Apple has just announced that its “Surprise and Shine” event will take place on September 9, 2026, at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. The story suggests that the company will unveil a new generation of iPhone and Apple Watch models in two weeks. The keynote is scheduled to take place at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
Unlike previous keynotes, there are two key differences for this one. John Ternus will take over as CEO of Apple on September 1, which means it will be his first speech at the helm of Apple. The second change is that rumors indicate that Apple will only announce the Pro line of its smartphones and a new foldable phone, pushing back the iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2 and even the iPhone 18e to early September.
If you’re waiting for the iPhone 18 line to launch before purchasing an older model, there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t wait for this talk to get an iPhone 17. However, Apple is rumored to introduce some of its most anticipated new releases in years, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, foldable iPhone (said to be called iPhone Ultra), Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Recent reports briefly suggested that Apple AirPods with a camera could launch as early as next month, but that appears to have been delayed until early 2027.
What we know about the new iPhone models
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to look similar to their predecessors, but with a few notable changes. Along with larger camera sensors, these iPhones are expected to come in new colors, including a new Cherry color scheme to replace the current Cosmic Orange. Apple is also rumored to introduce a variable aperture camera for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, once again creating a camera feature exclusive to the larger model.
Both devices are expected to feature the A20 Pro processor, the company’s C2 5G modem overseas (and a Qualcomm version in the US), and increased battery life. Rumors also suggest that this iPhone could cost over $200 more than its predecessor, although it’s unclear whether Apple will raise prices by launching the Pro models with 512GB of storage or whether it will become more expensive but with the same 256GB of storage. In 2025, Apple removed the 128GB versions of its phones so it wouldn’t have to raise prices, even if users paid $100 more for the base model.
However, the star of the event should be the foldable iPhone. With a passport-style design, this device is expected to resemble the recently released Galaxy Z Fold 8. It is expected to have 12GB of RAM, Apple’s A20 Pro chip, support for Touch ID instead of Face ID, and two main camera sensors instead of three. The device is also expected to cost at least $2,000.
Latest Apple Watch rumors and iOS 27 launch
For the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple is reportedly bringing back a ceramic version, which would most likely replace the current titanium model for non-Ultra models. In addition to this, the new Apple Watch is expected to introduce a chip to improve performance and Siri AI. In 2025, DigiTimes said the Apple Watch Ultra 4 could get a major redesign with “a significant upgrade to sensing features.” However, we still don’t know what the next Apple Watch Ultra will look like.
In the past, there were rumors of a new design for the standard Apple Watch, including a new strap pattern, but Apple has remained consistent for a decade now. Still, this could actually be a big year for the Apple Watch, as the company has stated that watchOS 27 will not support several older models, which could indicate that big changes are imminent.
Last but not least, Apple could use this September event to announce the release date of iOS 27. In the past, Apple offered the Release Candidate version of the software right after the keynote, with the official version available a week later. This year, alongside iOS 27, Apple will release iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27, with most of these updates focused on the new Siri AI and revamped Apple Intelligence features.
