Foldable Iphone, New Pro Models: What Apple Will Unveil Next Week, And UAE Prices

2026-09-06 12:11:34

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) As is expected this time of year, Apple has marked the date for its biggest event, this time called“Surprise and shine”. It will run on Wednesday, September 9, at 9pm UAE time, and will bring the heaviest changes iPhones have seen in years. It will also be the first iPhone launch under John Ternus, who took the mantle from Tim Cook on September 1, after Cook's hugely successful 15-year run at the top.

The event invitation was interesting, to say the least. It had a Liquid Glass vibe, but it also had a thin line cutting the logo in half. That is unlikely to be a coincidence, and reads as another nudge towards the company's long-rumoured entry into foldable phones. Alongside the foldable, two Pro models are expected. The base iPhone 18 is most likely missing, with supply-chain reporting pushing the iPhone 18 release date into 2027.

So what is Apple actually folding?

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A passport-style foldable. Almost all the leaks point at a shorter, stubbier device, close to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and to the Xiaomi 18 Fold that lands two days before Apple's event.

The name will likely be the iPhone Ultra, not the iPhone Fold used across most coverage. Expect two 48MP cameras on the back, wide and ultra-wide, with no telephoto lens, which is a real omission at the expected price.

Face ID will also be missing, reportedly because the TrueDepth system needs more depth than a folding body allows. Instead, Touch ID returns in the power button, the way some iPads do it.

The crease is the part Apple has been chasing hardest. Leakers put it under 0.15mm deep at an angle below 2.5 degrees, and say Apple went after a creaseless panel“regardless of cost”.

Anything less would undercut its reputation as the company that“perfects” a product after somebody else pioneers it.

All of it comes with a caveat: nothing is confirmed.

The outer display is rumoured to be between 5.3 and 5.5 inches, with the inner one between 7.6 and 7.8. The number that matters most, though, is the price. Most forecasts put the start between $2,000 and $2,300, which on Apple's own UAE pricing works out at roughly Dh8,500 to Dh9,800.

The Pro models have to share the stage this year

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max look like a normal year's upgrade, which this year makes them the quiet option. The A20 Pro chip moves to a 2nm process, a step up on an A19 that was already overkill for most of what anyone does with a phone. The Dynamic Island may also shrink, with some of the Face ID sensors moving under the display. The iPhone 18 Pro Max colours are not confirmed, but Dark Cherry and Sky Blue appear in every leak, with Silver and Black disputed.

The camera changes are fewer than the noise suggests, and one of them is unusual. The iPhone 18 leaks point to a variable aperture on the 48MP main sensor, possibly only on the Pro Max, and a front camera going from 18MP to 24MP. Variable aperture is rarer than it sounds: Samsung ran it for a couple of years on the Galaxy S9 and S10, then Xiaomi revived it on the 14 Ultra in 2024 and dropped it again in 2025, though Huawei still fits one.

Apple has not announced any prices, but a $100 rise is expected across the lineup. If that materialises, the iPhone 18 Pro price in the UAE would start at Dh5,099, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max price in the UAE would start at Dh5,549. Both figures are derived from Apple's usual conversion for iPhones here, which sits above the official exchange rate.

Apple is splitting the iPhone launch in two

The split has real consequences. Reports suggest the iPhone 18 launch date will not come until early 2027, after one of Apple's assemblers told its August 12 earnings call that a major customer was changing its usual shipment schedule. Apple has staggered an iPhone launch before, though not on this scale in years. This time the base model is not being announced at all.

The iPhone 18 arriving late matters more given the reported price rises. Apple put up Mac and iPad prices this year, blaming memory costs, and the iPhones are expected to follow. For anyone who wants the newest iPhone, the way in has never cost this much.

Along with the new iPhones, Apple is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, with a faster chip, always-on heart-rate tracking and a redesigned fitness app. Two versions of the AirPods 5 are also on the list, one with active noise cancellation and one without.

The foldable may be months late here

For anyone in the UAE waiting on the iPhone Ultra, the bad news is that it might take longer to arrive. Apple is reported to have asked suppliers to prepare around 10 million of them this year, a fraction of the Pro models' volume. Depending on global demand, some markets could be waiting months. Whether the UAE is one of them is the open question.

UAE pre-orders usually open the Friday after the event, but this year they are expected to open on Saturday, September 12, with phones in shops on September 18. The foldable iPhone Ultra is unlikely to follow that schedule, but for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the timetable is the one part of the night you can plan around.

Foldable Iphone, New Pro Models: What Apple Will Unveil Next Week, And UAE Prices

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