Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro may not open until Saturday, September 12 — a day later than Apple’s usual schedule — according to a recent report.
Apple is scheduled to hold its annual iPhone event on Wednesday, September 9, where the iPhone 18 Pro models, the company’s first-ever foldable iPhone, and the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are all expected to be announced. Under Apple’s typical launch plan, pre-orders begin the Friday immediately following the event, with devices shipping the following Friday; this year that would place pre-orders on Friday, September 11.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-order timing
The report says a German publication heard from a reliable source that Apple will instead push pre-orders back to Saturday, September 12. The timing within the day is also said to change: Apple’s pre-orders traditionally open at 5 a.m. PT, but the source says this year’s window would start at midnight PT on Saturday.
The delayed pre-order date is expected to apply to the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, along with any other hardware Apple introduces at the event. The company’s foldable iPhone could follow at a later date, with pre-orders potentially not opening until late September.
The shift is reportedly tied to the date itself: September 11, 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and Apple has moved pre-orders away from that date before. In 2015, when the standard pre-order Friday also fell on September 11, Apple delayed iPhone 6S and 6S Plus pre-orders to Saturday, September 12.
Earlier this year, a German outlet reported that Apple would announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, but the actual announcement did not occur until March 2. That precedent illustrates that reported dates can change; Saturday, September 12 looks like a solid bet for the iPhone 18 Pro’s pre-order date, though the reported midnight PT start time should be taken with a pinch of salt for now.
Apple’s iPhone event takes place on September 9.
