Aug.3 update: this post, first published on Saturday, Aug. 1, has been updated to detail more about the iPhone 18 Pro schedule and commentary from a respected source about a key element: pricing.
Exactly when Apple will announce the next crop of iPhones hasn’t yet been revealed, but the iPhone 18 Pro release date seem to be edging into view. Here’s when the keynote looks set to happen, when the new phones will go on sale and, before all that, when Apple will finally confirm the date of its next special event.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Special Event Date
The fall special event is the biggest date of the year in Apple’s calendar, and it varies each year within a set pattern.
Every autumn since 2011, without fail, even when Covid was knocking the world for six, Apple has announced its latest iPhones. It’s always happened in September — apart from the keynote for the iPhone 4S which came a little later, on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011.
Since then, the special event has been in the first half of September, again, without fail. It’s also never once fallen on the day after Labor Day, even though Tuesday is Apple’s favorite day of the week for its fall keynote (its chosen day in nine of the last 15 years).
“We are still waiting for Apple to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra event. In his newsletter last month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said Sept. 8 or Sept. 9 are the most likely dates for the event,” explained Joe Rossignol at MacRumors.
Sorry to be nerdish about all this, but I’ve been doing some research. Since Labor Day this year is Monday, Sept. 7, I believe it won’t fall on Tuesday, Sept. 8, despite what you might have read elsewhere.
I could be wrong, of course, but honestly, I don’t think so. It would be breaking a rule that Apple has strenuously observed, that to ask its staff to work on the Labor Day holiday or for its special guests and members of the press to fly on a national holiday is beyond the pale.
As such, Sept. 9 is, I’m convinced, the only day worth considering.
On that day, it will take place in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, with a keynote presentation. The presentation will, as has been the case since 2020, be a pre-recorded video shown on the theater’s huge screen, doubtless with the usual high production values that have become de rigueur.
It will be introduced on stage — for the first time ever — by John Ternus, who will become CEO a few days earlier on Sept. 1. It will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. U.K. time.
The presentation will likely last between one and two hours. After this, if the routine of previous year is followed, guests and invited members of the press will have hands-on time with the new devices, demonstrated by Apple staff. Expect the live videos broadcast from the event to focus mostly on the foldable iPhone which will surely be unveiled.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Keynote Announcement Date
It’s not just about the date of the keynote: there’s a rigor to when Apple will announce that it’s going to make an announcement!
Talking of research, Rossignol has done some of his own, studying exactly how far in advance of the keynote Apple announces the date. It turns out that in that Covid year, 2020, and the following one, Apple announced its special event seven days before it took place.
However, since then, the announcement has been earlier, exactly 14 days before the keynote. For instance, in 2024, the announcement came on Monday, Aug. 26 and the keynote on Monday, Sept. 9. Last year, a Tuesday, Aug. 26 announcement confirmed a Tuesday, Sept. 9 keynote.
Are you spotting a pattern here? I believe the next keynote will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 26, with the special event taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro: When Pre-Orders Will Open
Exactly when you can choose and confirm your model, storage capacity and color usually follows a strict pattern.
Pre-orders for the new devices, which will also include two Apple Watch models, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, will open soon after. For the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this will almost certainly be on Friday, Sept. 11. As for the exact timing, last year this was at 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. U.K.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pricing
One of the most keenly anticipated changes coming in September is the price of the next iPhone. Apple announced in the last few weeks that it would have to put up prices because of the memory shortage. It duly did so on the Mac, iPad and Apple TV, for instance, soon after. But the iPhone pricing (and that of AirPods) remained static.
That situation may not apply for much longer, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his weekly Power On newsletter. In answer to the question, “Do you expect Apple to raise iPhone prices this year?”, he was pretty clear. “There is absolutely no doubt that Apple will raise iPhone prices, for a variety of reasons,” he said.
First, he explained, Apple is dealing with shortages of memory chips and the main device processors. “Then there’s the higher cost of the new camera systems in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max — not to mention the pricier design of the first foldable iPhone,” he said.
It’s not a matter of if but of how much, he implied. “I think that the iPad and Mac increases in recent weeks have given us a bit of a road map. In many cases, iPad and Mac prices were bumped up by $100 to $200. I am expecting the same range for the iPhone,” he went on.
That’s in line with price increases predicted by others and means the lowest price for an iPhone 18 Pro Max could be $1,199 or $1,299 instead of $1,099.
:As for the foldable iPhone, you should prepare for a starting price of at least $2,000, if not more. Keep in mind that Samsung’s new foldable is $1,900 and Apple’s device will be pitched as more of a premium product. It’s a good thing Apple got the Upgrade leasing program out in time to soften the blow,” he concluded.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Onsale Date
The onsale date for at least some of the new iPhones will be the week after the keynote.
Once the keynote has taken place, the iPhone 18 Pro release date, which will also be for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, should be on Friday, Sept. 18. Assuming the first iPhone foldable is also announced, it may go on sale on the same date, or follow later.
