iPhone Fold
iPhone Fold

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple is set to unveil its new iPhone lineup at a Sept. 9 event, with technology analysts predicting the announcement will mark a pivotal turning point for the smartphone industry, driven by three major strategic shifts: a deepened AI partnership with Google, the company's first foldable device, and a restructured product release schedule.

The event, titled "Surprise and Shine," is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Pacific time at Apple's Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. It marks the first major product launch overseen by John Ternus, who officially became Apple's chief executive on Sept. 1. Apple confirmed the event date on Aug. 26, with an invitation that included a playful nod to Siri, the company's voice assistant, hinting at the artificial intelligence upgrades expected to feature prominently in the presentation.

Apple is expected to unveil three new iPhones at the event: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the company's first foldable device, widely expected to be branded the iPhone Ultra. All three models are expected to run on Apple's new A20 Pro chip, the company's first processor built on a 2-nanometer manufacturing process, which early leaks suggest could deliver performance gains of up to 18% and power efficiency improvements of up to 30% compared with the prior generation.

Forbes senior contributor Ewan Spence, who covers mobile technology, argued in an analysis published ahead of the event that the launch's most consequential development may not be a new phone at all, but rather Apple's expanding reliance on Google's artificial intelligence technology.

"Apple's integration of Google Gemini into iOS 26 concedes foundation-model dominance to its primary operating system competitor while protecting Apple's private cloud computing perimeter," Spence wrote.

That AI partnership has been building for months. Apple confirmed at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June that its redesigned Siri assistant, arriving as part of iOS 26 and its companion operating systems this fall, would run on technology built with Google's Gemini models. According to Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian, who addressed the partnership at a Google Cloud conference earlier this year, the arrangement positions Google as Apple's preferred cloud provider for developing the next generation of Apple's foundation models. Apple has said the underlying processing will continue running through its Private Cloud Compute architecture, preserving the privacy protections the company has long marketed as a core differentiator, even as the underlying AI model technology originates from its primary software competitor.

Spence noted that this is not the first time Apple has leaned on Google's technology rather than building an equivalent capability entirely in-house, drawing a comparison to Apple's decades-long reliance on Google as the default search engine within Safari and other Apple products, an arrangement that has generated substantial payments from Google to Apple over the years.

Beyond the AI integration, Apple's entry into the foldable smartphone category represents a significant moment for an industry segment Samsung has led since launching the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. Spence argued that Apple's traditionally late but highly polished approach to new product categories could once again translate into outsized market impact, given the company's large, loyal user base and the tendency of Apple customers to wait for the company's own version of an emerging technology rather than switching ecosystems.

"The iPhone Ultra will be seen as a success, even if stock may be limited in the first few months," Spence wrote, adding that Apple's entry "will legitimize that foldable space for more consumers" and "lift the boat for all foldables" across the broader industry.

The foldable iPhone is expected to feature a book-style design, opening to roughly 7.6 inches while measuring about 5.5 inches when closed, a wider-than-tall form factor that would make the unfolded device function similarly to a small tablet. Samsung has reportedly redirected additional resources to ensure its own comparably sized Galaxy Z Fold 8 remains widely available globally as Apple's device reaches the market, setting up a direct comparison between Apple's debut foldable and Samsung's seventh-generation entry in the category.

The third major shift Spence identified involves Apple's restructured release calendar. Rather than launching its entire iPhone 18 lineup simultaneously, Apple is splitting the generation into two waves: the Pro-tier models arriving this month, with the more affordable iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Air not expected until late March or early April 2027, alongside a rumored budget iPhone 18e.

Spence argued that this split effectively pushes cost-conscious buyers who might otherwise wait for a cheaper option toward Apple's pricier Pro-tier devices during the critical holiday shopping season, since no lower-cost iPhone 18 option will be available in the U.S. market this fall.

"Apple is arguably using the lack of an iPhone 18 to force an upsell to the iPhone 18 Pro," Spence wrote.

That staggered release also gives Apple a second major consumer product moment in early 2027, timed closely with the industry's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, a period that has traditionally offered a showcase opportunity for competing Android manufacturers. Spence suggested the timing could dilute media attention that would otherwise go to Apple's rivals during that window.

"More iPhones, more of the time, and less oxygen for competitors to generate press coverage is a win for Apple and puts pressure on the competition," Spence wrote.

Pricing for the new lineup remains unconfirmed ahead of the event, though some industry estimates have suggested the standard Pro models could see price increases of up to $300 compared with their predecessors, partly attributed to ongoing global memory chip shortages affecting component costs across the smartphone industry. Separate analyst projections for the foldable iPhone Ultra have ranged from roughly $2,100 to more than $3,000 depending on storage configuration.

With Apple's presentation just days away, the company's decisions on AI partnership structure, foldable device design, and product release timing are expected to shape competitive dynamics across the broader smartphone industry well into 2027, according to analysts tracking the event. As Spence put it in his analysis, the significance of Wednesday's presentation extends well beyond the specific devices being announced.

"The iPhone event is about more than the iPhone," Spence wrote. "It's about deciding who gets to define the future of smartphones."

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