The countdown has officially begun for the first major event of the John Ternus era. Ternus, Apple’s new chief executive, took over from Tim Cook on September 1 after Cook’s fifteen years at the helm of the Cupertino company. The keynote is titled “Surprise and Shine,” and it’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated product events in Apple’s history.

Scheduled for September 9, 2026, the event promises no shortage of surprises — chief among them, the first foldable iPhone ever made. Months of leaks and rumors have led up to this moment, some now confirmed by multiple sources, others still speculation.

Here’s a rundown of what’s practically certain, what remains plausible, and what almost certainly won’t make it on stage.

Date, time and how to watch

Apple has officially confirmed on its website that the event will take place on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (7:00 p.m. in Italy). The venue remains the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino. The keynote will stream live at apple.com/apple-events, on the Apple TV app, and on the company’s official YouTube channel.

The invitation sent out on August 26 gave nothing away about the products themselves — just Apple’s logo glowing against a blue-and-burgundy background.

This will be the first major product keynote led by John Ternus, Apple’s longtime head of hardware engineering who became CEO just days ago. Tim Cook remains with the company as executive chairman, a role now focused mainly on institutional relations.

The first foldable iPhone

The most anticipated debut is, without question, Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone — its final name still unconfirmed. Some leakers expect “iPhone Ultra,” others “iPhone Fold.” Rumors point to a book-style design with a roughly 5.5-inch external OLED display and a 7.8-inch foldable internal screen, proportions closer to an iPad mini than a traditional phone.

Thickness is expected to come in around 4.5 mm unfolded and 9 mm folded — a form factor that inevitably requires trade-offs. Apple is reportedly skipping Face ID altogether, bringing back Touch ID built into the side button instead.

On the camera side, the device will likely ship with only wide and ultra-wide lenses, no telephoto. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the phone will keep MagSafe charging, while under the hood it’s expected to run the new 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip with a split battery across both halves, adding up to a combined capacity between 5,400 and 5,800 mAh.

Pricing estimates vary. Taiwanese research firm TrendForce projects a US starting price between $2,099 and $2,299, with higher-storage configurations potentially topping $3,000. In Italy, the device is expected to start above €2,000 — though that figure, like the others, is speculative and doesn’t yet account for tariffs, VAT, or Apple’s final European pricing strategy.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

Alongside the foldable, Apple is expected to introduce the two Pro models of this year’s iPhone 18 lineup. Design-wise, don’t expect a revolution: the same triple-camera setup and 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays carry over from the iPhone 17.

The clearest change may be color options, with three new finishes rumored — dark cherry, sky blue, and silver. On the technical side, the main camera is said to be gaining a variable aperture, DSLR-style, for finer control over light and depth of field, along with a new layered sensor for sharper low-light shots.

Both Pro models are expected to run the new 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip. The Pro Max should also get a more efficient LTPO+ display and a 5,567 mAh battery.

On price, estimates again diverge. TrendForce forecasts a 10-20% US price increase, putting the iPhone 18 Pro between $1,249 and $1,299 and the Pro Max between $1,349 and $1,399. The main driver is the ongoing chip shortage and surging demand tied to data centers. In Italy, where the iPhone 17 Pro currently starts at €1,339, the 18 Pro could land just under €1,500.

Apple Watch and AirPods

Wearables are also on the agenda, starting with the new Apple Watch Series 12. The next generation is rumored to bring back a ceramic case option, paired with a new processor enabling continuous heart-rate monitoring similar to the Oura Ring.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is expected alongside it, with no major design changes — just the same new processor found in the Series 12.

On the audio side, new AirPods 5 are expected with an H3 chip, in the usual active-noise-cancellation and non-ANC variants. Apple could also spring a few surprises: a faster Apple TV 4K, an updated HomePod mini, and a new smart home hub with a 7-inch display, a built-in camera, and an enhanced version of Siri.

New software

The keynote’s other major announcement should be the release date for Apple’s next software cycle. As usual, Apple is expected to confirm rollout timing for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.

All six are already in public beta and appear ready for their final release. Based on past launch patterns, the actual rollout is expected the week after the event, by mid-September.

What won’t be on stage

After running through the main products likely to debut at the keynote, a few rumored items probably won’t make the cut despite weeks of chatter.

Chief among them: the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e, the two other models meant to round out the iPhone 18 series. Apple has reportedly changed its release strategy and will instead launch them in spring 2027, alongside a second-generation iPhone Air — the first time in the company’s history that its iPhone lineup will be split across two separate launch windows. Whether that’s a winning strategy remains to be seen.

Some leakers have also floated a budget Apple Watch SE 4, but it almost certainly won’t appear this time. And despite hopes for new Macs with an M6 chip, that’s not happening at this event either: the Mac mini and Mac Studio with M6 chips were already announced separately via press release, with a launch date set for September 22 — so they’ll reach the market, just not as part of the September 9 keynote. Any OLED MacBook Pro or M6 iMac is expected later, either as a standalone announcement or at a second event before year-end.

Finally, there’s been talk of an iPad mini with an OLED screen. It does appear to be coming — just not at this event. Industry watchers expect its announcement and launch by the end of October 2026.

Editor’s note

This article was originally published in Italian on money.it by Pasquale Conte on September 07, 2026 as «iPhone pieghevole, Ternus al debutto e prezzi record. Cosa sappiamo sul Keynote Apple del 9 settembre». It has been translated and adapted for an international audience by the Money.it International desk.