Apple has scheduled an event for Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and the company is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, its first-ever foldable iPhone dubbed the iPhone Ultra, and other products.
Typically, Apple opens iPhone pre-orders on the first Friday after its event, but this year that Friday falls on September 11, the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. That calendar conflict has prompted speculation about a different pre-order schedule for the iPhone 18 Pro models.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders and release timeline
Apple has a history of avoiding major product launches on the anniversary of 9/11. For example, when the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus event fell on Wednesday, September 9 in 2015, pre-orders began on Saturday, September 12 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time rather than on Friday, September 11. Based on that precedent, it has been rumored that pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will begin on Saturday, September 12 at 12 a.m. Pacific Time this year. The most likely release date for the iPhone 18 Pro models is Friday, September 18.
iPhone Ultra availability and production constraints
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says manufacturing challenges have limited early production of the foldable iPhone, and he expects pre-orders for the foldable model to begin after pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro models. Kuo believes the foldable iPhone may launch at some point after the iPhone 18 Pro models and may not be available to pre-order until the fourth quarter of 2026.
There is historical precedent for staggered rollouts after a single unveiling: in 2017, Apple unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X on September 12; pre-orders for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus began three days later, while iPhone X pre-orders opened six weeks later on Friday, October 27. The current reporting frames the foldable iPhone’s availability in similar terms, tied to production limitations cited by Kuo.
