Overview
- Apple will hold its product event on Wednesday, Sept. 9, where outlets expect the company to showcase iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max and a first foldable model billed as an Ultra.
- A small X account, @earlyappleleaks, posted on Sept. 8 that Apple may skip a base iPhone 18 this year and instead ship an iPhone Air 2 in spring 2027, a claim that remains unconfirmed.
- The same leak suggested the Air 2 could be renamed or priced like a base iPhone — about $999 — but established reporters and analysts have not verified that price or renaming.
- South Korean carrier LG Uplus published images purporting to show new iPhones, but media reviewers judged those renders to be rudimentary AI creations and likely promotional teasers rather than authentic photos.
- Analysts say staging premium launches in September and moving lower‑cost models to spring lets Apple emphasize higher‑margin products, a shift that could delay upgrades for mainstream buyers and position larger lineup changes around the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027.