Apple’s September 9, 2026 launch event—headlined with the tagline “Surprise and Shine”—took place at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The keynote marked a significant transition as CEO John Ternus led his first major flagship hardware presentation.
Rather than following Apple’s traditional hardware rollout, the event focused heavily on premium, high-tier products.
Key Announcements & Products
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iPhone Ultra (Foldable): The headliner of the keynote, marking Apple’s first book-style foldable smartphone. It features a 5.3–5.5 inch cover display, a 7.8-inch main inner display, the A20 Pro chip, 12GB RAM, and a integrated Touch ID sensor.
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iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max: Updated flagship slab iPhones powered by the TSMC 2nm A20 Pro processor and Apple’s second-generation C2 modem. Upgrades include a variable-aperture 48MP main camera system, improved thermal packaging, and a smaller Dynamic Island cutout. (Standard iPhone 18 models were held back for a spring launch cycle).
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Apple Watch Series 12 & Watch Ultra 4: The Series 12 introduced updated health tracking sensors alongside a returning ceramic case finish, while the Watch Ultra 4 received design tweaks and enhanced sensor hardware.
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AirPods 5: Standard and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) variants launched with upgraded acoustic design and integrated health-monitoring metrics.
