Apple continued its annual tradition of major September product launches with the 2026 Apple Event, livestreamed from its Cupertino HQ. This was the first Apple product launch not to be helmed by former CEO Tim Cook since 2011 — though he was allowed a brief during the event’s opening sequence, pastiching a series of movie genres. This blockbuster opening foreshadowed the scale and scope of the technology unveiled over the next hour: in terms of new products, this was one of the most eventful Apple Event in years
Here, we cover all the main takeaways from the 2026 Apple Event, including new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and more.
The folding iPhone is here
After the Hollywood opening, the presentation was visually subdued, continuing the same hallmarks of previous Cook-era Apple events: swooping drone footage of Apple Park HQ, punctuated by various division heads explaining the features of each new product. This is where the continuity ended: the presentation covered a slew of entirely new hardware and software products. In an hour that included new iPhones, Watches, and AirPods, the unveiling of a folding iPhone stood out as a genuinely significant moment.
While it was announced last, by new CEO John Ternus channeling his inner Columbo and coyly mentioning he had “just one more thing”, the new iPhone Duo is likely to grab the headlines, so we’re covering it first.
The iPhone Duo
A passport-sized one-hander device, that opens into a screen with double the area, while retaining the same tablet-style aspect ratio. More than anything, the Duo recalls the iPad mini in its ability to offer a decent sized screen for notetaking or video streaming while remaining (just about) suitable for one-handed use. While Apple is a relative latecomer to the foldable phone market, it claims to have solved typical folding issues associated with the first wave of devices – plasticky screens, visible fold lines, and susceptibility to scratches and dents – in the Duo. The device is housed in a titanium body to protect its slim dimensions (when unfolded, the Duo is the thinnest iPhone yet). Functionally, it combines features of the iPhone and iPad, including support for the Apple Pencil and multiple high-spec cameras. The multiple camera orientation possibilities provide some intriguing new options – adding a second person to a video call without them having to crowd round the same side, for example, or allowing the subject of a photo to see themselves in the Duo’s screen while being photographed
Apple has optimized all its own apps for the Duo’s aspect ratios, though it remains to be seen how third-party apps will approach this. Some, like Zoom, Slack, and Netflix, have already announced duo-designed interfaces.
Key to the Duo’s mind-bending form factor is lack of SIM card tray. Like last year’s iPhone 17, the iPhone Duo is eSIM only worldwide. For Apple, this allows them more internal space to build a working hinge and upgraded processor. For users, this means the ability to download and store multiple SIM profiles at any time, and further cements the technology's status as the world’s default SIM format.
iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max
Removing the SIM card tray also allows Apple to cram in a larger processor. The iPhone Duo uses the all new A20 chip – the same found in the event’s first reveal, the all-new, eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Unlike the drastic Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro generation looks nearly identical to their predecessor, bar a couple of new colorways (“glacier” blue and burgundy). Inside is where the changes have been concentrated. Both models feature the A20 chip, longer battery life, and a retooled camera. The new chip is so powerful Apple needed to reengineer the phone’s cooling system to prevent overheating, and claims to offer 40% higher “sustained performance” than the 17 Pro.
As the first product to be announced, the iPhone 18 Pro introduced a through line for the evening in Apple Intelligence, Apple’s proprietary AI system. Despite an unconvincing launch period and mixed reviews since its debut last year, Apple Intelligence is a central feature of nearly every new product unveiled at the 2026 Apple Event.
“iPhone brings powerful AI capabilities...on the device you carry with you all the time”
- John Ternus, Apple CEO
Apple Intelligence and Siri AI
The necromancers at the Apple AI division have unearthed Siri’s corpse, propped it up, and dressed into the new-look outfit of Apple Intelligence/Siri AI, imbuing the iPhone’s long-serving voice assistant with an AI system and packaging the whole thing into a new Siri app, which appears to more closely model UIs from LLMs like Claude or ChatGPT. Siri AI is currently in beta in English, with more languages planned to release in October.
Going eSIM only also allows for a larger battery: eSIM-only iPhone 17 models have a longer life than their SIM-carded peers. The iPhone 18 Pro goes even further, surviving 18 hours on a single charge, while the 18 pro Max lasts for up to 30. The camera, too, has been retooled to offer more creative shooting. The 18 Pro and Pro Max offer improved aperture controls, similar to a DSLR camera, to allow greater control over depth of field, exposure, and low-light photography, supported by a “Pro Controls” editing feature aimed at photography buffs.
More software features, like AI image editing and improved child safety features, are expected to become available with the release of iOS 27.
The Apple Watch Series 12
Not content with 3 new iPhones, Apple took this opportunity to announce 2 more Apple Watch models - the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.
While the Series 12 features a number of slight improvements on its predecessor - battery life, durability, color options - the presentation leaned heavily on 2 aspects in particular: the new health and fitness measuring capabilities, and integration with Apple Intelligence.
The advanced health monitoring is made possible by an overhauled sensor on the back of the casing. Apple claims this new technology is the most accurate heart rate sensing in a “wearable”, at least according to its own experiments. It should be noted that the Apple Watch is not a medical device, and should not be treated as such.
The Apple Watch Series 12 takes on dedicated fitness wearables like the WHOOP band that have recently begun to occupy a growing portion of the personal fitness sector. It also reaffirms Apple’s focus on providing a smartwatch for children: the new health trackers on the Series 12 go hand-in-hand with a wider range of child safety features promised in the upcoming iOS 27 and WatchOS software.
Other features include a built-in microphone, for recording and transcribing conversations on the go, while Siri’s much-maligned message recap feature has also been reworked to recap recorded audio and conversations.
Cellular Apple Watches
Like previous models, the Apple Watch Series 12 is available in a cellular model. These models can download mobile data plans to call, text, and get online via mobile data, just like an iPhone. The Apple Watch For Your Kids feature also allows an iPhone user, like a parent or caregiver, to set up multiple standalone Apple Watches for others, each with its own mobile plan. These Apple Watch plans are only available from a handful of selected mobile providers, including BetterRoaming.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4
Unlike the Series 12 or iPhone Duo, the Ultra 4 offers minimal updates - cosmetically, it's identical to the Ultra 3, albeit with a couple of new colorways (black and natural titanium) and an optional new Hermès band. Under the glass, the Ultra 4 contains all the same innovations as the Series 12 - an S11 chip and audio recording - with a longer battery life and more rugged construction. All Ultra 4 models are cellular as standard.
AirPods 5
While tipped earphone fans will have to wait for a new AirPods Pro model, the regular AirPods line was updated last night. The new AirPods 5 now offer many of the same features as the current AirPods Pro line, including Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), adaptive audio, live translation, and longer battery life.
Even here there is no refuge from Siri AI - when activated, users can “chat” to the assistant via the AirPods mic.
The future
The latest Apple Event confirmed rumours of a folding iPhone, and still had room for a few surprises: the overhauled Apple Watch Series 12 strengthens the Californians' position in the fitness wearable market, while improved cellular connectivity and the promise of more child safety features in future OS updates indicates the growing popularity of Apple Watch mobile plans and Apple Watch For Your Kids. Find out more about adding a cellular plan to an Apple Watch here.
