Aug. 23 update. This post, first published on Aug. 21, was republished with more details of the release schedule and more commentary doubling down on the dates.
September is almost here and, with it, a series of new iPhones. Apple is expected to release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the company’s first foldable, not to mention a brace of new Apple Watch models. The base iPhone 18, by the way, is not expected to land until spring 2027. Details of what’s happening when are changing all the time — this is the latest rundown of what to expect.
iPhone 18 Pro Release: Keynote Announcement On Aug. 25 Or Aug. 26
The exact date when Apple will announce its special event could arrive as soon as next week.
The keynote, as you’ll see below, will surely take place in the second week of September. In recent years, Apple has announced the event exactly two weeks before.
This year, that means Wednesday, Aug. 26. However, Apple really favors Tuesdays for its special events. The fact that this year’s keynote is on a Wednesday does not prevent the company from making its announcement on its much-loved Tuesday, so it’s possible that Tuesday, Aug. 25 will be the day of the announcement.
“Apple has announced its annual iPhone event two weeks in advance for four consecutive years,” Zac Hall at 9to5Mac pointed out.
“That makes Aug. 26 the strongest prediction for Apple’s iPhone 18 event invitation. Tuesday, Aug. 25, remains another possibility, but it would create a 15-day gap rather than continuing Apple’s recent 14-day pattern,” he added.
I think this is spot-on, but I have a feeling Apple may just surprise us and go for Tuesday, Aug. 25 — if the company is ready, there’s no reason not to.
iPhone 18 Pro Release: Special Event On Wednesday, Sept. 9
This is the key date, and all other events flow from it. Thankfully, it looks like Apple has decided which date this will be.
As mentioned above, Apple usually holds its keynote events for the iPhone on a Tuesday. This year, however, I believe it’s going to be on a Wednesday — you can read the research I did to back this up here.
It’s essentially because Apple has never held an iPhone event on the day after Labor Day, which this year falls on Monday, Sept. 7. In years when Labor Day has been on that day before (which it isn’t always as it is specifically the first Monday in September, of course), the keynote has come later, making Wednesday, Sept. 9 the most likely.
“The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time Labor Day was on Sept. 7 in a normal year was in 2015, and the iPhone event was held on Wednesday, Sept. 9 that year,” as MacRumors pointed out, adding, “Accordingly, the most likely date for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra event this year is Wednesday, Sept. 9 until proven otherwise.”
I agree with that, and I don’t believe it will be proven otherwise. So, when the site added an extra line, I disagree.
“Another possibility is that Apple waits until Tuesday, Sept. 15 to hold the event, in which case pre-orders would likely begin on Friday, September 18. Then, the devices would likely be released on Friday, September 25,” it said. I’m sure that won’t be the case.
iPhone 18 Pro Release: Pre-Orders Open Saturday, Sept. 12
Get ready to snap up the phone or watch of your dreams on this day.
This is an interesting one. Almost always, pre-orders open on the Friday following the keynote. This year, that’s Friday, Sept. 11. Apple has been careful to avoid this meaningful date in the past and since it’s the 25th anniversary of the day, it looks like it will move pre-orders to the following day, Saturday, Sept. 12.
iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Friday, Sept. 18
Assuming all the other items in this list are correct, the on-sale date of the new hardware is a shoo-in.
The new iPhone 18 Pro will go on sale on the Friday in the week after the keynote. This year, that’s Friday, Sept. 18.