Key Highlights
- The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 while the Pro Max begins at $1,299, marking a $100 premium over iPhone 17 pricing
- Apple’s inaugural foldable device, the iPhone Duo, debuts at $1,999 with a 7.6-inch internal screen and 5.4-inch external display
- iPhone 18 Pro features include the A20 Pro processor, 24-hour battery capacity, and advanced variable aperture camera technology
- Enhanced AI capabilities debut with Siri AI upgrade, expanded Apple Intelligence integration, and “Apple Reference Images” for AI photo detection
- John Ternus, Apple’s new chief executive, presented his inaugural product launch following Tim Cook’s departure last week
Apple’s September 9 fall presentation showcased an extensive product portfolio, with the spotlight on the iPhone Duo—the company’s maiden foldable smartphone carrying a $1,999 price tag.
Chief Executive John Ternus made his debut presentation since assuming leadership from Tim Cook the previous week. Ternus, who previously served as Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, characterized the iPhone Duo as the company’s “most slim” iPhone design, remarkably accommodating a spacious 7.6-inch internal screen alongside a 5.4-inch external display.
The Duo enables users to maintain functionality while rotating or repositioning the device and provides seamless app switching capabilities. Compatibility with Apple Pencil is scheduled for release later in the year. Pre-purchase orders begin October 16, with retail availability launching October 23.
AAPL shares declined 0.28% during trading.
iPhone 18 Pro Series Sees Price Elevation
The base iPhone 18 Pro carries a $1,199 starting price, while the Pro Max begins at $1,299. This represents a $100 markup from the iPhone 17 Pro lineup, which launched at $1,099 and $1,199 respectively.
Apple has implemented pricing adjustments across its MacBook portfolio several times throughout this year. Former CEO Tim Cook shared with the Wall Street Journal that additional cost increases were “inevitable” given escalating memory chip expenses. The AI-fueled demand for memory and storage components has consistently impacted Apple’s entire product ecosystem.
The latest Pro models operate on the A20 Pro processor, delivering enhanced CPU and GPU performance alongside an improved neural processing unit.
Power efficiency receives substantial improvements as well. The iPhone 18 Pro delivers 24 hours of operation, while the Pro Max extends to 30 hours of usage.
Photography capabilities advance with a variable mechanical aperture system that captures approximately 50% additional light under low-light conditions.
The Dynamic Island interface on Pro models now accommodates up to three simultaneous live activities.
Artificial Intelligence Features Dominate Announcement
Apple Intelligence comes integrated within the latest iPhone collection. The enhanced Siri, rebranded as Siri AI, can retrieve information from messages and emails, utilize the camera for environmental analysis, compose emails through voice commands, and alternate between various expressive voice modes.
Apple Intelligence extends to Safari browser functionality, enabling webpage monitoring with automatic change notifications.
Siri AI becomes available in English this month, with additional language support including French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish arriving in October. Apple Intelligence will ultimately accommodate 16 different languages.
A novel function titled “Apple Reference Images” aims to authenticate whether photographs originated from a camera or were AI-generated.
Apple also demonstrated “Siri Recap” for the latest Apple Watch, providing conversation summaries, along with “Live Rewind,” enabling users to review the previous 15 seconds of dialogue. The company emphasized that no audio files are generated or retained.
The iPhone division contributed $209.5 billion to Apple’s overall $416.1 billion revenue stream in 2025.
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