RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Apple’s big September event is under two weeks away at the time of writing, with invites having been sent out for a ‘Surprise and shine’ event on September 9.
So what surprises can you expect? Well, given how extensively Apple’s products and services tend to leak, there’s a chance there won’t be any major surprises at all. But there certainly will be some big announcements — likely to be headlined by the first foldable iPhone, which could be dubbed the iPhone Ultra.
That’s probably going to be joined by other iPhones, Apple Watches, and an assortment of other devices, so there could be lots to see even if none of it comes as a complete surprise. Below, we’ve detailed the most likely Apple announcements.
1. The iPhone Ultra
The iPhone Ultra could look a bit like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)
The iPhone Ultra is likely to be the biggest announcement at Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ event, as this is set to be the company’s first foldable phone — something we’ve heard rumors of for many years at this point.
In fact, it’s been so long now that it’s almost hard to believe it’s actually about to land, but all signs suggest it is.
Leaks point to the iPhone Ultra having a roughly 7.8-inch foldable screen and around a 5.5-inch cover display, with an overall design that’s somewhat similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — so more of a passport shape than the book-style Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra .
This will likely have a dual-lens camera and top-end power, and reports suggest the screen might not have a visible crease. It could be the phone you’ve been waiting for if you want an iPhone and an iPad mini all in one. But it’s also sure to be very expensive, with leaks pointing to a starting price of at least $2,000 (around £1,470 / AU$2,785).
2. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 17 Pro's (pictured) successor is set to debut before the iPhone 18 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will almost certainly launch here too, for anyone who doesn’t want — or can’t afford — Apple’s foldable.
Based on leaks, these will probably sport broadly the same design as the iPhone 17 Pro series, complete with the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screen sizes — though the back glass might be closer in color to the aluminum frame, leaving them with less of a two-tone appearance than the current models.
You can of course expect a chipset upgrade, with the as-yet-unannounced A20 Pro chipset likely to be featured, and the Dynamic Island might be smaller this year.
These phones are also rumored to have a variable aperture on one of their cameras — though it’s possible that only the iPhone 18 Pro Max will get this — and they could have higher capacity batteries than their predecessors.
Though they’re likely to also cost more, with estimates putting the starting price at anywhere between $100 (roughly £75 / AU$140) and $300 (around £220 / AU$415) more than the iPhone 17 Pro line.
3. New Apple Watches
The next generation of the Apple Watch Series 11 (pictured) is rumored to be on the way (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)
That’s all the iPhones we’re expecting — with the base iPhone 18 reportedly not arriving until 2027 — but Apple is also likely to unveil some new wearables.
Specifically, we’re expecting the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4. The main upgrades for the Apple Watch 12 could be Touch ID on the side button, and a new S12 chip, likely delivering a noticeable performance improvement. But — other than the new software coming with watchOS 27 such as a dedicated Siri app — this might otherwise be similar to the Apple Watch Series 11 , complete with a largely unchanged design.
As for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, this could similarly have a new chipset and gain Touch ID, but it might additionally have a slightly larger screen and a slimmer build than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 . Some reports suggest the upcoming model could also have new sensors, which might increase its accuracy at tracking health and fitness metrics.
4. New AirPods
The AirPods 4 (pictured) could be replaced by two new AirPods 5 models (Image credit: Future)
Apple could also unveil some new AirPods at its next event, with talk of the AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with ANC landing at the September event. Sadly we probably won’t see the rumored AirPods Pro with cameras yet though.
Details on the AirPods 5 are slim so far, but they might prove a tempting — and more affordable — alternative to Apple’s AirPods Pro line.
5. Apple’s first smart home display
A mock-up of what an Apple Home Hub could look like, based on the Amazon Echo Show 10 (Image credit: Amazon / Apple)
Apple might finally launch a smart home display this September, as it’s rumored to be working on a home device with a seven-inch screen, and some reports suggest it will land this year — though don’t be surprised if we don’t see it until 2027.
This device — which might be called a Home Hub — will probably primarily be interacted with via Siri of course, and it will apparently use facial recognition to tell who is looking at it and serve up personalized content accordingly.
6. Other new devices for the home
The HomePod mini (pictured) might finally get a new model (Image credit: TechRadar)
Apple might also launch a new HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K box at its September event. The former will probably support some Apple Intelligence features and is rumored to work with Wi-Fi 7 and have improved sound quality over its aging predecessor.
The latter could support Siri AI, Wi-Fi 7, have an improved chipset, more RAM, and come with an upgraded Siri remote.
7. New software
iOS 27 will launch in September (Image credit: Apple)
That’s probably it for hardware, but September is also when we’ll see the launch of Apple’s new software, much of which is currently in beta.
This includes iOS 27 , iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, macOS 27, and tvOS 27. The biggest feature on most of these will be ...
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