A $2,000 foldable iPhone, a touchscreen MacBook: What the Market Expects from Apple's Presentation

On Wednesday, September 9, Apple’s new CEO, John Turnus, will unveil his first product lineup as head of the company. He hopes to attract customers with something unprecedented in the iPhone’s 20-year history: a foldable smartphone priced above $2,000, according to the Financial Times. The company is preparing to launch the most ambitious series of releases in its history, introducing a wave of new form factors and entirely new product lines in 2026, 2027, and beyond, adds Bloomberg. What does the market expect from the unveiling by the world’s second-most-valuable company?

The highlight of this year’s presentation will be a foldable smartphone that many within Apple refer to as the iPhone Ultra, according to Bloomberg. Analysts estimate that this device will cost $2,000 or more amid a general price increase across the entire smartphone lineup: such a price point could pose a serious test of customer loyalty, the FT notes. However, Apple expects its new product to generate interest in this relatively niche form factor and help the company strengthen its market position, the newspaper reports.

The device will feature a large internal screen, a compact external display, and, when folded, will be about the size of a passport, according to Bloomberg.

Development of the new foldable iPhone model has been underway for at least eight years: the hardware and display development team—which, until this week, was led by Ternus himself—had been experimenting with flexible technologies as early as 2018, the FT reports, citing sources. Foldable devices currently account for about 2% of global smartphone sales, the newspaper reports. However, growth in the segment has slowed significantly since 2019, when Huawei and Samsung released their first such models, the FT notes.

“Demand for the iPhone has plateaued, and they [at Apple] need to focus on new form factors to drive smartphone upgrades... They can’t just stick with the current form factor and hope that people will eventually be willing to pay more,” emphasized Jefferies analyst Edison Lee.

UBS analyst David Vogt said he expects Apple to sell at least 10 million foldable devices in the first year—roughly the same number that Samsung has sold over the past 12 months. However, this volume will account for only a small fraction of the approximately 250 million iPhones the company ships worldwide, but it will be significant enough to raise the average price of the device, the FT notes.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: The flagship smartphones in the Pro lineup will look almost identical to previous models, with the exception of new colors—light blue and dark red—according to Bloomberg. The main innovations will be under the hood: A20 Pro processors, in-house C2 modems, extended battery life, and improved vapor chambers to prevent overheating. The devices will also feature upgraded cameras, including a mechanical aperture for precise adjustment of lighting and depth of field—at least in the Pro Max version, the agency notes.

The company is expected to postpone the release of the base model iPhone 18 until next spring, according to the FT.

The first MacBooks with touchscreens and OLED displays: Apple is preparing the most extensive redesign of the MacBook Pro lineup in five years, according to Bloomberg. The new model will feature a touchscreen OLED display (this technology offers brighter colors and deeper blacks), the Dynamic Island feature familiar from the iPhone, and an interface adapted for touchscreen control. The device will be available in 14- and 16-inch models powered by the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors, which debuted in March.

Apple Watch Series 12: This year, the watch lineup will feature new colors and a ceramic case. New health and fitness features will also be introduced, according to Bloomberg. Among the new features being tested is a continuous heart rate sensor capable of operating throughout the day, regardless of the user’s physical activity.

AirPods 5: The standard earbuds will be updated in two versions: a standard model and a noise-canceling model. They will not feature built-in cameras for AI; a model with that feature is expected to be released next year, according to Bloomberg.

Another brand-new device in Apple’s lineup could be a 7-inch smart home display for controlling home systems and video calls. In addition, Apple is expected to release updates to the Apple TV set-top box and the AI-powered HomePod mini, as well as the iPad mini, which will feature an OLED display for the first time.

In addition, the company will update the iMac and the 14-inch MacBook Pro, both powered by the M6.

Vogt, like many analysts, expects Apple to raise prices across its entire iPhone lineup this week. This decision will likely be watched just as closely as any major new product launch, the FT notes.

"I'm concerned. The last time Apple aggressively raised iPhone prices in Europe after the pandemic, sales dropped almost immediately," the newspaper quotes Vogt as saying.

The publication notes that the best prospects for flexible devices lie in China, where Huawei has achieved some success and where the American tech giant is currently regaining its share of the smartphone market.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor