Aug. 17 update: this post, first published on Saturday, Aug. 15, was updated with more details of why the keynote date predicted elsewhere seems unlikely and further parts of the upcoming release schedule.
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro, alongside the 18 Pro Max and the company’s first foldable iPhone, possibly called the iPhone Ultra, are all about to be announced in an event in September, it seems. A new report has now claimed a different date for the keynote which I think is wrong. Here’s when it will really be, along with every other part of the schedule — down to the minute.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Getty ImagesApple iPhone 18 Pro Keynote Date: Sept. 9
This date is the one that is most crucial: once it’s confirmed, every other part of the release schedule slides effortlessly into place.
I’ve been banging on for ages about when I think the keynote will be (read this for details of every part of the release schedule), but a new report from the Australian site Channel News claims to have exclusive information.
ForbesApple iPhone 18 Pro Could Sell Out Faster Than Ever, New Data WarnsBy David Phelan
“Apple will unveil its first foldable iPhone at its September 8 US launch event but will not release the device to market, with a major Chinese component supplier confirming the Company is battling supply, testing and pricing problems that could see Australia miss out for months,” it said.
I believe that date is wrong — and you can read the research I did to back this up here.
Essentially, Apple has never held an iPhone keynote on the day after Labor Day, which this year falls on Monday, Sept. 7. So, I think Sept. 8 is very unlikely. The next day, though, Wednesday, Sept. 9, ticks all the boxes, and even Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who initially said Sept. 8 was the most likely, has switched his allegiance to Sept. 9.
Take it from me, it’ll be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. U.K. time. It will be held in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s HQ in Cupertino.
As for when the keynote itself will be announced, I believe it will be on Wednesday, Aug. 26 — read more about that here.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders Open On Saturday, Sept. 12
The date of the keynote usually means pre-orders open on the following Friday… but not this year, it seems.
I hadn’t realized this, but Apple not only avoids Sept. 11 for keynotes, but also for pre-order dates. Since Sept. 11 falls on a Friday, the company’s traditional day for pre-orders, that activity will begin a day later, on Saturday, Sept. 12. Mark Gurman had more on this.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro: iOS 27 General Release: Monday, Sept. 14
The software which is compatible with many more phones than just the iPhone 18 series, will go live before the new phones go on sale.
This isn’t quite set: Apple has sometimes released the software a day or two earlier or later than expected. But not often. Since 2021, the first version of each new iOS cycle has landed on the Monday after the keynote. In 2020, iOS 14 landed on the Wednesday after the keynote, but more recently, Monday has been the day consistently for five consecutive years. As such, Monday seems odds-on to be the day the software will land.
Remember that iOS 27 is for many more phones than the expected new releases. All iPhones that can run iOS 26 will also support iOS 27. In all, there are 31 iPhones which will handle the next software cycle, every phone from the iPhone 11 through to the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air. Plus, of course, the next crop of iPhones released this September.
Bear in mind that because a phone supports the new software, it doesn’t mean it will have access to all the features that are coming. Apple Intelligence is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and later, for instance. And some of the next advanced features are also restricted, such as the new expressive Siri voices for Siri AI which will not work on the regular iPhone 17 or earlier phones, but are compatible with the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air as well as, again, the upcoming crop of models.
Look out for it at 8 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. U.K. time, though it could be an hour or two later.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro First Reviews Expected: Wednesday, Sept. 16
The first press reviews always appear a couple of days or so before the new iPhones go on sale. Here’s when these are likely to appear this year.
I’ve written about this separately, so won’t dwell on it here, but essentially the Wednesday after the keynote is Apple’s favorite for reviews to first appear. Occasionally, that happens on the Tuesday rather than the Wednesday, but I suspect that won’t be the case this year as the keynote is a day later than usual, so a Tuesday review date would shorten the time the press would have to assemble their thoughts. Note that reviews for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, assuming they are announced, could appear on the same day or one day earlier or later.
Expect reviews to appear from 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Eastern and 1 p.m. U.K. time.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro On-Sale Date: Friday, Sept. 18
Assuming other dates are correct, this is almost certainly set in stone. It’s always a Friday that Apple favors, in the week after the keynote. The only question is whether the foldable iPhone will launch at the same time — I believe it will — or be announced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max but go on sale later.
ForbesHere’s When Apple Will Reveal Its iPhone 18 Pro Special EventBy David Phelan