Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, XETRA:APC) is preparing for one of its most closely watched product launches in years, with its September 9 event expected to feature the company’s first foldable iPhone alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro range.
The potential launch marks a significant change for Apple, which has so far left the foldable smartphone market to rivals including Samsung and Huawei.
Reports suggest the new device, widely expected to sit at the top of Apple’s range, could carry a price tag of around US$2,000 or more, turning the launch into a test of how far Apple can push consumers toward increasingly expensive premium hardware.
Foldable could open new upgrade cycle
Foldable smartphones still represent only a small part of the global handset market, but Apple’s arrival could give the category fresh momentum.
The company has historically entered emerging hardware categories later than rivals, preferring to refine technology before bringing it to its enormous installed user base.
According to the Financial Times, Apple has been developing foldable technology for years, with analysts expecting the company could rapidly capture a sizeable share of the segment if its first device proves successful.
The launch could also help Apple create a new reason for customers to upgrade at a time when traditional smartphones are becoming harder to differentiate through incremental camera, processor and display improvements.
Apple leans further into premium hardware
The broader iPhone strategy may be just as significant.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max while potentially delaying the standard iPhone 18 until 2027, effectively placing greater emphasis on its most expensive devices during the crucial year-end sales period.
Rising memory and component costs are also putting pressure on smartphone manufacturers as artificial intelligence data centres consume increasing amounts of high-end memory capacity.
That dynamic gives Apple another incentive to prioritise higher-margin devices capable of absorbing increased production costs.
AI remains another major test
Hardware will not be the only focus.
Apple is also continuing its attempt to close the perceived gap with rivals in artificial intelligence after unveiling a new generation of Apple Intelligence and a significantly upgraded Siri at WWDC in June.
The company's latest AI architecture will embed Apple Foundation Models more deeply across the iPhone, Mac and other devices while maintaining its emphasis on privacy.
That makes the coming launch important on two fronts.
Apple needs to show it can still create genuinely new hardware categories while also demonstrating that AI can become a meaningful reason for consumers to buy its next generation of devices.
For investors, the key question may therefore be less about the specifications of the next iPhone and more about whether Apple can use foldables, AI and higher prices to trigger another major upgrade cycle.