Apple is expected to unveil a slew of new and updated devices, including the long-rumored foldable iPhone, at its annual late-summer hardware event on Wednesday in Cupertino, California.
It will also be the first major undertaking under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from outgoing CEO Tim Cook on Sept. 1.
Ternus, 51, joined Apple’s design team in 2001 and worked his way up to lead the design team for Apple’s entire line of products, including the iPhone, which generates most of the company’s revenue.
The event, which Ternus promised would be “phenomenal” in his first company-wide email as CEO last week, will begin at 10 a.m. local time (1700 GMT).
The tech giant is expected to finally unveil the long-awaited foldable iPhone, now rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, which will reportedly start at $2,000.
Like Samsung’s foldable smartphones, Apple’s device will have a smaller external display when closed and a much larger screen that unfolds when the phone is opened.
Essentially, this format combines the portability of a smartphone with the larger display of a tablet, offering users a larger screen without the need for a tablet-sized device.
The foldable phone will be a test for Apple, which hasn’t released a breakthrough hit since AirPods 10 years ago.
In 2019, Samsung released the industry’s first mainstream foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. Last year, the South Korean company released an updated Galaxy Z Fold model with a starting price of $2,000.
Foldable smartphones make up a tiny share of the market, less than 2 percent of global shipments, but Apple could capture 31 percent of that demand by the end of the year and reach 40 percent by 2027, according to research firm IDC.
“Apple’s foldable iPhone is likely to change the competitive dynamics in both China and global markets,” IDC research fellow Kiranjeet Kaur told AFP.
The rollout of the foldable iPhone comes as demand for powerful chips amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom has created a supply chain crisis, driving up prices across all industries.
As a result, smartphone shipments this year will decline by more than 16 percent, while average prices will jump by more than 27 percent, according to IDC.
“Folding phones are not immune to memory shortages, but the relative impact is lower given that the prices of these phones are already in the higher range,” Kaur said.
In what will be a first for Apple, it is unclear whether the company will release a new entry-level iPhone this year.
According to various sources, the company may present only two more expensive versions of its next series: iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. A more affordable base version of the iPhone 18 may not arrive until next year.
According to Bloomberg, the foldable Ultra will be the size of a passport when closed and will only have two camera lenses: a regular and an ultra-wide angle.
An improved version of Siri, powered by artificial intelligence, will be integrated into many of the new devices announced, including watches, AirPods, Apple TV and HomePod mini.
The company may also release a 7-inch device with a screen designed to act as a smart home hub, Bloomberg reports, although it is unclear whether it will be unveiled on Wednesday or later this year.
Published – September 9, 2026 09:09 EST.