iPhone Ultra Foldable, New Watches And Home Hub Amid CEO Change

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple is preparing for its biggest product announcement of the year, with the company’s annual fall event scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. ET, where tech industry analysts widely expect the company to unveil its long-rumored first foldable iPhone alongside a slate of other new hardware.

The event can be watched live at home through Apple’s official website or the Apple TV app. As of Sunday, Apple had not officially confirmed any specific products it plans to announce during the presentation, a practice consistent with the company’s typical approach ahead of major launches. Even so, technology outlets that closely track the company, including Forbes, MacRumors and 9to5Mac, have compiled detailed predictions based on supply chain sourcing and industry analysis in the weeks leading up to the event.

Wednesday’s presentation marks the first major product event overseen by John Ternus, who officially became Apple’s chief executive on Sept. 1, succeeding longtime CEO Tim Cook. Cook had announced in April that he would be stepping down from the role, setting up Ternus, previously the company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, to take the reins just a week before Apple’s most significant annual showcase.

Front and center among analyst predictions is the iPhone Ultra, which would represent Apple’s first foldable iPhone. According to Macworld, citing a source familiar with Apple’s plans, the device is expected to fold like a book, opening into a landscape view roughly the size of an iPad mini. The report described a smartphone featuring an inner display measuring between 7.7 and 7.8 inches, an outer display between 5.3 and 5.5 inches, and four total cameras.

That same source indicated the device would likely come with several notable compromises compared with Apple’s standard iPhone lineup. According to Macworld’s reporting, the iPhone Ultra is expected to lack Face ID entirely, a limitation tied to the phone using different front-facing camera configurations depending on whether it is folded or unfolded. The device is also expected to omit a telephoto camera, a trade-off attributed to the phone’s especially thin design, and may face limitations with wireless charging, potentially lacking compatibility with Apple’s MagSafe system or standard wireless charging pads altogether.

Beyond the anticipated foldable device, Apple is also expected to unveil a new Home Hub, a smart home device that reportedly resembles an iPad in design. According to early reporting on the product, the Home Hub is rumored to work directly with Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem, allowing it to control compatible lights, thermostats, locks, security camera systems and connected speakers throughout a user’s home, positioning it as Apple’s answer to dedicated smart home hub products already offered by competitors.

Several additional products are expected to round out Wednesday’s announcements, according to compiled predictions from MacRumors and 9to5Mac. These include the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, updated Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earbuds, a refreshed MacBook Ultra alongside updated M6 MacBook Pro and M6 iMac computers, and a new Apple TV 4K streaming device. Taken together, industry trackers have suggested Apple could introduce as many as 15 new products across its fall lineup this year, spanning categories from smartphones and wearables to computers and smart home technology.

Apple has already made one significant hardware announcement ahead of Wednesday’s main event. On Aug. 25, the company unveiled an all-new Mac mini desktop computer, available with either Apple’s M6 or M5 Pro system chips. According to Apple’s official announcement, the redesigned Mac mini delivers faster overall performance, expanded storage options and improved graphics capability compared with its predecessor. The updated computer also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity along with Apple Intelligence features, including the company’s Siri AI assistant. The new Mac mini is available for pre-order now, with units expected to arrive in stores starting Sept. 22.

Wednesday’s event arrives amid broader industry anticipation surrounding Apple’s next moves under its new CEO, following years in which the company faced increasing pressure to demonstrate meaningful innovation in artificial intelligence and emerging device categories relative to rivals including Samsung, Google and various Chinese smartphone manufacturers. The potential debut of Apple’s first foldable device specifically has drawn outsized attention given how long competitors have already operated in that product category, with Samsung having released its original Galaxy Fold device back in 2019.

Given Apple’s consistent practice of withholding official confirmation of new products until the moment of an actual announcement, all currently circulating details regarding the iPhone Ultra, Home Hub and other anticipated devices remain based on analyst projections, supply chain leaks and industry sourcing rather than confirmed information directly from the company. That uncertainty is expected to persist right up until Wednesday’s presentation formally begins, when Apple is anticipated to provide definitive confirmation of its complete fall product lineup, along with specific pricing, availability dates and full technical specifications for each newly announced device.

With significant analyst attention already focused on both the substance of Wednesday’s announcements and the broader symbolism of Ternus’s first major public event as chief executive, Apple’s presentation is positioned to serve as an early indicator of the strategic direction the company plans to pursue under its new leadership, particularly regarding how aggressively it intends to compete in emerging hardware categories like foldable smartphones and integrated smart home devices heading into the final months of 2026 and beyond.