Apple Event 2026 Live: The First Foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch 12 and More

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We're counting down to Apple's Sept. 9 unveiling of the foldable iPhone Ultra. It's the first keynote helmed by new Apple CEO John Ternus and expected to be Apple's biggest event in years.

Apple's Sept. 9 event is nearly here , and we're expecting it to be filled with firsts for the company. The company's fall event - starting Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) - will be the first to be hosted by new Apple CEO John Ternus and could be the stage where we see Apple's long-rumored folding iPhone .

In-Depth Developments & Factual Context

That possible foldable, rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, is expected to be joined by a new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but, for the first time, might exclude a base iPhone 18 by punting it to the spring, along with a rumored iPhone Air sequel.

CNET reporters will be at Apple Park for the company's latest product unveiling, and we'll count down all the final rumors and commentary in the leadup to the live event. Wednesday morning, you can follow along with us at CNET through both this live blog and with our livestream watch party (kicking off Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET) as we report all the announcements live as they happen.

I've reviewed iPads for years, and iPhones for years before that. I often carry both around with me. But will a time come, this year, when I don't need to? In a world of folding phones, will Apple's iPhone also be an iPad?

Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

I'm so curious about how Apple positions its expected premium folding iPhone , especially since Apple has years of iPad experience under its belt and a whole ecosystem of iPadOS apps. If the foldable iPhone has the iPad's passport-size screen aspect ratio is truly similar in size to an iPad Mini , will iPadOS run on it? Or will Apple adapt a new tweener-type ecosystem that's not entirely iPhone, not entirely iPad?

In short: Would I truly be able to do everything I do on an iPad with the iPhone Fold/Ultra (or whatever the actual name is - there have been rumors of different names)?

If I were to guess, I'd expect it to approach but not truly be an iPad in the same way the iPad approaches but isn't a Mac . It's a classic Apple move: A new product that bridges but doesn't quite replace. The iPad was pitched as a device to bridge the gap between a laptop and your phone. And now we're in a place where there's space to fill between a phone and tablet - as Samsung, Motorola, Google and others have found.

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

Apple also has a chance to think beyond what the iPad is now. And, close a loop. Steve Jobs envisioned an iPad before creating the iPhone , and a folding iPhone could connect the two visions in ways that might fit what was intended all the way back in the first place. I'm just wondering what happens to Pencil-connected and keyboard-ready iPadOS apps with whatever the folding iPhone becomes.

WWDC 2026 gave us a look at new features for iOS and MacOS, an overhaul for Siri and new AI tools.

Driving home from the G20 tech forum in Chapel Hill , I asked Siri to send my friend a text message. (Don't text and drive, kids.) I didn't use the exact right words I wanted to, so, per usual, Siri couldn't understand what I meant and wrote an incoherent text. Hopefully, this is one of the last times I'll have to deal with Siri screwups, thanks to the upcoming general release of iOS 27 with Siri AI.

We got our first glance at Siri AI inside iOS 27 at Apple's June WWDC event. Since then, CNET reviewers have been busy testing the public betas of the new software. And so far, it seems like the new Siri lives up to the hype. Even my colleague Zach McAuliffe, who's ignored Siri for a decade, said the revamped digital assistant was surprising and "immediately improved" - a green flag from CNET's iOS expert.

I'm hoping the new Siri will give iPhone owners like me the quality-of-life updates we deserve. I don't need my phone to start acting like a chatbot. I do want it to better at understand my voice commands and use improved world knowledge , two things that generative AI has gotten much better at over the past few years. So I'm unusually optimistic about Siri AI.

Rumors suggest Apple could work the iPhone Air's sleek design into a book-style foldable iPhone.

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