Apple‘s Apple foldable iPhone launch is expected to take centre stage on Wednesday when the company unveils its most expansive hardware line-up in years, headlined by a device that would give the iPhone a new physical form for the first time in nearly two decades.
New chief executive John Ternus, who took over on 1 September, will lead his first major product event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on Apple’s Cupertino campus.
The foldable is expected to carry a base price of around $2,000, putting it in direct competition with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, which starts at $1,899.99, and the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, priced from $2,099.99.
Apple foldable iPhone launch: what the hardware offers
According to PC Guide, the foldable, referred to as the iPhone Duo, features a Grade 5 titanium frame and hinge, Ceramic Shield protection, and an IP68 water-resistance rating. Those specifications would place it among the most robustly built foldables on the market.
By contrast, the Samsung Mobile Press confirms the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra measures just 4.1 mm when unfolded and weighs 215 g, underscoring the engineering challenge Apple’s design will have to answer.
Wednesday’s event is also expected to include the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, AirPods 5, and potential updates to MacBook and home products. Further details on a revamped Siri, which relies in part on Google technology and is currently in beta, may also be disclosed.
Split launch and price rises add pressure on Ternus
Apple’s base model, the iPhone 18, is not expected until Spring 2027, according to a note from analysts at Bank of America. That represents a break from Apple’s usual practice of releasing the full iPhone range in a single autumn window.
“The split launch could support mix and (average selling prices) but creates some risk that price-sensitive consumers defer upgrades until the lower-priced models arrive,” Bank of America analysts wrote.
Apple has already raised prices across its Mac, iPad, and home device lines by between 15% and 33%, and increased monthly subscriptions by $2, following a shortage in memory chips driven by demand for AI computing. Former chief executive Tim Cook described the situation as a “100-year-flood” event. In July, Apple issued a disappointing revenue forecast for its fiscal fourth quarter, citing supply-chain constraints.
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst and former Apple marketing employee, said the company’s recent events had “been a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle.” Wednesday, he said, gives Apple something genuinely different to present.
“Everyone, whether you’re the kid at home saving their money for a new iPhone, or an analyst on Wall Street, will pay close attention to everything that Ternus says and does,” Gartenberg told Fortune.
Ternus, 51, is widely regarded as a product-engineering specialist who played a central role in developing many of Apple’s most successful hardware lines. On the day he took the chief executive role, he told employees he was “so excited about everything we have in store.”
Roughly half of Apple’s revenue comes from iPhone sales. Analysts and former Apple employees told Fortune they hope Ternus’s engineering background can revive innovation the company has ceded in recent years, particularly as rivals Google and OpenAI push hard on consumer AI hardware. OpenAI is working with former Apple designer Jony Ive on a device of its own, though no product has been released.
Bank of America’s note on the split launch schedule means the foldable and iPhone 18 Pro will carry Apple’s commercial momentum alone into the first half of 2027, making Wednesday’s pricing and positioning decisions more consequential than a typical autumn event.
