On September 9, Apple held its annual presentation of new products, with the main premieres being the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones, as well as the first foldable iPhone. The event was also significant for the corporation itself, as it was Apple's first major presentation under the leadership of its new CEO, John Ternus, UNN reports.
Apple's first presentation with its new CEO
Ternus took over as Apple's CEO on September 1, replacing Tim Cook, who had led the company for 15 years. Cook remained at Apple as executive chairman of the board of directors. Before being appointed CEO, Ternus was responsible for hardware development at the company.
He began the presentation with a humorous video in which Apple showed several possible cinematic versions of how the event could begin. At the end of the clip, the camera moved to Tim Cook. Cook joked that this time viewers should not be watching him, after which John Ternus appeared in the frame. In this way, Apple symbolically introduced the company's new leader to the audience.
The main focus of the event was the new iPhone lineup and the development of artificial intelligence within the Apple ecosystem.
Four colors and a new body design: what the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max turned out to be
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available in four colors. The lineup includes silver, deep black, light blue, and a unique burgundy. The latter became one of the most notable new design options. The smartphone's rear glass panel is now made in the same tone as the body, making the device's design appear more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing to the user.
Battery life and even faster charging
Apple also announced during the September 9 presentation that the iPhone would have the longest battery life in its history. The iPhone 18 Pro can now operate for up to 24 hours on a single charge, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max can last up to 30 hours. The larger model is also said to offer up to 45 hours of video playback.
The company also changed the battery's construction. The larger battery is intended to provide greater battery life without the need to constantly look for an outlet, which, for some reason, still remains a separate achievement for a modern smartphone.
Charging speed has also improved. Apple says the iPhone 18 can be charged to 50% in approximately 15 minutes. At the same time, the company did not specify separately which adapter is required to achieve this speed.
The new 2-nanometer A20 Pro processor for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max received the new A20 Pro processor, manufactured using a 2-nanometer process. The chip has six CPU cores, seven GPU cores, and 32 Neural Engine cores. According to Apple, the central processor is approximately 20% faster, graphics performance has increased by 40%, and the Neural Engine has twice as many cores as the previous architecture.
The company placed particular emphasis on the smartphone's performance under prolonged workloads. For the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple developed an updated cooling system. The vapor chamber was enlarged approximately threefold, which should help dissipate heat more effectively when running demanding games, processing video, and using artificial intelligence features.
According to Apple, the new cooling system is 80% made from recycled steel.
How Siri gained new artificial intelligence capabilities
One of the central topics of the presentation was Siri AI. Apple substantially redesigned its voice assistant and expanded its capabilities based on Apple Intelligence. Siri can now take into account the context of previous requests, information displayed on the smartphone screen, and user data. For example, the assistant can find the necessary information in messages, email, or photos.
In addition, Siri can perform actions in different applications. The user only needs to formulate a request by voice so that the assistant can, for example, find the necessary information, send a message to the right contact, or start music in one of the compatible services.
Also during the presentation, the company announced the possibility of Siri interacting with more than 250 applications. The assistant will also be able to answer questions about information displayed directly on the screen.
Apple even created a separate app for Siri, where users can continue previous conversations. The interface is also integrated with Dynamic Island, allowing users to contact the assistant without having to open a separate full-screen interface.
Apple has also expanded Siri's personalization options. Users will be able to change the assistant's voice, intonation, and speaking speed. Initially, these settings will be available in English. Some operations will be performed directly on the device by artificial intelligence. For more complex tasks, Apple will use secure cloud infrastructure.
The new Siri AI capabilities are expected to initially be released in beta later this year. Their rollout will depend on the region and language, so the full set of features will not be available to all users immediately.
The iPhone 18 Pro camera now has a variable aperture
One of the most notable hardware innovations in the iPhone 18 Pro is the camera. The main 48-megapixel module has received a variable aperture. It allows users to adjust the amount of light reaching the sensor, as well as affect the depth of field and background blur. In dark environments, the system can automatically increase the aperture opening to let in approximately 50% more light. This should improve photo quality in low-light conditions.
Apple has also provided manual camera settings for professional users. They are available exclusively on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The Camera app itself has also been updated. New features include a professional mode, improved audio controls after filming, subject tracking, updated Photographic Styles, and support for recording 4K Timelapse video with Dolby Vision HDR.
How much will the iPhone 18 Pro cost, and when will it be available for purchase?
Sales of the new models are expected to begin on September 18.
In the United States, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for the version with 256 GB of built-in storage.
The 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro Max will cost from $1,299. For users who find even 256 GB frustratingly little, versions with up to 2 TB of storage will be available.
Apple enters the foldable smartphone market
The company's first foldable iPhone was a separate technological premiere at the September 9 event. Apple had not been in a hurry to enter this market for years, while Samsung, Google, and other manufacturers had already managed to establish a separate segment of foldable smartphones.
The foldable iPhone is expected to be a "book-style" device: when folded, it will function as a regular smartphone, while unfolding it will give the user access to a larger internal display. One of Apple's key challenges was the hinge design and reducing the visibility of the crease on the screen. These characteristics have traditionally remained among the main drawbacks of foldable smartphones.
At the same time, some specifications of the first foldable iPhone had circulated before the presentation mainly in the form of "leaks." In particular, earlier reports mentioned the possible name iPhone Duo and a starting price of around $2,000.
According to preliminary data, deliveries of the foldable model may not begin before October. The device's final specifications, name, and price should be assessed separately from the confirmed specifications of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Apple-2026 presentation: what has changed in a year
This year's presentation demonstrated two directions in Apple's development at once. The first is the gradual improvement of the traditional iPhone Pro lineup through a more powerful processor, better cooling, a camera with a variable aperture, and greater battery life.
The second is the more active integration of artificial intelligence. Siri is gradually ceasing to be merely a voice assistant and is becoming a tool that can work with the user's context and perform more complex sequences of actions across different applications.
The third direction is Apple’s entry into the foldable smartphone market. The company has joined a category that competitors have been developing for several years, but intends to use its own approach to design, software, and integrating the device with the Apple ecosystem.
It will cost over $2,000: Apple to unveil a foldable iPhone09.09.26, 12:11