Apple's fall 2026 event was one of the busiest the company has ever put on. We've got new iPhones, the company’s first foldable, two Apple Watches, and new AirPods – all were introduced in one morning.
And we also saw the new Apple CEO in action, with a non-sentimental goodbye from Cook. Here's a rundown of everything announced in case you've missed it.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
iPhone 18 Pro. | Image by Apple
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the headlining iPhone upgrades this fall. The A20 Pro chip on a 2nm process brings a dual Neural Engine, a new vapor chamber with three times the surface area of the one in the iPhone 17 Pro, and 40% better sustained performance.
Battery life jumps to 45 hours of video playback on the Pro Max and 36 hours on the Pro, and wired charging now hits 50% in around 15 minutes.
The camera gets the biggest overhaul in iPhone history this year – more on that below. The phones come in Burgundy, Glacier, Black, and Silver, starting at $1,199 for the Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max. Pre-orders open September 12, available September 18.
iPhone Duo
iPhone Duo. | Image by Apple
The iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable iPhone, and it takes a different approach from the rest of the market. Rather than a tall, narrow book-style device, it folds out wide – closer to a passport in hand than traditional square foldables.
The inner display is 7.6 inches when open, while the 5.4-inch outer display covers 90% of the screen area of the iPhone 18 Pro in a pocketable form. The animation when closing and opening may be a small touch but such small touches are actually what makes iPhones stand out.
The iPhone Duo runs the same A20 Pro chip as the Pro lineup, with a dual-battery setup delivering up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display and 31 hours on the inner.
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The camera system includes a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra-wide with macro support, plus a FaceTime camera hidden under the inner display. Foldable-exclusive camera features – Smart Take, Duo Preview, Kid Cue – take advantage of the dual-display setup in ways no other iPhone can.
The frame is grade 5 titanium with a mirror-polished finish, the device is IP68 rated, and Touch ID is in the side button. It starts at $1,999 in Star White and Night Sky. Pre-orders open October 16, available October 23.
Apple Watch Series 12
Apple Watch Series 12. | Image by Apple
The Series 12 is the most health-focused Apple Watch Apple has ever shipped so far. The new Health Sensing System measures heart rate every five seconds all day and tracks HRV up to 24 times more often than before.
There’s a new readiness score that pulls from activity, training load, vitals, and sleep to give you a daily 0-10 rating with one of four recommendations. Apple also claims the Series 12 has the most accurate step tracking of any smartwatch.
Audio Intelligence is a new feature category that includes Sound Recognition for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Live Rewind for pulling up the last 15 seconds of a conversation, Siri Recap for post-conversation summaries, and Shazam on the wrist.
Workout battery life has increased 25% to up to 10 hours, and 15 minutes of charging now adds up to 12 hours of battery life. It's available in aluminum, titanium, and a new ceramic option in pearl white and night blue. Starting price remains at $399, just like its predecessor, with availability September 18.
Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apple Watch Ultra 4. | Image by Apple
The Ultra 4 gets the same Health Sensing System as the Series 12, but the bigger story here is battery life. Everyday use now reaches 50 hours, up from 42 on the Ultra 3. Low Power Mode stretches to 84 hours, and two new workout modes push things further: Extended Workout runs up to 25 hours with full GPS and heart rate, and Max Extended Workout runs up to 45 hours with GPS readings every second – enough for a 100-mile race.
Fifteen minutes of charging adds 18 hours of battery life. Apple also says the Ultra 4 has the most accurate on-device GPS of any sports watch.
The Ultra 4 keeps the titanium case, sapphire crystal, and the Action Button, and comes in natural and black titanium. It starts at $799 – the same price as the previous three generations – with availability September 18.
AirPods 5
AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation to the most affordable spot in Apple's AirPods lineup, starting at $129. The ANC removes up to 50% more noise than the AirPods 4 with ANC, thanks to a new multiport acoustic architecture shared with the AirPods Pro 3.
Transparency mode has also been improved, and Adaptive Audio blends the two automatically based on your environment.
The $149 version with Wireless Charging Case adds on-stem volume control via a swipe gesture – a first for open-ear AirPods – and extends battery life to five hours with ANC on a single charge, or 22 hours total with the case.
Both versions support Siri AI hands-free, Live Translation via the Translate app, and head gesture responses to Siri. Both are available September 18.
Why the iPhone 18 Pro's camera takes the cake
iPhone 18 Pro. | Image by Apple
I've been shooting with iPhones as my main camera for years now, and the iPhone 18 Pro is the first upgrade that brings a genuine change rather than just refining what was already there. Variable aperture is the kind of feature that dedicated camera users have always had (and I’ve been using DSLR cameras previously and missed the feature a lot on smartphones). It offers you the ability to physically control how much light enters the lens and how much of the scene stays in focus.
On a dedicated camera, I’d reach for a wider aperture for a portrait in dim light, then stop it down for a mountain landscape where I want everything sharp. On every iPhone before this one, you got what you got. Now you get that choice.
Pro Controls takes it further. A histogram in the native camera app, manual shutter speed, manual white balance, the ability to dial in four aperture settings... all of these feel like Apple has finally acknowledged that some of us want control over the image before it's taken, not just after.
For anyone who takes smartphone photography seriously and has always found the iPhone camera a tad too managed, the iPhone 18 Pro is the most compelling argument Apple has ever made.
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Iskra Petrova is a news writer at PhoneArena, where she covers mobile tech news and maintains the site’s device hubs with the latest leaked specs, rumors, and official details for upcoming phones. She joined PhoneArena in 2020 after three years in technical support for Microsoft Exchange, giving her practical experience with software infrastructure and troubleshooting. Iskra holds a Master’s Degree in Literature, which helps her translate complex tech details into clear, reader-friendly coverage. She is a daily Apple ecosystem user, while also closely following Sony Xperia’s camera-focused phones and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series.
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