All the news from Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ event

All the news from Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ event. Apple’s hosting its “Surprise and shine” launch event on September 9th at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, where it’s expected to announce the first phones in its iPhone 18 lineup — including Apple’s first foldable, the rumored “iPhone Duo. ” This event will also be John Ternus’ first as Apple’s CEO after taking over for Tim […]

What happened

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Apple unveiled its new iPhone Duo as part of a launch event in Cupertino, California on WednesdayBen Wood, chief analyst at technology research firm FDM CCS Insight, said it was likely Ternus's promotion was timed specifically "to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years". Figure caption, Watch: Would you buy Apple's $2,000 foldable phone? ByKali Hays, Technology reporter and Lily Jamali, North America Technology correspondentPublished9 September 2026Updated 10 September 2026Apple has launched its most expensive iPhone ever – a foldable handheld that costs at least £1,999 and marks the first major iPhone design change in almost 20 years.

Apple is entering the foldable phone market comparatively late, following the likes of South Korea's Samsung and China's Huawei. Ternus told an audience at Apple's California headquarters: "Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together". Apple's model, he claimed "redefine[s] the experience of using a foldable phone". It has taken eight years to develop, something Ternus was directly involved in after spending many years as a top executive inside Apple's hardware division.

The wider picture

Altering the design of the iPhone may address some criticism that Apple has yet to land a major product hit or truly exciting innovation since the first iPhone came out in 2007. Apple also revealed on Wednesday the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, which in the US start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively. Chatterjee said the foldable iPhone could go the way of Apple's Vision Pro headset, which the company priced at $3,699 and has not been a hit with buyers.

Or, he said, it could be the company's next Apple Watch which, while not as popular as the iPhone, is bought by millions of people each year. The way people have become accustomed to the way the iPhone operates is another potential hurdle to Apple seeing big sales of the new design. Even with Apple's version likely driving interest and demand, sales are only expected to reach 4% of the total market in the next decade, according to data and analytics firm FDM CCM Insight.

The iPhone has been Apple's top-selling product and accounts for more than half of the company's sales each year. Some Siri AI features will also be available on the new Apple Watch, including the ability to take notes of conversations and transcribe them, should a wearer enable that feature.

What has been reported

Ternus referred to new AI-enabled capabilities on the iPhone as an "intelligent personal hub", and admitted that Apple would be making use of "the most private details of your daily life". "Related topicsAppleiPhonesMobile phonesMore on this storyApple Maps renames Lake Ontario as Lake America after Trump orderPublished2 SeptemberNew law to force tech firms to stop children taking or sharing nude imagesPublished6 days ago The iPhone Duo is a gamble by new boss John Ternus, who took over from long-time chief executive Tim Cook this month.

In the US, prices start at $1,999, but can go up to $3,200. When unfolded, it looks like a small iPad and a wider iPhone when it is folded. Ternus said: "It's entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar. A similar size to your passport, it feels familiar to hold and comfortable to use with one hand. "But the product is facing established competitors.

What happens next

"The real fight is China, where Huawei owns nearly 80% of foldables," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics, devices at IDC EMEA. Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended the Wednesday presentation, said the spotlight on Ternus made it feel "almost like he was a product himself". "The foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth," said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.

Previously, the highest starting price of the newest iPhone was $900 (£664). "Foldables are interesting devices," Milanesi noted. "A lot of people are intrigued by it, but the software and the learning curve that you have from moving from a traditional phone to a foldable is real. "Image source, EPAWood noted that the current market for foldable smartphones from the likes of Samsung and Huawei make up only 2% of smartphone sales.