How to Get Ready for Your iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Order Now
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If you’re even the least bit excited about Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro models, you’re probably already aware that Apple — and many carriers — will be opening pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max tomorrow morning, Saturday, September 12, at 5 a.m. PT.
While a Saturday pre-order date is atypical for Apple, it’s not the first time this has happened. The company did the same thing for the iPhone 6s in 2015 — the last time September 11 fell on the Friday following an Apple event. It’s a deliberate decision by Apple to respect the solemnity of 9/11.
However, even though pre-orders haven’t opened quite yet, Apple is letting customers get everything lined up in advance to expedite the process and make sure you don’t have to waste time fussing with the details once the clock starts ticking. After all, initial stock is likely to be limited, and it’s not uncommon for the most popular configurations to “sell out” within minutes or even seconds of pre-orders opening up. That means speed is of the essence.
To be clear, Apple doesn’t stop selling the new iPhone models. It just pushes back the delivery dates. It’s undoubtedly still cranking out millions of iPhone 18 Pro models in its factories, but there are only so many sitting in warehouses ready to be delivered next Friday. Once those are gone, customers will be left waiting for the supply chain to catch up.
What Time Do iPhone 18 Pro Pre-orders Start?
Once upon a time, iPhone pre-orders opened at midnight Pacific Time, resulting in us poor sods on the East Coast having to get up at 3 a.m. to get our orders in. Thankfully, Apple has moved to a saner schedule over the past few years. Those on the West Coast will likely still want to set an alarm, but 5 a.m. seems at least a bit more reasonable.
Pre-orders for all iPhone 18 Pro models will open at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PDT) on September 12. That works out to 8:00 a.m. for those on the East Coast.
There have been rumors of limited stock levels for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max over the past few weeks, but it’s not entirely clear how accurate or extensive those are. Still, if you’re looking for a specific color, you’ll want to get online and get your order in as early as possible. It’s hard to say how popular each will be, but it’s a safe bet that those in the stunning new burgundy finish will go fast.
Get Ready for Your Pre-Order in Advance
Thankfully, Apple has made the pre-order process smoother over the past few years. Now, you can set up nearly everything in advance either on Apple’s website or in the Apple Store app on your iPhone or iPad.
To get your pre-order set up, simply go to the iPhone 18 Pro Apple Store page and go through the process like you normally would.
This includes choosing your preferred capacity and color, and even selecting your trade-in and arranging financing through Apple Upgrade, Affirm, or any other available financing partners, depending on which country you’re in. You can also set up your payment and carrier options in advance, and even choose any accessories you want to include with your purchase.
At the bottom, you’ll see a “Get ready for pre-order” button instead of the usual purchasing button. Click that and it will walk you through the rest of the process.
Any financing options will be pre-approved as part of this process, including authorizing any initial payments, so you won’t have to waste time going through that when you actually check out tomorrow morning.
The only thing you should need to do once pre-orders open is hit a purchase button and choose your delivery or pickup details, as those will change depending on availability — and some could change pretty quickly.
Note that going through this process will not “reserve” a specific iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max for you. It just saves you the trouble of navigating the purchasing process tomorrow. You may still find that the iPhone you’re looking for won’t be available as quickly as you’d like unless you move fast. It’s not uncommon to see ship dates for the most popular models being pushed back into October and even late November within the first few minutes after pre-orders open.
Since saved pre-orders aren’t reserving an iPhone, you’re also not committing to buying one, so there’s no harm in setting up your pre-order now even if you’re still on the fence. It’s mostly just saving the item in a virtual shopping cart, and Apple says it will keep it there for up to three days, but nothing will happen if you simply choose to ignore it. At most, you might have a pre-authorization on a credit card for a financing arrangement like Affirm, but that will disappear like any other pre-authorization if you change your mind.
The only catch is that there is a deadline to make your pre-order selections in advance. Apple is only leaving the window open until 9 p.m. tonight (the press release says “9 a.m.” but that’s an obvious typo, as the press release was issued after that time, and the pre-order options remain open as of this writing).
Customers have until 9 a.m. PT on Friday, September 11, to bypass the morning rush by selecting their model, pairing accessories, securing leasing or financing pre-approval, and setting up their trade-in. By saving their shopping bag, they’ll be one click away when pre-orders begin on Saturday, September 12, at 5 a.m. PT.
Keep in mind that even if things don’t work out with pre-orders, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to visit an Apple Store next week and pick an iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max up in person. Apple can’t sell every iPhone it makes through its online store, or there’d be nothing to put on shelves in its hundreds of retail stores next Friday.
You may also have better luck with your carrier or another retailer, as they also receive their own shipments from Apple to sell directly to their customers that have nothing to do with Apple’s online pre-orders.
