5 Takeaways From Apple's Biggest Product Showcase of 2026

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 at its biggest product showcase of the year on Wednesday, September 9.

The event was also the first major public appearance of John Ternus as Apple’s new chief executive, following Tim Cook’s departure from the top job. Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran who most recently led hardware engineering, used the event to highlight the company’s approach to hardware, artificial intelligence and privacy. Cook also made a brief cameo in the event’s opening video.

Here are five key takeaways from the event, based on reporting by Reuters and The Hill.

1. Foldable iPhone: iPhone Duo Marks Apple’s First Entry Into the Market

The iPhone Duo was the biggest announcement of the event, marking Apple’s first entry into the foldable smartphone market.

The book-style device opens into a 7.6-inch internal display and has a 5.4-inch outer screen. Apple said the internal display is 50 percent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 80 percent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro.

Powered by the A20 Pro chip and Apple’s C2 modem, the Duo supports Apple Pencil and has Touch ID integrated into the side button.

Apple said the device is its thinnest iPhone when fully opened. The 256GB model starts at $1,999, while a 2TB version costs $3,199. Preorders begin October 16, with the device going on sale October 23.

2. iPhone 18 Pro: New and Older iPhones Get $100 Price Hikes

Apple raised the starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by $100, to $1,199 and $1,299, respectively.

The company also raised the prices of the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and iPhone 17e by $100 each, breaking from its usual practice of lowering prices for older models after a new iPhone lineup is released.

Apple attributed the increases to higher memory chip costs, as surging demand for memory used in artificial intelligence systems has strained supply.

The price increases follow Apple’s decision in June to raise prices for some MacBook and iPad models by $150 to $300. Earlier this year, then-CEO Tim Cook said higher prices were “unavoidable” amid rising demand for memory chips.

Both iPhone 18 Pro models use the A20 Pro chip and feature a new 48-megapixel main camera with a variable aperture system. The camera can automatically adjust to lighting conditions while giving users more control over depth of field and low-light photography.

3. Apple Intelligence: AI Strategy Puts Privacy at the Center

Ternus used his first Apple product event as CEO to reinforce the company’s approach to artificial intelligence, with privacy as a central theme.

Apple said Apple Intelligence will run on devices whenever possible, while its Private Cloud Compute system will handle tasks requiring additional processing power.

Ternus described the iPhone as an “intelligent personal hub” that can connect users’ information, apps, services and devices.

Siri is also set to work with more than 300,000 apps at launch and perform actions across Apple and third-party applications.

Apple introduced Apple Reference Image, a photo-authentication standard, and support for SynthID to help identify AI-generated or edited images. The features will not be available in the European Union or China.

4. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: New Health Features

Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 with a redesigned health-sensing system and the new S11 chip.

The Series 12 starts at $399, while the Ultra 4 starts at $799.

The Series 12 includes a new Health Sensing System, improved heart-rate monitoring and a Readiness score that assesses a user’s recent activity, health measurements and sleep.

Apple also introduced AI-powered health insights and audio features including Live Rewind and Siri Recap.