Everything Announced at Yesterday’s ‘Surprise and Shine’ Event
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After weeks of leaks and speculation, Apple’s September event is officially done. Now, we know everything that Apple had in store for us, and it was pretty much what we expected. Of course, that doesn’t make it any less exciting.
We saw new iPhone and Apple Watch models, and we even got a pretty big “one more thing.” This event had a lot going on, and now that it’s over, we can focus on the most important news. Here are all the biggest announcements from Apple’s iPhone event.
The First Foldable iPhone Is Real
It’s been a long time coming, but Apple’s foldable iPhone is officially here. And as per usual, the “iPhone Ultra” name continues to be a nothingburger.
Instead, Apple went with the name iPhone Duo, which will be a hit or miss for some users. Still, what counts is the hardware, and Apple didn’t disappoint. As expected, this new device features a more “passport-style” design with a 4:3 aspect ratio on the outside and inside screens.
On the outside, you’ll find a 5.4-inch display with a single front-facing camera. That’s right; Face ID isn’t on this model. Instead, Apple used Touch ID, located on the side button. When you open it, you get a much larger 7.6-inch OLED display.
Beyond the size, what’s really great about this new iPhone is iOS 27. Apple optimized the software and all of its apps to work perfectly with the iPhone Duo. For instance, all the controls are on the right side of the screen when it’s folded or open. There’s also a Dock on the right side, so everything is easier to control with one hand (unless you’re left-handed, that is). Plus, there’s Split View, so you can open two apps at once (when is this coming to the smaller iPhones, Apple?).
There are also many features that make use of the foldable display. For example, you can partially fold the iPhone and get a full keyboard on the bottom side, or you can put your partially folded iPhone on a table and get StandBy instantly without even charging it.
Another cool feature is Apple Pencil support. Yes, the larger iPhone supports the latest-generation Apple Pencil. This feature won’t be available at launch, but Apple confirmed it’s coming later this year.
There is a lot more to say about the iPhone Duo, but that’s probably best for another article. However, we do have to address the elephant in the room. While a foldable iPhone sounds great, it’s also the most expensive iPhone ever.
The base model starts at $1,999 for 256 GB of storage. Definitely not a phone everyone will be able to afford, but it’s still a cool addition to the lineup.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
As rumors suggested, Apple announced only the iPhone 18 Pro models during this event, while the base iPhone 18 and “iPhone Air 2” will launch next year.
This year’s iPhones aren’t a huge upgrade compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 18 Pro features a 6.3-inch display, whereas the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a larger 6.9-inch display. Both devices will come with the new A20 Pro chip, which features a 6-core CPU and a 7-core GPU, making them around 40% faster than the A19 Pro chip.
Additionally, both devices’ Dynamic Island is smaller but more useful. Thanks to iOS 27, the Dynamic Island will be able to show up to three different live activities at once.
Speaking of iOS 27, the new update brings other improvements to apps like Siri and Camera. Siri will be getting smarter and much more capable now that it understands personal context and can go through your apps and previous messages to provide all the personal answers you need.
The camera system now features an adjustable variable aperture, which, according to Apple, will let you capture even better pictures by letting you manually adjust depth of field and lighting. Plus, the Camera app is also bringing some improvements. Most notably, it’ll let you customize the layout so you can have your “Pro Controls,” which lets you manually adjust features like aperture, shutter speed, and white balance.
Besides that, the iPhone 18 Pro models will feature a larger battery and faster charging, which allows them to go from 0% to 50% in only 15 minutes.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. Both models will be available to preorder on September 12 and will officially launch on September 18.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4
As usual, we also get two new Apple Watch models alongside the new iPhones. Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with many improvements around Apple Intelligence and Health.
While we didn’t get any entirely new health features, Apple focused on some nice improvements to what’s already there. The company confirmed that it improved the surface at the bottom of the Apple Watch to make it more accurate during ECG readings and to make heart rate tracking more constant.
Now, the Series 12 and the Ultra 4 track heart rate every 5 seconds, thanks to larger LED lights at the bottom of the Watch. Now you’ll be able to see your heart rate in real time and get constant updates all day long.
Additionally, with this new technology, you’ll be able to see your daytime vitals, giving you constant information about your well-being, even before you go to bed.
With this data, Apple is introducing a feature called Readiness, which will let you know what your capacity is each day. This will be based on your vitals and your sleep score, and it’ll give you a separate score so you know if you can push yourself or take it slow.
Apple Intelligence is also gaining more ground on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with a new set of “Audio Intelligence” features. For instance, sound recognition will be available on your Watch. If you have hearing issues, your Apple Watch will alert you if it “hears” a sound like someone knocking on a door or a baby crying.
There’s also a new feature called Live Rewind. When this feature is turned on, your Apple Watch will listen and capture your conversations or something someone said. Then, if you didn’t hear properly, or just don’t remember, you’ll be able to see a transcription right on your Apple Watch. The transcription can be saved in the Siri app as well, in case you want to check it out later.
Yes, it sounds creepy at first, but Apple confirmed that your Apple Watch will not create any recordings of this, and you can manually turn it off if you want.
The Apple Watch Ultra will feature all of these improvements, but it will also come with more battery life than before. Apple confirms it can go up to 2 days with a single charge.
The Apple Watch Series 12 will start at $399 for the base model with an aluminum or ceramic finish. It’ll also come with Ceramic Shield, making it 50% tougher than previous models. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799.
Both models will be available on September 18, and you can preorder them today.
AirPods 5
Last but not least, Apple announced a brand-new generation of AirPods. The AirPods 5 feature better sound quality thanks to the improvements Apple made to the acoustic architecture and Adaptive EQ. There’s also a 50% boost in Active Noise Cancellation, and an improved Transparency mode.
And like the previous generation, two different models will be available. There’s the base AirPods 5, which start at $129 and feature everything we’ve mentioned so far.
There will also be another version of the AirPods 5 that includes volume controls on the stem and up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge. This model will cost $149.
Did Apple Really Surprise Today?
Apple’s event is a wrap, and it brought a lot of good news with it. Clearly, the iPhone Duo saved the presentation, as the other announcements mostly featured relatively minor hardware changes mixed with significant software updates.
Of course, that’s not necessarily bad. Anyone who was thinking of upgrading their old iPhone or Apple Watch can now choose the best and most powerful devices yet. If you were waiting for a huge upgrade, though, we might be better off waiting until next year.
