Apple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Why A September 2026 Launch Looks Likely
Apple iPhone 17 Pro: when will the successor, the iPhone 18 Pro, launch?
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June 15 update. This post, first published on Saturday, June 13, was updated on June 15with more details of the schedule, expected in the wake of WWDC, that will lead to the launch of this fall’s iPhones.
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference fired the starting gun in the race to the next iPhone. The keynote that launched the conference on Monday, June 8 set in motion a timetable which will culminate in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the first folding iPhone going on sale. Here’s all you need to know.
iOS 27 Developer Beta Now Live
On the day of the keynote, Apple’s next software cycle, iOS 27, launched, with the first beta released to developers. This exactly matches the iOS schedule from last year, which means the iPhone release schedule is bang on target, for now at least, to mimic last year’s routine.
Apple also confirmed that the first public beta will go live in July, again syncing with last year’s schedule with iOS 26. This means the next date in the timetable may be deduced, and that’s the timing of the next special event.
Special Event Keynote: Likely Wednesday, Sept. 9
Last year, the keynote which revealed the iPhone 17 series was on Tuesday, Sept. 9. That week seems the most likely this year, but Monday, Sept. 7 is Labor Day, and Apple rarely holds a keynote on the day after a holiday. After all, it needs to fly press and special guests to Cupertino.
This means that the most auspicious date this year would be the Wednesday, of that week, Sept. 9. Note that this could change and the late Labor Day could theoretically push everything to the following week, likely on Monday, Sept. 14 or Tuesday, Sept. 15.
While that’s possible, I believe Apple will do everything it can not to let the keynote slip a week. After all, it means the iPhone would go on sale a week later, which no company would want.
There’s a caveat here: if there are technical issues making the first foldable phone, possibly called the iPhone Ultra, that model may be announced alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max but held back from going on sale by a few weeks.
Something similar happened with the release of the first Face ID model, the iPhone X, in 2017. All of which makes me think the Sept. 9 date is the most likely. After all, if you’re going to have to delay part of the range — and despite rumors of production issues, that’s far from certain — then selling at least two of your three models as soon as possible seems highly desirable.
Pre-Orders Open: Likely Friday, Sept. 11
If Sept. 9 is right, then the next event leading to the phones going on sale is almost certainly later the same week. Whether the keynote takes place on a Monday or Tuesday, the pre-orders consistently open on the Friday following. I believe that will still apply even if the keynote is held on a Wednesday, which almost certainly means pre-orders will begin on Friday, Sept. 11.
The exact timing will be revealed at the keynote, but in previous years this has been 8 a.m. Pacific, which is 1 p.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. in the U.K.
Full details, including whether Apple reprises a feature from earlier releases, are still to be confirmed. That feature was to let users on the website choose their iPhone (model, storage capacity and color) on the night before, put the item into the online shopping bag so that they could press the Buy button as soon as it went live on Friday.
iOS 27 General Release Date: Likely Sept. 14 Or Sept. 15
The iOS 27 software that triggered this whole schedule will finally move from developer and public betas to general release. It means anyone with an iPhone 11 or later can snag the software.
That could be on or around the Monday following the keynote. If the keynote is Sept. 9, I think the software will land on Monday, Sept. 14 or Tuesday, Sept. 15.
First Reviews: Sept. 15 or Sept. 16
Apple may send early review units out to a small number of media on or around the day of the keynote so they have time to test them in depth before reviews appear, usually a week later. This could mean Wednesday, Sept. 16, though it’s also possible reviews may appear be the day before, Tuesday, Sept. 15. Exact timing varies but will probably be 6 a.m. Pacific.
Remember that alongside the new iPhones, there will surely also be two new Apple Watch models and perhaps something else. Apple will want to spread the reviews out over the week.
For sure, though, the iPhone reviews will start to appear before the phones go on sale.
Release Date: Likely Friday, Sept. 18.
If the keynote is held on or around Sept. 9, then Apple will doubtless fit with its cast-iron regular schedule and put the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on sale on the Friday of the following week, that is, on Friday, Sept. 18.
The exact minute for the iPhone to go on sale will be announced later, but will be the same local time around the world, probably at 7 a.m. In other words, 7 a.m. will happen soonest among countries like New Zealand and Australia, later in Europe and the U.K., with the U.S. following on as the time zones allow.
The iPhone Ultra, or whatever the folding model is called, may launch at the same time or follow on a few weeks later. The answer to the question of exactly when will be revealed at the keynote.