Apple kicked off its Surprise and Shine event Wednesday with a cinematic passing of the torch as former CEO Tim Cook introduced his successor, John Ternus.
Ternus then praised the company’s crown jewel — the iPhone — before unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Apple Surprise and Shine event: All the new products
Every big Apple launch turns basic product announcements into a master class in marketing. This year’s Surprise and Shine event puts new Apple CEO John Ternus in the spotlight. Former CEO Tim Cook‘s classic greeting of “Good morning” gave way to Ternus’ understated “Hello.”
Prior to taking over as CEO, Ternus teased an “incredible” product pipeline. And the Surprise and Shine event provided his first opportunity to back up those words with legitimately incredible new products.
We will update this post as the event unfolds.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
Image: Apple
First up, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
“We made massive advancements in the most important areas: intelligence, performance, battery, and camera,” said Ternus as he introduced the new models.
The phones look much like the iPhone 17 Pro models, although this year’s design features color-matched glass panels on the back that more closely match the aluminum chassis. This year’s colors include deep black, glacier, silver and burgundy, the long-rumored “hero” color (previously rumored to be dark cherry) that replaces cosmic orange.
New A20 Pro chip and vapor chamber design for better performance
The iPhone 18 Pro models run on Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, based on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s 2nm node. It comes with a six-core CPU with two super cores. A seven-core GPU brings up to a 40% boost in graphics performance, Apple said.
A new design increases the size and effectiveness of the iPhone 18 Pro’s vapor chamber, allowing heat to dissipate more efficiently.
Despite the performance boost, Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro delivers the same battery life as last year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. And the iPhone 18 Pro Max gets an even bigger battery, delivering up to 36 hours of video playback.
The new phones also charge faster. iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max can charge to 50% in around 15 minutes, Apple said. And a five-minute charge can provide up to six hours of video playback.
New variable-aperture camera
Photo: Apple
Image: Apple
iPhone Duo
Photo: Apple
iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. Preorders begin October 16, with the devices hitting store shelves on October 23.
AirPods 5
Apple just revealed AirPods 5, bringing upgraded open-ear active noise cancellation to its most affordable earbuds. Unlike with AirPods 4, even the base AirPods 5 come with ANC. Even better, Apple promises the new earbuds remove up to 50% more external noise than AirPods 4 with ANC.
The earbuds feature a new multiport acoustic architecture and next-generation Adaptive EQ for richer, more detailed sound, along with improved Transparency mode and Adaptive Audio.
AirPods 5 also add hands-free Siri AI capabilities, including head gestures for responding to Siri, while Live Translation lets users hear conversations translated into their preferred language.
AirPods 5 start at $129, while a version with a Wireless Charging Case costs $149. The more expensive model adds volume control through swiping on the stem and improves battery life to up to five hours with ANC enabled.
Preorders begin today, with store availability starting Friday, September 18.
Watch the live stream of Apple’s Surprise and Shine event
Rajesh Pandey contributed to this report.
