After years of rumors, Apple finally appears ready to launch the first folding iPhone. It’ll be the most significant shakeup to the basic design of an iOS device since… well, ever.
There’s no official confirmation of a foldable iPhone, of course. But the rumors are unusually detailed, covering everything from the screen size and hinge design to the processor, cameras and even the phone’s possible name.
Here’s what to expect, when and at what cost.
Apple’s September product launch event kicks off on Wednesday, and there is so much to look forward to. It’ll be a milestone for the company in multiple ways.
First off, the “Surprise and Shine” event be the first with John Ternus welcoming everyone, not Tim Cook. He became Apple CEO just days ago, and will surely be acting as ringmaster for all the announcments.
That will keep him busy, with plenty of new products on the agenda. The first folding iPhone is expected to be the star of the show, joined by the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, with potentially even more products in store.
Here’s everything expected to take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park on September 9.
Apple stopped development on a cutting-edge MacBook with a foldable screen, according to a market-analysts firm. The computer would have been larger than any current notebook offered by the company, and apparently take advantage of the support for touchscreens coming to macOS.
Rumors about the device circulated for years, but some of these mentioned that Apple was struggling with the design. It supposedly has now given up.
Apple seems to be laying the groundwork for real HomePod surround sound. Hidden code spotted in the latest audioOS 27 beta points to a four-speaker setup that splits audio across front and rear channels.
HomePod owners have waited years for more than just a basic stereo pair. If this ships, it could finally give Apple’s smart speakers a true home theater option. That would put HomePod in more direct competition with dedicated surround setups.
The first folding iPhone will support MagSafe, according to a new report that may finally settle one of the last open questions about the rumored device.
Apple reportedly found some space for MagSafe’s magnetic array despite the thin design of the foldable, likely called the iPhone Ultra. New details also surfaced about pricing, launch timing and where Apple’s folding phone is expected to excel.
Update: This article is now moot because Apple introduced AirPods 5 at its Rise and Shine product launch event on September 12. Get the official details:
AirPods 4 could give way to AirPods 5 in the coming weeks, likely ushering in improved audio quality.
It’s a somewhat surprising development — a new version wasn’t really anticipated for another year — but there’s solid evidence that Apple is preparing to give its entry-level wireless earbuds a refresh. Perhaps as soon as this month.
Here’s what we can look forward to.
Apple’s OLED iPad mini is closing in on release. A fresh report says the redesigned tablet would reach store shelves by the end of October.
Expect a sharper, brighter screen as well as a faster chip built for Apple Intelligence. Apple is also said to be reworking the tablet’s shell for better water resistance.
Read on for everything to expect in the OLED iPad mini.
The upcoming Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 might feature continuous heart rate monitoring for better health tracking. The two watches should also come with a speedy new S-series chip for better performance and longer battery life.
Unfortunately, Apple does not plan to introduce any design changes this year. But the Apple Watch Series 12 could come with a premium ceramic casing option, which Apple last offered on Series 5 models.
The folding iPhone expected in September will open to become what is essentially a small iPad. But that doesn’t mean that it will support Apple Pencil, the stylus designed for Apple tablets.
Apple tested a version of the stylus for its upcoming foldable phone, but nixed the idea for multiple reasons, according to an unconfirmed report published Sunday. The most notable reason for cancellation: danger that the stylus might damage the iPhone’s folding screen.
The iPhone 17 Pro is barely a year old, but its successor could bring some meaningful upgrades. Rumors point to camera, display and performance improvements for the iPhone 18 Pro, along with a potentially unwelcome price hike.
Here’s how Apple’s next flagship could compare with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Leaked photos purportedly showing Apple’s AI servers reveal a chassis packed tight with custom silicon.
The unverified photos were posted Sunday by X user @hsuchingpo, an account with a good track record of Apple hardware leaks. The leaker said the Apple servers “most likely” power Private Cloud Compute, Apple’s privacy-first answer to cloud AI.
Update: As predicted, Apple released a Mac mini upgraded with M6 and M5 Pro chips on Tuesday, saying the tiny desktop computer “delivers up to 4x faster AI performance, up to 2x faster graphics and storage, along with enhanced connectivity.”
Apple’s next-gen Mac mini may debut in the coming days, possibly even ahead of Apple’s September iPhone event, according to an unconfirmed report published on Monday. The miniature desktop could debut with an Apple M5 or an M6 processor.
The new model should do well — Mac mini demand has exploded in recent months due to the AI boom.
Apple could be preparing an iPhone price increase for this fall. The move would follow Google and Samsung, both of which raised prices on their flagship phones this year.
The iPhone faces the same memory and chip shortages that pushed Apple to jack up Mac and iPad prices back in June. And while an iPhone price increase now looks all but certain, Apple appears to be trying to keep the hike modest.
Apple is clearing shelf space for a new era of smart home gear. The company is reportedly preparing a significant overhaul of its retail stores this fall. The changes point to more than a routine refresh. And at the center of it all sits the rumored Apple home hub — its first smart display built for the home.
The retail work targets the “Avenues,” the perimeter walls in Apple’s newer stores. These walls showcase HomePod, Apple TV, AirPods, and Beats gear. Store-layout teams are reportedly rearranging these sections and adding new accessory bays. The scale of the project suggests Apple needs room for something significant.
Apple will reportedly give the iMac an M6 upgrade later this year. As part of this, it also plans to launch the all-in-one desktop in new color options.
Just be aware, besides a faster chip and new colors, Apple supposedly won’t make any other changes to the iMac.
This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The Apple leaks are getting out of hand! Code in the macOS 26.7 release candidate spills the beans on tons of unreleased Apple products, and that’s just the start.
Tim Cook must be fuming — unless it’s the world’s craziest marketing campaign!
Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:
Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below and also available on our YouTube channel.
After years of small updates, Apple Watch Series 12 looks ready to kick things up a notch. Rumors point to a faster chip, a returning ceramic option and new AI-powered features.
The launch of the new smartwatch is mere weeks away. Here’s everything reported so far.
Apple’s AirPods with cameras just got a lot less mysterious. Buried in the macOS 26.7 release candidate’s code is a hidden framework that reveals exactly how the earbuds will perceive and process the world around you.
The discovery goes far beyond the recently leaked demo video spotted in the same code. It details resolution numbers, capture modes, calibration systems and a built-in privacy light. This gives us the clearest picture yet of the long-rumored AirPods upgrade.
That video of AirPods with cameras built in? Cool. But don’t expect to buy them anytime soon. Despite a leak that made AirPods with cameras look imminent, Apple is still holding the product for 2027. This year’s iPhone event won’t be the moment they show up.
If you were hoping to buy AI-powered earbuds alongside your next iPhone, you’ll have to wait. And that’s actually the more interesting story here: what almost shipped this year, and why it didn’t.
Fresh leaks apparently revealed practically everything there is to know about Beats 360 headphones. The as-yet-unannounced headphones feature a fresh new look, with rounder ear cups than previous Beats models and a customization option that sounds both colorful and cool.
The noise-canceling headphones — which Apple looks set to pitch as great for workouts, thanks to sweat- and water-resistance — appeared briefly on various online retailers’ sites Wednesday. Multiple Reddit users spotted them before they disappeared.
Apple may be planning to port the iPhone’s Camera Control button to a future version of the iPad. A newly granted patent shows a pressure-sensitive iPhone control mapped onto a tablet-shaped devices. This could hint at where Apple’s photography ambitions are headed next.
Obviously, a patent filing does not mention a release date or even confirm an upcoming product. But it does indicate that Apple already invested time engineering how the button could work on a much bigger device.
Apple is reportedly developing a smart display that would act as a smart home hub, and details of the upcoming product’s widget gallery appear in code buried in the latest macOS beta.
The discovery paints a clearer picture of how Apple’s first true smart display might work. It also gives us an idea of how the widget gallery might pull content straight from your iPhone, mixing Apple’s own apps with third-party widgets.
A new leak says the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s rumored variable-aperture camera won’t make it to the smaller iPhone 18 Pro.
The claim comes from a Weibo leaker with a strong track record on Apple hardware. The leaker also suggests Apple might limit a rumored upgrade to the Pro Max’s telephoto lens to the bigger phone, further widening the gap between this year’s Pro models.
Apple’s A20 Pro chip is shaping up to be a big leap forward. A new leak points to a significant jump in speed with a considerable cut in power use. This is the best look yet at the performance of a processor that will be critical to the success of Apple new flagship smartphones.
Built on TSMC’s 2-nm process, the chip is expected to make its debut in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup this fall. The upgrade should mean serious performance and battery gains, but it likely won’t come cheap.
Apple rarely lets details about unreleased products slip out ahead of schedule. But every once in a while, the company accidentally spoils its own surprises.
That’s exactly what happened with the macOS 26.7 Release Candidate, which contains references to several unreleased Apple devices, including upcoming iPhones, Macs and smart home products.