Apple’s September 9 keynote delivered exactly what its “Surprise and Shine” tagline promised. After a false start earlier in the event where a foldable iPhone seemed to be off the table, CEO John Ternus closed the show with a “one more thing” moment — Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. Alongside it, the company launched the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, new Apple Watch models, and a redesigned AirPods 5.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Faster Chip, Smarter Camera

At the core of both new Pro phones is the A20 Pro chip, built on a 2-nanometer process and, according to Apple, up to 20 times faster for graphics-heavy tasks — a jump aimed at everything from gaming to professional creative workflows.

Battery life sees a meaningful bump too. The iPhone 18 Pro holds at 35 hours, matching last year’s model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max climbs to a claimed 45 hours, making it the longest-lasting battery on an iPhone to date.

The camera system has been reworked around a 48MP Fusion setup with a six-lens-element design for improved aperture control, backed by a significantly upgraded camera software suite:

• Cinematic effects after capture — apply cinematic mode to standard video after you’ve already shot it, now supporting 60fps for smoother half-speed slow motion
• 4K Dolby Vision HDR timelapse
• Pro Controls — manual white balance, live histogram, adjustable aperture, and shutter speed for both photo and video
• Apple ProRAW improvements, described by Apple as making the phone “ready for everything from professional film sets to the things you shoot every day”

The Dynamic Island also gets a functional upgrade, now able to display up to three live activities at once.

The Big Reveal: iPhone Duo, Apple’s First Foldable

The moment fans had waited years for finally arrived. John Ternus introduced the iPhone Duo as “entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar” — a book-style foldable roughly the size of a passport when closed.

Key details:

• Runs on the same A20 Pro chip as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
• 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR display — 50% larger than the Pro Max screen and 80% larger than the Pro
• 5.4-inch outer display, offering around 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro
• A precision-engineered hinge that “holds the screen flat when opened” and controls opening and closing with what Apple calls its thinnest iPhone build ever
• Available in Star White and Night Sky
• Apple Pencil support coming later this year on either display

Apple positioned it as “truly the most versatile iPhone ever” — a device built to bridge phone and tablet use cases in a single, folding form factor.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4: Health Takes Center Stage

Both new watches lean heavily into health tracking, built on what Apple calls an all-new health-sensing system with three core upgrades: a larger electrode surface area for better ECG contact, photodiodes arranged in a ring for more efficient optical sensing, and larger, more power-efficient green LEDs for accurate heart-rate tracking throughout the day — including continuous heart rate readings every five seconds and HRV monitoring.

Apple Watch Series 12 comes in Space Grey, Black, Light Gold, and Dark Bronze in aluminum, polished Radiant Gold and Natural titanium finishes, and Ceramic in Pearl White and Night Blue.

Apple Watch Ultra 4 gets a larger battery and improved power efficiency, rated for two full days of everyday use, 18 hours with full GPS and heart-rate tracking during workouts, or up to 45 hours in max extended workout mode. It’s available in Black and Natural titanium, alongside new band colors and a new titanium Hermès band.

Apple also previewed a new Health app arriving later this year, alongside Audio Intelligence — a feature built on the Watch’s microphones that, as Apple describes it, “makes sense of what you hear,” complementing the existing Visual Intelligence tools.

AirPods 5: Open-Fit Design, Big ANC Claims

AirPods 5 bring an open-air fit with a new active noise cancellation system that Apple claims delivers 50% more noise reduction than AirPods 4. They also add hands-free “Hey Siri” access and Live Translation support. Pricing starts at $129 — the same as the outgoing generation — with a higher-tier model adding on-stem volume control and other extras.

Pricing and Availability

• iPhone 18 Pro: starts at $1,199 (256GB) / ₹1,64,900 in India
• iPhone 18 Pro Max: starts at $1,299 / ₹1,79,900 in India
• Both are available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options, in Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, and Black
• Preorders open September 12, with retail availability from September 18
• iPhone Duo pricing and availability were not detailed during the keynote

The Takeaway

Apple used its first keynote under CEO John Ternus to make a statement: measured, high-performance upgrades to the Pro line, paired with the company’s boldest new form factor in over a decade. With the A20 Pro chip powering the entire lineup — including its debut foldable — Apple is betting that raw performance and design flexibility, rather than any single flashy feature, will define this generation of iPhone.