Apple 2026 Fall Event Approaches: Ternus Era Begins as iPhone 18 Pro and First Foldable iPhone Debut

TradingKey - Apple (AAPL)'s Fall 2026 new product launch event has finally entered its countdown.

Apple will hold its fall flagship new product launch event at Apple Park on September 9, local time. This launch event is special not only because the iPhone product line will undergo a significant adjustment in recent years, but also because it is the first major product launch event since new CEO John Ternus officially took the helm. Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as Apple CEO on September 1, while Cook transitioned to executive chairman.

Therefore, this year's Apple fall launch event carries dual significance. On the one hand, Apple needs to prove its hardware innovation capabilities with the new-generation iPhone; on the other hand, the market is also observing whether this new leader, a former hardware engineer, can bring Apple a new product pace distinct from the Cook era.

Based on information disclosed so far, the core of this launch event will focus on the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored first foldable iPhone. Apple may also update products such as the Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time, though the specific lineup still awaits official confirmation.

Foldable iPhone Finally Debuts as Apple Attempts to Redefine High-End Market

If standard iPhones are tasked with stabilizing sales volume, the first foldable iPhone is more like Apple's most important innovative product this year.

The market currently widely expects Apple to enter the foldable smartphone market for the first time at its upcoming autumn launch event. The latest research from TrendForce also projects that Apple will introduce its first foldable model this autumn, tentatively named the iPhone 18 Fold, while the standard iPhone 18 and other models may be postponed to the first quarter of 2027.

Based on current leaks, this product is closer to a traditional large-format horizontal foldable design rather than a vertical clamshell foldable like the Galaxy Z Flip. The market expects that once unfolded, it will offer a display area close to that of a small tablet, while further blending the user experience between smartphones and tablets through a thinner body, a foldable screen, and specially optimized software interaction.

On the hardware front, while the outside world is still waiting for Apple to give a final answer, multiple supply chain sources point to higher-spec chips, larger memory, and new biometric solutions. TrendForce believes Apple will focus on balancing body thickness, reliability, and battery life in its hardware trade-offs, and the first foldable phone may adopt a dual-camera setup and side-mounted fingerprint recognition rather than fully replicating the hardware configuration of the existing Pro series.

The real issue, however, is price. TrendForce's latest estimate suggests that the starting price of the iPhone 18 Fold could be between $2,099 and $2,299, with higher-storage versions potentially exceeding $3,000.

This means Apple is unlikely to treat the first-generation foldable iPhone as a mass-market product, positioning it instead as an ultra-high-end flagship. For a company entering the foldable market years behind competitors like Samsung, Apple needs to prove not just that it 'can fold,' but also demonstrate hinge reliability, screen crease performance, body thickness, and iOS adaptation for large-screen form factors.

iPhone 18 Pro Upgrades and Rising Costs May Push Up Prices

Compared to the foldable iPhone, while the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max may not see such radical design changes, they remain Apple's most important commercial products this year.

The market currently expects the iPhone 18 Pro series to retain its existing size structure, with major upgrades focused on the A20 Pro chip, camera system, battery, and on-device AI capabilities. Meanwhile, the Pro Max is expected to increase battery capacity using its larger internal space, further improving battery life.

In addition, a smaller Dynamic Island and a variable-aperture primary camera are also upgrade directions attracting significant market attention, though some of these features remain leaks and have not been officially confirmed by Apple. Supply chain and industry information recently compiled by The Verge also mentioned potential changes such as a larger battery, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a variable-aperture camera.

If these upgrades ultimately materialize, the major highlight of the iPhone 18 Pro will not actually be its appearance, but rather Apple's continued effort to boost in-house development of core hardware and overall performance. Particularly against the backdrop of AI applications increasingly migrating to end-user devices, a more powerful chip and larger memory configuration are becoming ever more crucial for running local AI models.

However, Apple faces a very realistic issue this year: cost.

An August report from TrendForce showed that the bill-of-materials cost for the 256GB version of the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to rise by approximately 38% year-over-year, driven primarily by a sharp surge in memory prices. The research firm also noted that the proportion of memory costs within the iPhone Pro's bill-of-materials cost has increased significantly, meaning Apple may need to make a tradeoff between price hikes and profit margins.

TrendForce's latest analysis on September 3 further pointed out that the likelihood of price increases for Apple's new products in 2026 is rising, with new models such as the iPhone 18 Pro facing potential price hike pressures of around 10% to 20%.

This is an issue Apple needs to handle with caution. The iPhone has long been one of the company's most core revenue sources; however, if retail prices rise too rapidly, it could hurt replacement demand, while if Apple absorbs more of the component costs itself, it could squeeze hardware business profit margins.