Apple could unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone on September 8 or September 9, 2026. That’s what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman estimates based on Apple’s previous release timeline.
If accurate, the new iPhones could go up for preorder later in the week and hit retail stores on September 18.
The countdown to Apple’s foldable iPhone may have just begun
Apple usually announces new iPhones in the first half of September. It starts accepting preorders later in the week, with retail availability scheduled to begin around 10 weeks after the announcement.
In a post on X, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman estimated the “most likely date” for the unveiling of the iPhone 18 Pro and the first foldable iPhone. According to him, the event will most likely take place on Tuesday, September 8, or Wednesday, September 9. Labor Day falls on September 7, so that rules out a Monday event.
Based on history, the most likely date for Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra announcement is either Tuesday Sept. 8 or Wednesday Sept. 9. But Labor Day is on Sept. 7, so Apple may prefer a travel gap day and prefer Sept. 9 for that reason.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 28, 2026
New iPhone preorders typically open on the Friday of the week they are announced. However, since that would fall on September 11, the company could move preorders up by a day to September 10.
iOS 27 to release on September 14?
Apple usually leaves a one-week gap between preorders and retail availability. So, based on that timeline, iOS 27 should see a public release on September 14 or September 15.
If Apple follows its usual schedule, the iOS 27 Release Candidate should be seeded to developers immediately after the keynote. That would give developers about a week to prepare their apps before the public rollout.
Rumors suggest Apple’s first foldable iPhone will be the star of its September event. The company is also expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, both of which are rumored to feature upgraded camera hardware.
Unfortunately, the base iPhone 18 will not debut this year. Instead, it will apparently arrive in Q1 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e. This will be a part of Apple’s new release strategy, where it splits its flagship iPhone lineup across two launch windows.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
