Apple unveils iPhone 18 Pro with September 18 release

Apple formally introduced the iPhone 18 Pro on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, confirming a September 18 release date and a September 12 preorder window. The announcement comes after more than a year of reports that Apple would split the iPhone 18 line.

In May 2025, anonymous supply chain sources claimed the standard iPhone 18 would move to an early 2027 launch, and that claim was repeated in December 2025 and later reports. By January 2026, an unnamed iPhone supply chain executive said the split was meant to ensure "supply chain smoothness" and was partly a marketing strategy change. Cost pressures also surfaced: in January 2026 a report said the A20 chip could cost as much as $280 per unit, about 80% more than the prior generation, and in July 2026 reports said TSMC had raised its base prices by 10%.

For that base model, leaks predicted a 2nm A20 chip, either 9GB or 12GB of RAM, a smaller Dynamic Island, Samsung-made image sensors, and a simplified Camera Control. Ming-Chi Kuo said the additional RAM in the spring 2027 models was meant "to keep the system running smoothly under AI workloads."

On September 7, a MacRumors report based on the iOS 27 beta described five camera features expected on the Pro models: manual focus, focus peaking, a histogram, an overexposure overlay, multi-shot self-timer, and lens correction tied to variable aperture. The next day, Imaging Resource said the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max were expected to be released September 18, and the event could also include Apple's first foldable, which some sources called iPhone Ultra. NDTV Profit separately listed ten expected upgrades, including a 2nm A20 chip, larger battery, variable-aperture main camera, stacked sensor, Apple C2 modem, and a possible Pro Max price of $1,399.

On event day, Fast Company noted the presentation would be the first headlined by Apple's new CEO, John Ternus, and that the first foldable iPhone was likely the star. After the event, Android Headlines reported the iPhone 18 Pro had been unveiled with a 6.3-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED screen, 2nm A20 Pro chip, three 48-megapixel rear sensors, variable aperture main lens, 36-hour video playback, and storage up to 2TB. Pricing starts at $1,199, with preorders opening September 12.

For buyers, the standard iPhone 18 is still expected to arrive in spring 2027, and no source reviewed here mentions an iPhone Air 2; the foldable is referred to repeatedly as iPhone Ultra.