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Apple has pulled the curtain back on a sweeping refresh of its hardware lineup, headlined by the company’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, alongside updated iPhone 18 Pro models, new Apple Watch and AirPods entries and a raft of software features underpinned by its expanding AI platform.
The announcements, made at an event hosted by Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, John Ternus, mark a significant expansion of the company’s product range and its deepening push into on-device and cloud-based artificial intelligence capabilities under the Apple Intelligence banner.
iPhone 18 Pro And iPhone 18 Pro Max
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrive with a new 48MP Fusion Main camera that introduces variable aperture control to the iPhone for the first time. Six laser-cut blades transition between different aperture settings, automatically adjusting depth of field and lighting conditions. Users can also manually select from four aperture settings within the Camera app.
A new Pro controls interface gives users access to manual adjustments for shutter speed, white balance and aperture, along with a histogram for checking exposure levels. The updated computational imaging pipeline is intended to produce sharper shots, and upgraded Photographic Styles now include texture and grain controls.
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, remarked that the company aimed to deliver meaningful improvements across the areas its users prioritise.
“We didn’t just make incremental improvements in these areas – we took huge leaps forward to create the best Pro iPhone we’ve ever made,” Joswiak offered. “iPhone 18 Pro makes it easy for anyone to capture stunning photos and videos using variable aperture, while providing more versatility for creators and more control for pros.”
Video capabilities have also been expanded. Cinematic effects can now be applied after capture to videos shot at up to 60 fps, Time-lapse mode supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR and Audio Mix has been updated with algorithms that can isolate music.
A new feature called Apple Reference Image allows users to verify the authenticity of photos taken on the iPhone 18 Pro. The Main camera’s sensor signs every pixel it captures and, when shooting in Reference mode, signed sensor data is processed by Private Cloud Compute into an unalterable reference image. This functions as a kind of digital negative that can be compared against edited versions.
Apple has also flagged upcoming support for the SynthID standard, which will help users identify images generated or modified with AI.
The Dynamic Island has been redesigned to display up to three Live Activities simultaneously.
A20 Pro Chip And Thermal Improvements
Both Pro models are powered by the A20 Pro chip, built on a 2-nanometre process. The chip features a 6-core CPU with integrated Neural Accelerators, a 7-core GPU that Apple claims is up to 40 per cent faster than the A19 Pro and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine with 32 total cores for AI processing.
Memory bandwidth has been increased by 50 per cent over the A19 Pro. A new thermal management system places the silicon die alongside the memory rather than stacking them, allowing the chip to attach directly to a next-generation vapour chamber with three times more surface area than its predecessor on the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple claims this delivers up to a 40 per cent gain in sustained performance.
The phones also feature the N1 wireless networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, along with the C2 cellular modem, which Apple says brings AI-powered improvements to cellular quality while consuming 15 per cent less energy than the C1X.
Battery And Charging
Apple is quoting up to 34 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro and up to 43 hours on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Wired charging can reach 50 per cent in around 15 minutes, while wireless charging hits 50 per cent in 30 minutes.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max can provide around seven hours of video playback from just five minutes of wired charging. Apple is also introducing a new battery usage model based on real-world data, estimating up to 29 hours of mixed usage on a full charge for the Pro Max.
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Pricing And Availability
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage capacities, in burgundy, glacier, silver and black finishes.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at A$2,099 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at A$2,299. Pre-orders open on Saturday 12 September at 10pm AEST, with availability from Friday 18 September.
AfterPay Pay Monthly, a new payment option exclusive to Apple Stores in Australia, will offer 6-month, 12-month and 24-month payment terms.
iPhone Duo: Apple’s First Foldable
The headline announcement was the iPhone Duo, Apple’s entry into the foldable smartphone market. The device opens to reveal a 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR display and folds down to a 5.4-inch outer display that Apple says delivers 90 per cent of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro.
Both displays share the same aspect ratio, so content scales proportionally between them. The inner display features a nano-texture finish designed to reduce glare and minimise crease visibility. A FaceTime camera sits beneath the inner display, remaining hidden when not in use.
Ternus described the device as a pivotal moment for the iPhone line.
“iPhone Duo is the most transformational change to iPhone since the original,” Ternus declared. “With an entirely new design and intuitive experiences, it shows what’s possible when hardware and software are engineered together and redefines what it means to use a foldable phone.”
The device is constructed from grade 5 titanium with a mirror-polished finish. A 3D-printed hinge cover provides a contrasting micro-blasted texture. The hinge itself comprises more than 100 components and is engineered to support the centre of the display when fully open.
Ceramic Shield protects the back, while Ceramic Shield 2 on the front offers 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation. The inner display uses a custom polymer cover layer with up to 40 per cent higher stiffness than materials typically used in the category, according to Apple. The device carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
Camera And Unique Foldable Features
The iPhone Duo carries a 48MP Fusion Main camera and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera, the latter shared with the iPhone 18 Pro models. The folding design enables several features not possible on a traditional smartphone form factor.
Smart Take uses on-device AI to analyse a scene in real time and automatically capture photos when subjects are posing. Duo Preview shows a live camera preview on the outer display so subjects can check their framing. Kid Cue plays Peanuts animations on the outer display to get children to look at the camera.
Duo FaceTime allows a second person to join a video call using the outer display and camera. The device supports 4K120 fps recording in Dolby Vision on the Main camera.
iOS 27 Reimagined For Foldable
iOS 27 has been adapted for the iPhone Duo’s form factor. Lock Screen controls, the Dock and app navigation are repositioned to the side to maximise vertical space. When open, the display shows two Home Screen pages with a Today View widget column on the left.
Split View arrives on iPhone for the first time, allowing two apps to run side by side. Users can save app pairs, open two windows of the same app and converse with Siri AI on one side of the screen while viewing content on the other.
The device uses Touch ID integrated into the side button rather than Face ID, providing consistent authentication whether open or closed.
StandBy mode activates when the phone is propped up, even when not charging, turning it into a display for widgets, photos and clocks.
Third-party apps including Netflix, Zoom and Slack have already been adapted for the foldable form factor. Apple Pencil support via USB-C is expected later in the year.
iPhone Duo Pricing
The iPhone Duo starts at $3,499 in star white and night sky, available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities. It uses an eSIM-only design worldwide.
Pre-orders begin at 11pm AEST on Friday 16 October, with availability from Friday 23 October. The device will ship with iOS 27.1.
A case is priced at $119 and a Folio with Kickstand at $199.
Apple Watch Series 12
Apple has introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 with what it calls the Health Sensing System, featuring redesigned optical and electrical heart sensors paired with the new S11 chip.
The watch now measures heart rate every five seconds throughout the day, up from the previous interval. Heart rate variability (HRV) is measured up to 24 times more frequently and is available in two variants: Recovery HRV for daily stress and recovery signals and overall HRV for broader cardiovascular health insights.
Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Apple Watch Product Marketing, Kaiann Drance, positioned the device as a health and fitness tool.
“With our new Health Sensing System and S11 chip, Apple Watch Series 12 gives you meaningful insights, like readiness, so you can better understand how to take on your day and care for your health, plus intelligence features that make everyday life easier,” Drance explained.
A new readiness feature analyses recent activity, training load, vitals and sleep score to produce a daily 0-10 score with recommendations ranging from “Recover” to “Go For It.” The scoring algorithm was developed using data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study.
Battery life remains at up to 24 hours for everyday use, with outdoor workout battery life extended to up to 10 hours, a 25 per cent increase. Fifteen minutes of charging now provides up to 12 hours of battery life.
The watch is available in aluminium (dark bronze, black, light gold and space grey), titanium (radiant gold and natural) and, for the first time, ceramic (pearl white and night blue). Aluminium models now use Ceramic Shield 2.
Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $649 and is available to pre-order now, with availability from Friday 18 September.
Apple Watch Ultra 4
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 shares the Series 12’s Health Sensing System and S11 chip. It targets athletes and outdoor adventurers with extended battery life of up to 50 hours for everyday use and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode.
A new Extended Workout mode delivers up to 25 hours of battery life with full GPS and heart rate readings, a 25 per cent improvement over the previous model. Max Extended Workout mode tracks outdoor runs, walks and hikes for up to 45 hours with GPS readings every second.
Fifteen minutes of charging adds up to 18 hours of battery life. Apple also claims the watch offers the most accurate on-device GPS in a sports watch and the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch.
The Ultra 4 is available in natural and black titanium, starting at $1,349.
Audio Intelligence And Privacy Concerns
Both new Apple Watch models introduce a set of features Apple brands as Audio Intelligence, powered by the S11 chip’s Secure Exclave hardware compartment.
The features include Sound Recognition, which alerts users who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds like sirens, doorbells and alarms. Shazam can now automatically detect and display music playing nearby.
The more contentious features are Live Rewind and Siri Recap, both arriving in beta later this year. Live Rewind lets users double-press the Digital Crown to see a text snippet of the previous 15 seconds of a conversation. Siri Recap generates high-level summaries of conversations throughout the day.
Apple’s Vice President of Sensing and Connectivity, Ron Huang, framed the features as helpful tools.
“Apple Watch is always on your wrist, and with Apple Intelligence on your iPhone, it’s the perfect device to help you stay aware of the sounds around you and keep track of your conversations,” Huang told attendees.
Apple emphasised that Audio Intelligence does not create or store audio recordings. Raw audio is processed within the Secure Exclave compartment in complete isolation and immediately deleted. The features do not identify or attribute speakers, and Siri Recap is designed to exclude sensitive information such as financial data or government-issued identifiers.
Live Rewind plays an audible chime when activated and displays a visible animation. Summaries and text snippets are end-to-end encrypted in the Siri app.
However, the features have already attracted scrutiny. Gizmodo (and others) immediately raised concerns about the implications for bystanders who have not consented to being recorded or transcribed.
“It’s unnerving that anything you say out in public, perhaps without even realizing that you are in the vicinity of an Apple Watch wearer, could soon be covertly recorded, transcribed, or noted down,” Gizmodo’s Ece Yildirim wrote, drawing parallels with privacy issues that have dogged Meta’s smart glasses.
While Apple confirmed Live Rewind will produce an audible chime, it has not specified whether Siri Recap will include a similar notification for bystanders. Both features are opt-in.
AirPods 5
Apple has also announced AirPods 5, its new open-ear earbuds featuring active noise cancellation for the first time at this price tier. Apple claims the ANC removes up to 50 per cent more external noise compared to AirPods 4 with ANC, courtesy of a new multiport acoustic architecture.
Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Dave Pakula, highlighted the accessibility angle.
“We’re thrilled that with AirPods 5, we’re able to bring Active Noise Cancellation – one of our most beloved features – to our most affordable AirPods,” Pakula stated. “Paired with Siri AI, AirPods are a game changer for unlocking powerful hands-free capabilities.”
The earbuds support Live Translation, hands-free Siri AI interaction and head gesture responses. Adaptive Audio blends Transparency mode and ANC based on surrounding conditions.
AirPods 5 are priced at $219, with a Wireless Charging Case version at $249 that adds volume swipe controls and up to five hours of playback with ANC. Both are available to pre-order now with availability from Friday 18 September.
Siri AI And Apple Intelligence
Across the lineup, Apple is rolling out Siri AI, an overhauled version of its voice assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. Siri AI launches in beta with iOS 27, initially in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish support following in October.
The assistant draws on personal context across messages, emails and photos, uses on-screen awareness to take action and can answer questions using broad web knowledge. A new Siri app provides conversational history synced across devices via iCloud.
Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute. Certain server-side features, including Siri AI and Image Playground, are subject to daily usage limits, with Apple flagging that expanded access will be available for a fee in the future.
Siri AI will not be available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS at launch.
iOS 27
iOS 27 will be available as a free update on Tuesday 15 September. The update introduces iPhone Handoff, which allows users with supported carriers to switch between two iPhone models using the same phone number. At launch, the feature works with T-Mobile in the US and Telekom Germany.
The update also includes new parental controls, refinements to the Liquid Glass design language and improvements to Safari, including a Notify Me feature that monitors web pages for changes such as restocks or price drops.
Apple Arcade
Apple also announced new titles joining Apple Arcade on 1 October. Pusheen’s Place, the first licensed game featuring Pusheen the Cat, launches as an exclusive alongside River City Survivors, a zombie-themed action game.
Three existing App Store titles are joining the service without ads or in-app purchases: Terraria+ (including the Bigger & Boulder update with Dead Cells and Palworld crossover content), Touchgrind BMX 2+ and 4 Pics 1 Word+.
Apple Arcade remains priced at $10 per month.
Last Updated on September 10, 2026 by Nick Ross
