Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
As usual, Apple's online store is down for updates ahead of the event.
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Live blog transcript ahead...
8:36 am: We're on site at Apple Park, where attendees are checking in to get their badges and milling around ahead of the event. Under 90 minutes to go!
8:43 am: As usual, Apple is providing light breakfast items for everyone.
9:39 am: We're in the room!
9:49 am: The live stream is up on Apple's home page, currently displaying shifting colors and shapes in the theme of the event invite with a chill soundtrack.
9:49 am: The stream will also be on YouTube, but that typically goes live at the last moment around 10 a.m. PDT.
10:00 am: As the clock strikes 10 a.m. PDT, the music changes and the presentation begins!
10:00 am: "The following was shot on iPhone"
10:01 am: It starts with an extremely dark "movie" being shot with fire and explosions, showing some rather extreme dynamic range.
10:02 am: As Apple has been known to do recently, it is showing just how great the iPhone can look when shooting video, albeit it seems likely that all manner of high-production value add ons are being used.
10:03 am: Now we're flying over Big Sur, following a car to Apple Park... "before we reveal our main character... Not me, that's your guy." Tim Cook appears one last time, handing off to new CEO John Ternus.
10:03 am: "Our teams bring an incredible level of collaboration and care to everythign they do, all in service of a mission that has guided us from the very beginning: to make the best products in the world."
10:04 am: "The values at the heart of Apple continue to guide everything we do. As we look ahead, we see a future filled with enormous discovery and transformation. AI makes entirely new kinds of experiences possible, and AI can become even more useful when it brings together your life with the apps, services, and products you use every day."
10:04 am: "And this means the product at the center of your experiences becomes even more essential. What I like to think of as an intelligent personal hub. It's the intersection of broad new capabilities. and a deep understanding of your personal context that makes this idea so powerful."
10:05 am: "Now, if you were designing the ideal version of this hub from scratch, how would you do it? Well, first, you would want something that is always with you, deeply personal, and able to bring intelligence to the moments when it matters most. You'd require require a powerful processor that can run incredibly capable on-device models to quickly answer questions in the moment and pervasive networking to access knowledge and even more capable models in the cloud."
10:05 am: "You'd need a large, beautiful display to show rich content. You'd add high-quality cameras and microphones, so it could see and hear and reason over the sights, sounds, and the world around you. Of course, you give it all-day battery life. You'd want it to be super easy to use without a big learning curve, and finally, you'd want it to work seamlessly with your other devices, apps, and services, so it feels like one integrated experience. experience. In other words, you would arrive at something remarkably familiar, because there's no product in the world better designed to be your intelligent personal hub than iPhone."
10:06 am: "It understands your context... the most private details of your daily life. Others see that data as something to collect and store. They move it to their servers and ask you to trust them... but trust only goes so far when your data is no longer yours to control."
10:07 am: "Not even Apple can access what's yours." The Ternus era is starting with an aggressive push on privacy versus what other companies are offering.
10:07 am: "We're going to take these experiences even further with the next generation of iPhone." Starting with a shot of the moon, taken on the iPhone 17 Pro.
10:08 am: It starts with the A20 Pro, with "the longest battery life in iPhone history." "This is what happens when you go to the moon, come back and ask what's next."
It's the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. We're starting with the Pro, not the regular iPhone.
10:09 am: Comes in a deep black, a refined silver, a new "Glacier" blue, and burgandy, a "sophisticated and unique new color."
10:09 am: Apple is starting off with Apple Intelligence, pushing Apple's on-device models and Private Cloud Compute.
10:10 am: Quickly moving on to the new version of Siri. "Siri finds your personal context across apps, like Mail and Messages."
10:10 am: "Siri can take actions in your apps, including third-party apps."
10:11 am: "Have rich conversations with Siri by using voice or typing across your iPhone, or in the all-new Siri app that's right on your home screen."
10:11 am: "Siri is built right into the camera app on your iPhone, so you can ask questions and take actions, like adding multiple events to your calendar all in one go."
10:12 am: "Siri AI sounds incredible. That's because iPhone 18 Pro takes advantage of our most advanced on-device model ever, which powers expressive voices. You can pick from multiple options, then customize the pace and expressivity."
10:12 am: The new model improves on-device dictation as well.
10:14 am: "Some features will have usage limits because they rely on powerful server models. Increased access will be available with most iCloud Plus plans."
10:14 am: Now we're going deeper into the Apple Silicon in the new iPhone 18 Pro.
10:15 am: The A20 Pro is "an exceptional chip that sets a new bar for mobile computing. A brand new architecture built on 2nm technology."
10:15 am: 6-core CPU, 2 new super cores that are up to 20% faster, and 4 new efficiency cores. The super cores are "desktop class" and "the fastest in any smartphone."
10:16 am: New GPU has 7-core design with up to 40% faster graphics performance, with increased bandwidth and new neural accelerators with 2x faster 8FP math. Helps with running 3rd-party LLMs on device. The Neural Engine has been advancing year after year, with a second neural engine being added for a total of 32 cores. " A20 Pro is the ultimate chip for running advanced on-device models... this is the widest memory interface we've ever shipped in an iPhone."
10:17 am: The silicon packaging has been redesigned, with "custom packaging inspired by our M-series chips" connecting silicon and the memory directly to the vapor chamber for improved thermal performance.
10:17 am: "Effective thermal management is critical because efficient heat dissipation is what enables the maximum performance from this incredible chip."
10:18 am: "iPhone 18 Pro has a next-generation vapor chamber that helps the system manage even more heat. It has three times the surface area as the one in iPhone 17 Pro. Deionized water is constantly cycled throughout the system for significantly improved boroughs."
10:18 am: "These are giant leaps in sustained performance."
10:20 am: iPhone 18 Pro takes another massive leap enabled by A20 Pro silicon efficiencies, despite the 18 Pro's smaller size, it delivers the same battery life as iPhone 18 Pro Max. iPhone 18 Pro Max has the largest increase in battery life ever on an iPhone. 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro, with 45 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. For typical use, 18 Pro gets up to 24 hours per charge and 30 hours per charge on Pro Max. Wired charging is faster, and iPhone can charge 50% in around 15 minutes, and 5 minutes of wired charging provides 6 hours of video playback.
10:21 am: They're showing an impressive gaming demo and then quickly moving on to the camera.
10:21 am: "One of the fundamental pillars of photography is aperture. It controls how much light enters the system and affects every photo and video you take. Being able to change the aperture provides more control for light intake and depth of field."
10:21 am: "iPhone 18 Pro has a new 48 megapixel fusion main camera with variable aperture for creative control that wasn't possible before. This is the most advanced camera we've ever made."
10:22 am: "To create variable aperture, we developed a system of six laser-cut blades, each thinner than a human hair. The blades are made of a specialized polymer composite for the right balance of mass flexibility and durability."
10:22 am: "The aperture adjusts automatically based on the scene. When you're in a darker environment, the aperture opens to let in around 50% more light, like in this portrait with impressive detail and color range."
This helps explains the opening showing all the impressive dynamic range.
10:23 am: Time-lapse now supports 4K resolution in Dolby Vision HDR. "You can now get stunning cinematic mode effects from regular video after you capture, and it now supports 60 frames per second for this half-speed effect." And the new Audio Mix feature now supports music.
10:24 am: New camera feature called "Pro Controls", allowing you to change white balance or view a histogram, manually adjust the aperture and change shutter speed "for truly unique shots that weren't possible before on iPhone."
10:25 am: Pro controls work for both photos and video. "Making iPhone 18 Pro ready for everything from professional film sets to the things you should every day." Smart focus tracking uses on-device AI models to lock onto a subject and maintain detail, even if the subject leaves the screen and then comes back.
10:25 am: Improvements to photographic styles, including adjustments to skin texture.
10:26 am: "Let's talk about image authenticity..." New feature called Apple Reference Image, proving the authenticity of a photo taken on Apple 18 Pro. The main camera signs photo data at a pixel level at the time of capture. Private cloud compute turns the signed data into an unalterable image that lives in the Photos app. "It's like having a digital negative."
10:27 am: The whole event was filmed on iPhone 18 Pro.
10:28 am: "There's an upgraded dynamic island... it can now show three live activities."
10:28 am: They're giving a brief overview of what's coming in iOS 27, most of which we've seen before.
10:29 am: iPhone Handoff launches with T-Mobile and Telecom Germany. Verizon and EE launch by the end of the year, with more carriers to follow.
10:29 am: New accessories including an upgraded clear case, and new colors for the existing Apple iPhone cases and wrist straps.
10:30 am: Starts at $1199 with 256GB, Pro Max starts at $1299. There is a 2TB option now. Apple Upgrade starts at $34.99/month for 24 months (or lower with trade-in). Discounts of up to $1200 off with trade in of iPhone 14 or newer.
10:30 am: Adds AppleCare One Family option. Pre-order September 12, available September 18.
10:31 am: Interestingly, we're moving from the new iPhone Pro to AirPods — normally, headphones would come first.
10:31 am: "This is AirPods 5."
10:32 am: "AirPods 5 feature our beloved open-air fit." AirPods 5 deliver a richer, more detailed sound across a wider range of ear geometries. New active noise cancellation, with 50% more noise reduction than AirPods 4.
10:32 am: "The industry's best ANC in an open-ear design."
10:33 am: "AirPods 5 are a seamless extension of Apple Intelligence on your iPhone."
10:34 am: AirPods 5 has hands-free access to Siri with Hey Siri, as well as Live Translation.
10:34 am: "Together with iPhone, AirPods enable you to leverage the power of intelligence while staying present with those around you."
10:34 am: They're "reengineered to be more durable than ever" and more than 4 hours of listening with ANC and 20 hours total with the charging case.
10:34 am: AirPods 5 are $129, same price as the previous generation without ANC.
10:35 am: There's a second model with "some great additional features" starting with on-stem volume control.
10:35 am: "This version also has longer battery life, up to 5 hours with ANC thanks to a reengineered battery cell" and a wireless charging case with support for Apple Watch and Qi chargers. That's $149. Preorder today and available on September 18.
10:36 am: Now moving to Apple Watch.
10:37 am: "We hear from so many people about the profound impact it's had in helping them take charge of their health, stay active, keep connected to the people who matter most, and in some cases, even help save their lives."
10:37 am: New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.
10:38 am: "This year, Series 12 and Ultra 4 take health and fitness to the next level with our all-new health sensing system."
10:38 am: "It's built on our innovative sensing foundation and improves three core elements. First, within the same small footprint, the electrode surface area is increased for better skin contact during ECG readings. Second, for better optical sensing, redesigned photodiodes are organized in a ring to capture light more efficiently. And third, larger, more power-efficient green LEDs support accurate heart rate measurements all day, even during motion."
10:39 am: It delivers higher frequency, continuous heart rate data, taking heart rate data every 5 seconds, 60x more frequently than before. Heart Rate Variability is sampled as often as every 5 minutes, 24x faster than before.
10:39 am: "We tested Apple Watch's health sensing system in a head-to-head study against other wearables using an ECG chest strap as reference, with hundreds of participants running, cycling, doing HIIT workouts. We are excited to say the results were clear: Apple Watch has the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable."
10:40 am: "Your heart rate reveals invaluable information about your fitness and current physiological state, so we're featuring high-frequency heart rate data in the updated heart rate app and new watch face complications."
10:41 am: "The health sensing system brings a completely new experience to Apple Watch readiness. Whether you're training for a race or juggling a busy week, readiness can tell you when to push and when to hold back. Each morning, Apple Watch analyzes your recent activity, vitals, and sleep to give you one score with a clear call on your body's capacity to take on the day. Recover, pace yourself, ready, go for it."
10:41 am: "This year, the Health app gets a completely new design, turning your metrics into personalized guidance with Apple Intelligence at its core."
10:42 am: "Your health over the long term is also important, so we've developed Health Age, a simple way to discover how key health metrics align with your actual age, informed by the best available science. Metrics from your Apple Watch, like VO2 Max, Sleep, and More, combined with biomarkers from your blood work to give you insight into what habits are having the biggest impact on your health age and how to improve it."
10:42 am: "And to help you build a foundation for a healthier future, there is a new longevity tab, which uses metrics from your iPhone and Apple Watch to assess your overall health across sleep, movement, hurt health, and more."
10:43 am: "You'll be able to unlock deeper insights by integrating recent lab results too. You can add them manually, sync your medical records, or in the U.S. order a full panel from Quest that features over 50 key biomarkers for $119."
10:44 am: There's a new VO2 max test where you set up your phone to watch you perform a series of exercises, getting results immediately in concert with your Apple Watch.
10:44 am: "The new Health App is coming later this year."
10:45 am: The built-in microphones provide "a brand new class of Apple Intelligence features. Introducing audio intelligence. Just as visual intelligence makes sense of what you see, Audio Intelligence makes sense of what you hear."
10:45 am: "It harnesses the power of Apple intelligence right on your wrist in a private and secure way. First, having increased awareness of the world around you is especially important for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. So, we're bringing sound recognition to Apple Watch." Can recognize sounds like alarms, doorbells, a baby crying and more.
10:46 am: Live Rewind feature "that let's you go back in time for 15 seconds." Can transcribe and show things that were just said.
10:46 am: "The next audio intelligence feature will help you remember key moments from daily conversations so you can be more present and engaged, introducing Siri recap."
10:47 am: "It uses ambient listening to take high-level notes of your conversations, like takeaways from a team meeting or a parent-teacher conference. Conversations will have an Apple Intelligence-generated title, summary, and key points. You can review them in the Siri app. You control if and when Siri recap takes notes.
When you enable it, you can choose always or set up a schedule, such as only at work or never at night. You can also turn on and off at any time, right from Control Center. Privacy is protected at every step. These audio intelligence features do not create or store audio recordings."
10:47 am: It'll be available in beta later this year, starting in English, with more languages to follow.
10:48 am: "Audio intelligence is only possible because of our new S11 chip, which is custom built to power these intelligence features while keeping your data private and secure. These features are enabled by the S11 chips power efficient always-on processor."
10:49 am: "It's not just A watch. It's YOUR watch." Series 12 comes in Space Grey, Black, Light Gold and Dark Bronze.
10:49 am: Aluminum cases now have Ceramic Shield, making screens 60% tougher. Two polished finishes in radiant gold and natural are made with titanium. Series 12 is also available in Ceramic in Pearl White and Night Blue.
10:50 am: Apple Watch Ultra 4 has a larger battery, better power efficiency, Ultra 4 gets 2 days of battery life. WIth full GPS and heart rate workout tracking, you get 18 hours, or 45 hours in max extended workout mode. Black, natural titanium. New band colors and a new titanium Hermes band.
10:51 am: Series 12 starts at $399, Ultra 4 starts at $799. Both preorderable today, available on Sept. 18.
10:51 am: Now running a new ad focused on the health benefits of the Apple Watch.
10:51 am: "The most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable."
10:52 am: "Whenever life throws a punch, Apple Watch Series 12 helps you roll with it and stay closer to every heartbeat."
10:52 am: "Your heart tells the story of your health. And it's a story worth hearing."
10:53 am: "So that's what we have to share about iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods and Apple Watch."
10:53 am: "But actually, there's one more thing."
10:53 am: "A larger display would open up entirely new possibilities."
10:53 am: "You'd still want it to fit in your pocket and the palm of your hand."
10:54 am: "Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together."
10:54 am: "We started with the experience that we wanted for ourselves, a larger display that feels as natural and intuitive as iPad."
10:54 am: "The result is a series of remarkable innovations that we believe will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone. Here it is."
10:55 am: iPhone Duo
10:55 am: "iPhone Duo is unlike any iPhone you've experienced before. It's entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar. The same size as your passport."
10:56 am: "The two sides connect into a continuous frame."
10:56 am: "It's immersive for both landscape and portrait use."
10:56 am: "The transition between open and closed has to be fluid and completely intuitive." The aspect ratio is the same across both displays.
10:56 am: The FaceTime camera is hidden behind the display.
10:57 am: The hinge holds the screen flat when opened. "It precisely controls opening and closing."
10:57 am: When open, it's our thinnest iPhone ever, enabled by an architecture that precisely packages key components into the camera plateau.
10:57 am: Frame is titanium, precision machined and polished to a mirror finish.
10:58 am: Essential controls are moved to the side, "placing controls within easy reach of your thumb."
10:58 am: "This meant adjusting every app's layout and reconsidering iPhone design principles that have existed for years, all to make the software and new hardware work elegantly together. The dock on the home screen is now oriented vertically. The status bar retains all the information you need in a more compact, flexible system that nestles into the corner of iPhone Duo."
10:58 am: "As you move between displays, the software gracefully expands and transitions from the outer to the inner display. Controls remain in a consistent location on the side, while content scales to take advantage of the larger screen."
10:59 am: "The system reacts as you fold iPhone Duo, reorients when you turn it on the side, and transitions to the appropriate display when you flip it over. We designed the hardware and software together to create experiences like this across the system."
11:00 am: 7.6-inch super retina XDR display, 50% larger than iPhone 18 Pro Max, and 80% larger than iPhone 18 Pro.
11:00 am: 5.4" outer display gives you 90% of the screen area of iPhone 18 Pro. Apple Pencil support comes later this year for either display.
11:01 am: Touch ID integrated into the side button.
11:01 am: Can also unlock iPhone Duo using Apple Watch.
11:01 am: Two colors, Star White and Night Sky.
11:01 am: Central structural plane has support ribs for added stiffness, with antenna splits reinforced with high-performance ceramic inserts.
11:02 am: "It feels exceptionally solid every time you use it." Ceramic Shield on the back, Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, and IP68 rated.
11:02 am: Now Craig is up talking about the iOS changes for iPhone Duo.
11:02 am: Lock screen puts more focus on the wallpaper, after moving the buttons to the side.
11:03 am: Can use two apps at once, or launch the same app twice. Swipe up from the bottom to change apps, or pair the apps to get back to them later.
11:03 am: "iPhone Duo is truly the most versatile iPhone ever."
11:04 am: Use it in any orientation. iOS reacts to device angle, leveraging the sensors in each half. Set it on the table and watch on the display without a stand.
11:04 am: Custom tuning algorithms account for the changing distance of the speakers in different poses.
11:04 am: Can use partially folded, sliding content away from the folding area where it can be difficult to tap.
11:05 am: New Standby mode with widgets like music or calendar or weather. iPhone Duo can transform into a delightful bedside clock with a gentle glow.
11:05 am: They're showing certain apps, including Zoom and Slack, redesigned to support Duo.
11:05 am: "We can't wait to see what developers are going to create."
11:06 am: "For iPhone Duo, our goal was to deliver the best possible experience when it comes to the display."
11:06 am: "Drawing on our learnings from iPad and Mac, we developed a custom nano texture finish that significantly reduces glare and reflections."
11:07 am: "The unique texture creates a perceptually flat matte surface that minimizes crazed visibility and also feels premium to touch. We create this by using maskless laser lithography, where every micro lens is written pixel by pixel."
11:07 am: "iPhone Duo uses a novel structural system with a multi-layer lamination design that keeps the display flat and provides durability."
11:07 am: "Viscoelastic adhesives allow these layers to glide relative to one another during folding, like pages in a book, so the panel doesn't distort over time."
11:08 am: "A titanium plate serves as the bottom layer to bring further durability and bringing it all together is the hedge, with over 100 tiny precision components. Carbon fiber support plates create stiff, lightweight platform for the display to rest on."
11:08 am: "The result of all of these innovations is a folding display with superior viewing quality that feels premium and flat, resists wear, and meets the high standards of iPhone."
11:09 am: Up to 35% higher sustained performance than iPhone 17 Pro. Includes C2, a new cellular modem.
11:09 am: "It's optimized to improve everyday user experiences, including using AI algorithms to improve cellular reliability, like reconnecting faster in low coverage areas."
11:10 am: Compared to C1X, C2 is up to 50% faster and adds 5G mmWave support in the US, consuming up to 15% less battery.
11:10 am: eSim only, worldwide. A separate battery on each side.
11:10 am: The two batteries operate as one battery, offering all-day battery life. Up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and 44 hours on the outer display.
11:11 am: iPhone Duo provides up to 24 hours of charge when using both screens equally. Fast charging, up to 50% in around 20 minutes, and up to 5 hours of video playback on the outer display after 5 minutes of charging.
11:11 am: "A key part of what puts iPhone at the center of your personal world is its incredible camera system that captures the moments that matter most. The new Fusion main camera captures incredible details."
11:12 am: Because iPhone Duo can stand on its own, it opens up entirely new creative possibilities by capturing memorable time lapses in 4K Doby Vision HDR.
11:12 am: 48MP fusion ultrawide is the same camera from iPhone 18 Pro.
11:12 am: iPhone Duo supports upgraded photographic styles.
11:13 am: 12MP Center Stage front camera on the outside screen.
11:13 am: Inner display has new FaceTime camera, works when fully open or when propped on a surface. Can dual-capture to capture front and rear camera scenes. Duo FaceTime makes video calls more fun, by letting someone with you join the conversation on the outer display.
11:13 am: Selfies improve because the outer display lets you preview the shot.
11:14 am: The screen can play animations to get your kid's attention to get them looking at the camera.
11:14 am: New Smart Take feature follows the scene and snaps the photo when the crowd is ready. No need to set a timer.
11:14 am: New accessories, including a Duo Folio with an integrated kickstand. iPhone Duo case has two separate parts that wrap around each half.
11:15 am: "The most transformational iPhone experience since the original."
11:15 am: "It's an iPhone like no other iPhone." Starts at $1999, starting at 256GB to 2TB. "We'll have great trade in offers." Preorders begin October 16, available on October 23.
11:16 am: "I hope you're as excited as I am about the all-new iPhone Duo."
11:16 am: "iPhone Duo represents the incredible creativity, ingenuity, and dedication of teams across Apple. It reflects what's possible when we bring our very best work together in service of creating something truly meaningful for our customers."
11:17 am: "These products will help people create, communicate and be more productive and entertained."
11:17 am: "They represent the very best of Apple, the curiosity to imagine what's possible, the care to get every detail right, and the conviction to build products that make a real difference in people's lives. I couldn't be more proud of the teams across Apple who made today possible. So thank you for joining us. Have a great day."
11:17 am: "Shot on iPhone. Edited on Mac."
11:18 am: And after a fast-paced 77 minutes, that's a wrap! Stay tuned for MacRumors.com for more on all of today's announcements.
