Macwelt has reported that reservations for the iPhone 18 Pro series are expected to start on Saturday, September 12, the next day, rather than September 11, which is the Friday of the week of announcement as in previous years. Bloomberg’s Mark Garman has already reported that the start date for accepting reservations will be September 12th.
On the other hand, there is also information that the start of pre-orders for the foldable iPhone, which is rumored to be announced at the same time, will be delayed until the end of September.
The second theory is that reservations will start on September 12th.
The iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to be announced at the event “Good Morning World” that Apple will hold from 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2026, Japan time.
If things go as usual, reservations should begin on Friday, September 11th. However, since September 11th marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, it has been pointed out that Apple may change the date to the next day, September 12th (Saturday).
Macwelt has also provided similar information, stating that they have received information from a reliable source that the pre-order start date will be September 12th. With the second September 12th theory coming out after Garman’s, it seems that the possibility of this date has increased even more.
Reservations start at 4pm on September 12th
Macwelt also reported the start time for reservations, which is September 12th at 9am Central European Summer Time (CEST). Converted to Japan time, it is 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 12th.
Although the start date for accepting reservations for the iPhone 18 Pro series is Saturday, the release date is likely to be the following Friday, September 18th (Friday), as usual.
Will Apple Watch etc. be available for purchase on the day of announcement?
Orders for the new Apple Watch, AirPods, etc. may begin on the day of the new product announcement event.
Genuine accessories for the new iPhone and new colors of Apple Watch bands are also expected to be posted on the Apple online store after the event.
Foldable iPhone may be released on a different date
Apple is rumored to announce a folding iPhone along with the iPhone 18 Pro series on “Good Morning World.”
There are multiple predictions regarding the release date of the foldable iPhone due to delays in the start of mass production and low initial supply.
- Although it will be released at the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro series, initial stock numbers are quite low.
- It will be released in advance only in the United States, and will be released sequentially in other countries and regions by the end of the year.
- It will be released about 6 weeks later than the iPhone 18 Pro series.
Will reservations start on September 25th?
A recent rumor circulating on X (formerly Twitter) states that pre-orders for the foldable iPhone will begin around the end of September. If it starts on a Friday at the end of September, then Friday, September 25th is a good candidate.
If pre-orders are delayed until this date and the product goes on sale one week later as usual, the release date may be October 2nd (Friday).
However, it is not clear whether the foldable iPhone will be released simultaneously worldwide, whether it will be released in advance only in the United States, or whether the period from pre-order to release will be the same as the regular iPhone.
At this point, it seems best to assume that pre-order acceptance and release may be delayed compared to the iPhone 18 Pro series.
Source: Macwelt
Source: iPhone Mania
