Exact date analysts expect Apple's iPhone 18 to be released
WWDC has already shown off iOS 27 ahead of its public rollout, and attention has now turned to the hardware, with hopes riding high for the iPhone 18 Pro and even Apple's first foldable iPhone.
The tech giant has not yet confirmed the date of its next big event. However, analysts at Forbes believe the company’s past behaviour points to one likely window.
Apple tends to be very consistent with its launch events. Since the iPhone 4S, every iPhone keynote has fallen in the first half of September, and since 2012 the date has landed between the 7th and the 14th every year bar 2020.
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The anchor is Labor Day, the US public holiday on the first Monday of September.
Apple favours a Tuesday event and has often held its keynote around eight days after Labor Day, but there are two things it never does. It has never staged the event before Labor Day, and it has never held it the day straight after, since that Monday-to-Tuesday window is when guests, staff and press travel to Cupertino.
This year Labor Day falls on Monday 7 September, exactly as it did in 2015. Back then, Apple held its keynote on Wednesday 9 September, and analysts expect it to do the same again.
Pre-orders would be expected to open on Friday 11 September, before iOS 27 is released publicly on Monday 14 September. That makes September 18 the date currently being tipped for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max release.
There is still a chance Apple could shift the keynote by a week. If that happens, the on-sale date would likely move to Friday, September 25 instead.
However, according to Forbes, the standard iPhone 18 is not expected at this event at all, with reports suggesting it won't arrive until spring 2027. It will also likely launch alongside the iPhone 18e and possibly a second-generation iPhone Air.
What September should bring is the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, plus the potential wildcard of that first folding iPhone, rumoured to carry the name iPhone 18 Ultra.
Though even if the foldable is announced on the day, it may not go on sale straight away. Apple did something similar in 2017, unveiling the iPhone X next to the iPhone 8 but releasing it weeks later, and a brand-new product category could get the same treatment. Two new Apple Watches are tipped to appear as well, so whatever the exact date, Apple looks set for a busy September.