If you’re looking to buy a new iPhone, there are three dates you’ll want to keep in mind. These are the day pre-orders start, the release date, and the day the new OS is released.
With tonight’s announcement, September will move forward at once. We have organized what will happen on which day by date.
Predicting the movements of new products and new OS in September 2026 by date
This is a forecast based on the information currently available.
| date | New product related | New OS related |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 10th 2am |
iPhone18 Pro/Foldable iPhone/Apple Watch Series 12/Ultra 4/AirPods announced at event | Release candidates (RC) for iOS27 etc. are released |
| Friday, September 11th or Saturday, September 12th |
Start accepting reservations for iPhone18 Pro series It is unclear which day it will be. |
— |
| Tuesday, September 15th Around 2am |
— | Official version of new OS such as iOS27 released |
| September 15th (Tuesday) ~ 17th (Thursday) |
Advance review article of new product published | — |
| Friday, September 18th | iPhone18 Pro series released | — |
| End of September | Will we start accepting pre-orders for the foldable iPhone? | — |
| After October | Will a foldable iPhone be released? | — |
*The above is a prediction based on various reports and the pre-order start date, release date, and OS release date up to last year. The official schedule will be confirmed upon announcement.
Reservations for September 11th or 12th – Possibility of being different from previous years
The most difficult thing to read is the reservation start date. Usually it starts on the Friday of the week of the announcement. This year, it is Friday, September 11th.
However, since September 11th marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States, there are speculations that Apple will move it to the following day, Saturday, September 12th. Following Bloomberg’s Mark Garman, Germany’s Macwelt reported the same information, with two sources citing September 12th.
However, this is a prediction, and there is still a possibility that it will be held on the 11th. Apple does not announce the pre-order date and time in advance, so it will not be confirmed until we see the announcement.
It is safe to prepare from September 11th (Friday) so that you will not be in trouble either way. If it is shifted to the 12th, the start time is expected to be 4:00 p.m. Japan time, which is different from last year’s 9:00 p.m.
iOS27 will be available on September 15th (Tuesday) around 2am.
The official version of the new OS is expected to be released around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, September 15th. This is because the last four generations were all distributed around 2am on Tuesdays.
In addition to iOS27, iPadOS27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS27, tvOS27, and visionOS27 may also be delivered on the same day.
Only the foldable iPhone has a different schedule.
The foldable iPhone, which is expected to be announced at the same time, may not be available for purchase on the same day as other models. Pre-orders are said to be delayed until the end of September, and there are recent reports that the release date will be from October onwards.
One of the reasons is production. It is reported that only a few hundred units are made per day, and initial stock is thought to be extremely low.
There is also a theory that the name will be “iPhone Duo” rather than “iPhone Ultra”, and the price is said to start at $2,000 for the 256GB model. Here is a summary of what has happened over the past 10 years.
If there is a model you want, be sure to arrive in time for pre-orders.
Every year, right after pre-orders for the new iPhone start, people concentrate on the Pro and Pro Max. It is not uncommon for a delay of a few minutes to prevent you from receiving your item on the release date.
It is not expected that the standard model iPhone 18 will be announced at the same time this year, and the available options will be narrowed down to the Pro series and foldable models. As a result, the focus on Pro may be stronger than last year.
You can find out more about the announcement in the article that summarizes how to watch it, and you can see the actual images that have been released so far in the leaked image summary.
Source: Apple
Source: iPhone Mania
