.

Apple may skip its usual full lineup this September. Reuters and The Verge report that the standard iPhone 18 lineup, including the next iPhone Air and the cheaper iPhone 18e, could move to a spring 2027 launch instead. That would leave today’s event focused only on the Pro models and the foldable phone.

This split schedule would give Apple two iPhone sales seasons a year instead of one, and it would reduce how many new models go into mass production at the same time. A Reuters report from January said the change would help Apple manage the complicated production needs of its first foldable phone while putting more resources behind its premium devices. This timing for the standard iPhone 18 is still based on reporting, not an Apple announcement.

Apple is also expected to update both of its main watch lines today. Reports linked to Bloomberg say the company has tested the Apple Watch Series 12 in GPS and cellular versions, alongside a new Apple Watch Ultra 4. Both watches are expected to run on a faster S12 chip and lean more heavily into health and fitness tracking.

A big redesign looks unlikely this year. Bloomberg reported that the Series 12 may bring back a ceramic case option and add new band colours while keeping its current shape. Other leaks point to better optical sensors and continuous heart-rate tracking. There is also talk of more onboard storage, though these details carry less certainty than the fact that both watches exist.

AirPods 5 may also show up today, with reports pointing to a new chip, plus better health sensors and controls. The camera-equipped AirPods described in other leaks are reportedly planned for 2027 instead, which makes them unlikely to appear at today’s event. New Apple TV and HomePod hardware have also come up in previews, though the evidence behind those two is weaker than the evidence supporting the iPhone and Watch predictions.

What happens after the Apple event

Apple usually opens orders within days of a September iPhone event and starts deliveries about a week after that. In 2023, Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro on September 12. Preorders opened three days later, and sales began on September 22. In 2024, the iPhone 16 family reached stores on September 20, a week after preorders opened. In 2025, Apple announced the iPhone 17 Pro on September 9. Preorders opened on September 12, and the phone became available a week later, on September 19.

Going by that pattern, the iPhone 18 Pro should become available around Friday, September 18. Reports disagree on whether preorders open on Friday, September 11, or Saturday, September 12, though several recent previews lean toward September 12 since September 11 falls outside Apple’s usual Friday preorder slot. Apple will confirm the actual schedule during the keynote and in its Newsroom posts afterwards.

The foldable iPhone might follow its own timeline. Bloomberg’s latest report says the device could start shipping in October, giving Apple room to announce it alongside the Pro models while giving its factories more time to build enough units. Limited early stock is also possible, so keep an eye on which countries make Apple’s first availability list, since new iPhones often reach one group of markets before expanding to others a week or two later.

Apple is also expected to share release dates for iOS 27 and watchOS 27, along with its other software updates. Based on past years, the main software updates should arrive during the week after the event, just before the new iPhones reach stores. Apple Watch orders may open on the same day as the keynote, with retail availability following alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. Every date here stays provisional until Apple publishes it directly.

What to watch for during the keynote

A handful of questions will decide whether this event lives up to the buildup.

• What final name, price, and release date does Apple give its foldable iPhone?
• How does Apple adapt iOS to fit the bigger folding screen, including multitasking and app support
• Does the iPhone 18 Pro get a meaningful camera upgrade, or a smaller set of yearly improvements?
• Which products ship this September, and which ones move to October or spring 2027

The most likely outcome is a premium-focused event built around the iPhone 18 Pro line and Apple’s first foldable phone. Everything Apple has confirmed so far stops at the event’s name and time, plus how to watch it. Every product name, spec, price, and release date stays unofficial until Apple says it out loud at 10 a.m. Pacific time today.

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