Apple iPhone Duo launch LIVE: New CEO Ternus delivers Apple's first-ever foldable, new iPhone 18 Pro with variable aperture, and more

And that, ladies and gents, is a wrap... or should that be 'fold'?

There we have it. The rumours were pretty much bang on point. Here's a rundown of key products revealed:

• Apple iPhone Duo – pre-orders from 16 October, on-sale 23 October, from $/£1,999
• Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max – pre-orders 12 September, on-sale 18 September, from $/£1,199 / $/£1,299 respectively
• Apple Watch Series 12 – from $/£399
• Apple Watch 4 Ultra – from $/£799
• Apple AirPods 5 – $/£119 / $/£139 (with touch-control, bigger battery and Qi charger)

Ready for the iPhone Duo's price?

The iPhone Duo will come in two colours – Star White and Night Sky – and neither is going to be cheap, that's for sure. It's also eSIM-only worldwide.

So, drumroll please... It starts at $1,999 for the 256GB storage version. Other regional pricing to be confirmed.

You won't get your hands on one immediately, though, as pre-orders commence 16 October, ahead of the 23 October on-sale date.

'One More Thing'

Cor! Get to it Ternus. Yep, here's the first-ever Apple foldable. And, yes, it's called iPhone Duo.

It delivers the largest iPhone display ever, with an aspect ratio that's identical to that of an iPad. But don't confuse it with a tablet – this is all about content consumption.

Unfolded it's the thinnest iPhone ever, too, with aerospace-grade titanium ensuring it's tough enough for consistent use.

Described as "the utility of two products in one", this pocketable foldable is "passport-sized" and exactly as expected – as it's the same scale as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

What's really going to set Apple's product apart, however, is the software experience. And the continuity between outer and inner screens looks to trump Android's current experience.

A massive positive that Apple has coming is Pencil compatibility. That's something Samsung surrendered in its foldable devices a couple of generations ago – but Apple is embracing on both screens.

That pair of displays measure 5.4-inch on the exterior and 7.6-inch on the interior. That's 90% of an iPhone 18 Pro's display outside, but 80% larger on the inside.

Touch ID (with multi-finger enrolment) is integrated into the side button, rather than on the displays, as that would be too tricky to implement on the folding panel. However, there is a below-display camera hidden from sight – a first for Apple.

It's one tough cookie, too, using ceramic fibres in the structure between the panel folds to ensure rigidity. How will the 'crease' look? We'll have to wait and see. Ceramic Shield on the rear and Shield 2 on the front ensure durability. It's IP68-rated too.

Cameras aren't going to match the iPhone 18 Pro series, but the dual camera setup is still a talking point. A main and ultra-wide are what you get here.

And with the whole device powered by A20 Pro, it's got the muscle to deliver a top-tier experience – and for up to 31 hours of battery life when using the inner display, allegedly.

Can I get a reeewiiiind?

New Apple Intelligence features are also coming to the Apple Watch products: with Live Rewind and Siri Recap added to the feature list.

Siri AI is required for these to run, which will be available in beta later this year (in 'English' – likely meaning US English, with UK to follow at a later time).

Apple Watch 12 and Watch Ultra 4

There are two new Apple Watch products: Series 12 and Ultra 4.

The headline here? Apple says they take fitness up a notch.

That's thanks to redesigned sensors for greater accuracy. The electrode's surface area is increased for better readings; photodiodes are redesigned in a ring formation for better coverage; while larger and more powerful green LEDs support better heart-rate data for longer.

Readings are now taken a lot more frequently without detriment to the battery life. There's background reading every 5 seconds for heart rate all day long – that's 60 times more than before.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a big focus point in health at the moment, too, which the Apple Watch products can also measure. HRV is taken as often as every 5mins – which is 24 times more than previously.

It's a stylish number, too, available in Space Gray, Black, Light Gold, or Bronze. There's also a Ceramic finish in either Pearl White or Night Blue, priced from $399.

The Ultra 4 comes in Black or Natural Titanium, with greater battery life and more sports-focused features, priced from $799.

Both go on sale from 18 September.

New AirPods 5

The rumours were right: the new Apple AirPods 5 are here, offering an advance on the previous AirPods 4 model thanks to 50% greater noise reduction in this style of design.

Apple is claiming that delivers the "best ANC in an open-ear design", plus "Transparency mode lets in voices and sounds around you," and there's even a Live Translation mode.

AirPods 5 have also been reengineered to be more durable than ever, with improved water and dust resistance – although no mention of an official IP rating.

The AirPods 5 are priced at $129, maintaining the price point of their predecessors.

There's another version of AirPods 5, too, featuring on-stem volume control, a larger battery, plus a wireless Qi charger, priced at $149.

Note: there's no "without ANC" version anymore, meaning all Apple's AirPods products now feature active noise-cancelling.

Let's talk numbers

How much will the iPhone 18 Pro cost you then? It starts from $1199 in the US for the 256GB model.

There's now a new 2TB version, if you want to pay big bucks – but no eyes on how much that'll cost just yet.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, starts from $1299 in the US. Not a huge amount more for the larger model.

There's also a new Apple Upgrade program for US customers, priced from $34.99 per month (for 24 months), opening a leasing program for easier generational upgrades.

Variable aperture is official – for Pro and Max

This is a great surprise: the iPhone 18 Pro's new 48MP 'Fusion Main camera' features the variable aperture – which was originally only rumoured for the Max product.

This aperture comprises six laser-cut blades, each thinner than a human hair, delivering the right balance of mass, flexibility and durability. There's a new motor mechanism to control movements as the aperture auto-adjusts depending on scene lighting.

You can take control of the aperture if you wish, though, using the Pro mode. This gives greater shutter speed control, whether you want to enhance bokeh background blur, or motion blur in a frame – which is even possible in video capture.

Speaking of which: video capture offers smart Focus Tracking, benefitting from AI to lock onto subjects and follow them in focus, even if they leave and re-enter the frame.

Right, let's cool off

A new processor demands new cooling. But there's a brand new thermal design and cooling chamber.

Battery life, meanwhile, takes a massive leap in iPhone 18 Pro thanks to new battery designs paired with the A20 Pro efficiencies.

Apple doesn't quote battery types nor sizes, but is saying that you'll get the "same great all-day battery life" in the iPhone 18 Pro as you would from the earlier 17 Pro Max.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, offers the "largest increase in battery life ever on iPhone" – with up to 45 hours offline video playback.

A20 Pro

Here's what powers those iPhone 18 models: the all-new A20 Pro processor.

It's a brand new architecture, using a 2nm platform, and brings upgrades across the entire chip.

The structure is built around a CPU, GPU and NPU combination. The 6-core CPU arrangement has two 'supercores' and four efficiency cores. The GPU's new design brings a 40% increase in just one generation.

The neural engine, meanwhile is designed for low-latency on-device AI workloads, with increased bandwidth by using a second neural engine for total of 32 cores – doubling the throughput this generation.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max – but no base model

Well, here they are: the two new iPhone models, 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.

They come with new colour palettes: an incredibly deep black; a blue that's called 'Glacier'; a silver that's even more refined; and the stand-out colour, 'Burgundy', which isn't the 'Cherry' name as rumoured.

Lilian Rincon – formerly Google's VP – picks up the lead to detail more. And it's largely all about AI – and Siri AI in particular. We trialled the voice-controlled assistant earlier this year.

'Personal Hub'

"There's no product in the world better designed to be your intelligent personal hub than iPhone," leads Ternus.

He's giving a rundown of Apple Intelligence running on-device (when it can), for enhanced security that can't be seen by third parties – or even Apple itself.

Ternus takes to stage – but only for those at Steve Jobs Theater

If you're watching at home then you won't have seen the new CEO, John Ternus, take to the stage to provide a few intro words. Again: a different approach as part of this new stage of Apple's life.

But it's former CEO Tim Cook's voice that we first hear towards the end of the presentation's video pre-roll, before introducing Ternus in his pre-captured form. So here we go, strap in, as there's going to be a lot more to digest...

10 minute klaxon!

As we watch sun-drenched Apple Park fill with many media and influencers, headed on their way to Steve Jobs Theater, there's only 10 minutes to go until the big reveal – which will keep us glued to screens until likely 19:30 (BST) this evening.

Apple Event September 9 2026: Introducing iPhone Duo and more - YouTube

Watch On

I was hoping for some more banging tunes, to be honest, as Apple's pre-roll videos are usually chock-full of beats and enthusiasm ahead of the main event. I'll pop my own on then...

But that's one notable shift. This keynote isn't happening outside at Apple Park, it's going for a more classic, old-school approach with an indoor presentation. Will it be live? Will it be a video? Will it be a mix of both? It's got me wondering...

Pick your colour

The iPhone 18 Pro models are now likely to feature a deep red rather than the orange of last year. But what colour would you like to see?

Variable apertures

A teaser post earlier from Apple CEO John Ternus shows what I believe is supposed to be a variable aperture. There's been talk about the next iPhone featuring a variable aperture in the past, but here's why it matters.

Currently, almost every camera phone uses a fixed aperture. Because of the smaller size of sensor on phone cameras, even a small aperture results in an image with a wide depth of field – meaning everything is sharp from front to back.

To create those shallow focus images and video, Apple and other manufacturers use a digital effect to blur the background. However, with a variable aperture, it would be possible to do at least some of this optically.

A variable aperture would allow the iPhone to take extremely detailed landscape shots (using a small aperture) and shallow depth-of-field portraits using a wider aperture.

I suspect some digital processing will be needed, unless the sensor is much larger, but it would be another step towards DSLR-quality images.

Here are products we don't expect to see

There are lots of Apple products we're sure are almost ready to go but are very unlikely to make an appearance tonight.

There's been a lot of talk about an Apple Home device, combining the HomePod with a screen but the biggest secret project is probably its smart glasses.

Apple has seemingly paused its Apple Vision Pro development in favour of a more day-to-day wearable solution, according to rumours. This is expected to be something like the smart glasses we've seen recently from Samsung, Google and Meta.

If there were ready for release I would expect them to get their own dedicated event, as it's likely to be a big move for Apple. It could of course be teased as a 'one more thing' but details are likely to be sparse.

Personally, I expect today's focus to be on Siri AI, so additional products are highly unlikely.

Building on the excitement

Afternoon all, it's Mat Gallagher here as your final build up to the event before Mike guides you through. I'm super excited for today's event – I'm even wearing my Apple Park T-shirt in honour.

I hope we see something different with Ternus at the helm, but I expect a typically slick Apple presentation today and at least three top phones and two watches.

Just two hours to go...

A quick reminder folks that the event will start in just a couple of hours now... 10am PDT local time to Apple's HQ in Cupertino, 6pm BST in the UK.

We'll be bringing you all the news here on T3 as it happens – both in this live blog and with longer pieces on the main site. Please stick with us, there's going to be plenty to cover.

Such a tease

New Apple CEO John Ternus is already proving to have a mischievous side, having just posted a teaser clip on his X feed.

Some suggest that it could hint at a new version of the Apple Vision Pro. Others that it could be pointing to a variable aperture for the camera on the iPhone 18 Pro. Either way, it's an intriguing development with only a few hours left to go.

Something for everyone

While there will be plenty of new products to savour, Apple will undoubtedly also reveal new details on Siri AI and it's various operating systems too – which will soon be available for existing devices, as well as the forthcoming additions.

Hopefully, that will include a date when iOS 27 and the other OS variants will be available. We doubt we'll have to wait too long considering at least some of the new devices will be released in a week or so.

Pre-orders already live

Although we don't expect pre-orders for the iPhone Duo (or iPhone 18 Pro models) to be available straight away, it's thought they might start this coming weekend. It's usually the first Friday after the launch, but the US will be holding memorials for the 9/11 victims on that day this year.

There's one thing though, if you just so happen to have a spare $18,000 lying around, you can actually pre-order Apple's new foldable already.

Luxury tech customiser, Caviar, has been offering its own version of the iPhone Ultra/Duo for weeks, although you will have to pay through the nose for them. The bespoke designs are covered in premium materials and are hand crafted, so only footballers and bank robbers need apply.

Pencil the Duo into your diary

It hasn't been reported much, but some of the speculation across the net suggests that the iPhone Duo will come with at least one major feature no other iPhone has offered before. As well as the foldable display, of course.

It is claimed that the Duo's inner screen might support the Apple Pencil. It was reported last week that the firm was testing compatibility but decided against implementing it. However, that was in relation to a dedicated, smaller version of the Pencil that could have shipped with the foldable.

That's clearly not happening, but it would make sense for Apple to include support for existing Pencil models – after all, it will be a mini iPad when unfolded. We shall soon find out.

A case of the blues for Apple

Hi news editor Rik here to take over for a bit, to bring you some more gossip and info on today's Apple shenanigans.

And first up, although we'll soon see the iPhone Ultra Duo in the flesh, one case manufacturer couldn't wait until the official launch. ESR Tech opted to post a video on its X feed that not only shows some of the cases it plans to make available soon, but it included a "dummy" version of the foldable iPhone for good measure.

The post was taken down again (but not until after I wrote about it), leading us to believe that the design is the real deal.

Orange you glad for the time we had?

The iPhone 17 Pro's Cosmic Orange colour caused quite a stir when Apple unveiled it almost exactly a year ago – it was pretty much the boldest colour choice that Apple had ever made, and ensured that the phone could be unbelievably recognisable out on the street.

While some of us at T3 were (and remain) big fans of the colour, it was also obviously quite divisive, and it's not the biggest surprise to learn from leaks that Apple is backing away from it. The rumours indicate that this year we'll be getting a cherry-red one instead, and a slightly bolder blue than in previous years.

The Pro models went a long time having only really quite professional and buttoned-up colours, so it's just nice to get any variety at all. Still, fans of Comic Orange might need to pour one out in honour of their departed hue.

Runtime error

Apple's events haven't been particularly short for quite a while now, but the more products the Californian giant launches, the more its runtime needs to swell. The addition of the iPhone Duo this year might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

After all, the rumours about the iPhone 18 being launched a little later in the year are surely at least partly down to the fact that Apple knows it can't expect people to watch a three-hour keynote.

It already effectively has to do MacBook and iPad announcements separately for this exact reason, but now it's getting to the point where it has enough different phones to pose the same problem on a smaller scale.

So, how long will tonight's event be? We're betting on somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours, going by recent examples, but in truth we wouldn't be too surprised if this one crosses over into a third hour. I'd assume we'll get 30 minutes just on the Duo, after all, with Apple keen to crow about years of R&D results.

Watch out!

The Apple Watch has become an unbelievably steady performer for Apple over the course of the last decade, and we're now a few years into the era of the Watch Ultra, which will most likely get a new version during this event.

So, will Apple stick with the formula and just introduce a new Series of the Apple Watch on both counts, or is there anything to really surprise us? Years of rumours have suggested that we might one day get an Apple Watch with a camera, for instance, although there's no suggestion that's remotely likely today.

I think we're probably going to see a relatively predictable Watch section of the presentation, but it would be lovely if Apple could spring some form of surprise here.

One more thing?

Apple's announcements used to fairly reliably end with a surprise – if not always something we knew nothing about. While that might be harder in an era of nonstop leaks, the famous "one more thing" phrasing became iconic for the brand during Steve Jobs' days.

It's fallen away a little bit in more recent years, though, as Apple has become bigger and more methodical in its planning and releases. We miss it, though! It was a fun nod to the audiences that had sat through long presentations in the hope of a surprise, and preceded some of the biggest announcements Apple ever made.

So, could John Ternus bring it back? He's only been CEO since the start of the month, but he'll have been planning his first presentation in the chair for longer than that, and it could be a fun way to trade on some nostalgia while presenting the future. What better way to introduce a folding iPhone, after all?

Brace for price hikes

While the hype grows around the iPhone Duo (if these last-minute leaks have indeed got the name right), it's worth remembering that there's going to be a subplot throughout this Apple Event – pricing.

This year has been fairly brutal on the tech industry where price hikes are concerned, with devices left and right getting their prices upped, sometimes just weeks after being announced or released. Apple's already shown it's willing to join the club, given the rise in the MacBook Neo's price after its release.

So, what lies in store for the iPhone 18 lineup? There's almost no way it launches at the same price as last year's equivalents, after all, and we'd say it's a safe bet that £100 or $100 price rises are basically the minimum we can expect. How that ripples out into the likes of the Apple Watch is pretty hard to gauge, too.

Listen up!

The other widely expected product to launch isn't an iPhone, standard or foldable, but new AirPods.

The AirPods 5 are anticipated in two flavours: with active noise-cancelling (i.e. 'with ANC' in the name) and without – the same product formula of the current not-Pro AirPods range.

So what's new for this pair of in-ears? It's all to do with the chip, apparently, as Apple's new H3 will be on board for better processing, higher quality and lower latency.

There was a previous rumour regarding camera-toting AirPods, too, but that's either too zany to be true, or one for a (distant) future date.

Looking back to see forward

I was just looking over the biggest headlines from Apple's WWDC event in June of this year – see the key ones below – and a lot of it will bring direct benefit to the new iPhone 18 and Duo.

• The 5 best new features in iOS 27
• iPhone owners in EU won't get Siri AI, but UK will
• We tried out the new Siri – here are our first impressions

While hardware is a major importance, how that operates owed to software is just as important. The evolution of iOS in these new devices, therefore, will be a big part of the puzzle.

New Siri, more advanced AI, potentially new operating system features for the Duo – watch this space on that front – will all have a big impact on these devices.

Quiz o'clock!

What about that Apple TV 4K rumour?

I just had a flashback to way earlier in the year, in May, when Apple's update of tvOS had led to more rumours that a new Apple TV 4K box could be coming.

Well, that was four months ago – and we're seemingly no closer to a conclusion. Today isn't likely to be the day when Apple goes all-out on content.

That said, if the iPhone Duo is so content-heavy, then it's a prime opportunity for Apple to show off its best streaming service, Apple TV. Maybe there'll just be some easter eggs about forthcoming Apple TV shows.

I'm sure that a new Apple TV 4K will arrive soon. It might be more likely when new HomePod products are brought to light, complete with Siri enhancements, in the future.

Colourful language

Every year in recent memory a new iPhone has meant new iPhone colour options.

Even last week people couldn't agree on what was likely for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

But more recent leaks seem to show off that both the 'Dark Cherry' and 'Sky Blue' options are a given.

Whether that also translates to the iPhone Duo isn't known – a leaner colour palette is more likely for the top-tier phone in Apple's line-up.

It seems that the Cosmic Orange era is over, though, which I can't say is any bad thing – especially when anyone I've seen with such a device has it hidden in a case anyway.

As a general theme, 2026 has been big on green hues – "pistachio" a particular favourite among tech brands – so will Apple also join that party? I suspect not; it'll carve its own path.

Changing of the guard

That's enough on the product side of things for a moment. Because there will be one very visible change at today's Surprise and Shine event – the likely absence of Tim Cook.

The former Apple CEO has hung up his hat, moved into the Executive Chair role, and handed the reins to Apple long-timer John Ternus, pictured above.

Get used to this guy's face, as you'll be seeing plenty more of it. Not that Ternus has been hidden behind the scenes – he's presented Mac sections at Apple's keynotes in the past, and more.

The timing of the changeover is critical, of course, as the iPhone Duo's introduction ought to be a major step into new territory for Apple – just as its new boss represents the same.

Ternus won't be alone, though. Per Tim Cook's presentations, chances are that the already-filmed output will be littered with other high-profile Apple execs from across the business.

It's always been a very polished production. Will it be a very different production this year? I can't imagine that Apple is looking to reinvent the wheel. But it'll be interesting to tune in and find out at 18:00 (BST) today.

But there's got to be more than that, right?

I'm confident that Apple has the potential to launch a huge swathe of products – or reveal them, at least.

But I'm also confident that it won't. What would be the benefit other than to bombard our brains?

A couple of weeks ago the quiet launch of M6 and M5 Pro chips in Mac Mini got that out of the way before this major Duo launch.

I suspect it'll be a similar story in coming weeks – there's typically been an October Mac event, for example – to allow other iPad and Mac reveals to not steal the Duo's limelight.

So stay on your toes: 2026 is going to be – as it already has been – a very busy year for Apple.

Is it just iPhones, iPhones, iPhones?

No! Apple is selling an ecosystem, after all, so while the iPhone Duo will no doubt be centre stage, there'll be plenty more to talk about.

Key among those topics, from a hardware point of view, is the alleged Apple Watch 12's reveal.

While the key new details about this wearable fitness tracker and smartwatch aren't out in the wild, one small yet important detail has leaked.

As we reported this week, it's thought that the new Watch 12 will come with a heap more storage on board.

Is that just to drive up the price, is it an optional upgrade, or does it hold a core function for what the Watch 12 can deliver? We'll find out later on...

What about the iPhone 18?

It's September and, in Apple terms, that's meant one mainstay, year after year, since 2012 (ignoring the 2020 aberration): a new iPhone.

This year, however, things are likely going to look a little different. It's rumoured that Apple won't launch an iPhone 18 at all.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves: there's expected to be an iPhone 18 Pro and step-up iPhone 18 Pro Max with an even more advanced camera.

Just no 'base' iPhone model this year. That ought to leave more space for the alleged iPhone Duo's reveal.

And with the iPhone 17 so strong, it also makes sense – why make a marginal gain if it's not going to really benefit customers?

Originally the rumour was that Apple might take a Samsung-style split of events: focusing September on the folding iPhone, with the other models pushed by some months to create a bi-annual, er, 'duo' of launch events – as Samsung prefers.

It appears that won't be the case, however, with iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and Duo the trio from today's keynote.

So why 'Duo'?

Speaking of the key product: why would Apple opt for the 'Duo' name?

It's all in the marketing, really, isn't it? It's an iPhone. But it's also a tablet – akin to a 'mini iPad'.

Note that I didn't say 'iPad Mini', as Apple will still very much want you to buy one of those.

It's just that the iPhone Duo will be able to supplement that experience, the segue from pocketable device to larger-screen product.

That does suggest to me that the iPhone Duo will be the next step in iOS – or a subset of that operating system.

Just as the first-ever iPhone rewrote the rules – Steve Job's classic 2007 reveal, announcing it as (paraphrasing here) iPod, phone and internet communicator, was a landmark deliver – the iPhone Duo has to do the same to succeed.

Closed and it'll be the widest iPhone you've ever used. Open and it'll mirror an iPad's aspect ratio precisely – but I don't think with the same degree of control overall, leaving iPadOS as the platform to sit between iPhone and Mac.

But the Duo is going to have to be different. Is a big screen for content consumption enough? It has been for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, granted, so Apple's play may really lean on the same approach.

So, while I really don't like the Duo name – blame that on Microsoft's history – I can see the logic in what it defines about this incoming iPhone revolution.

Seeing double

Well, well, here's one way to kick things off. The "iPhone Ultra" might not be called that at all. Indeed, it may be called the "iPhone Duo".

As we reported this morning, seasoned leaker IceUniverse, X post embedded above, has intel that the Duo name is what to expect.

Oh dear. Did nobody mention Microsoft's disastrous Surface Duo launch? It seems a very odd name pathway for Apple to follow in my view.

Still, a name is but a name. It's the product itself that's really key – especially as it's expected to cost upward of $2,000 (and, presumably, the same in Sterling – we shall see).

The countdown begins

Dry your eyes for the absence of Tim, but let's be tears-of-joy excited for the opportunity that Apple has got with today's event – and just how different it could be (but, er, probably won't be).

It begins in 9 hours from now, so strap in ahead of the event proper, as we'll be bringing analysis, predictions, reminders from previous Apple Events, and more throughout the whole day. What a mid-week treat!