Apple took advantage of its major fall keynote, held on September 9, 2026, to refresh a large part of its product lineup. The iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: the announcements were numerous. But the star of the evening was undoubtedly the iPhone Duo, the brand's first foldable smartphone, which opens a new chapter for the Californian giant.
For his first major conference as Apple CEO, John Ternus didn't play it safe. The new head of the company unveiled several significant updates to the brand's established products, but most notably, an entirely new device. After watching Samsung, Honor, Google, and Motorola develop the foldable smartphone market for a long time, Apple is finally entering the fray. As is often the case, the company isn't being the first to market: it wants to arrive when it believes it can offer a sufficiently refined experience.
iPhone Duo: Apple finally embraces the foldable smartphone
It was the famous "One more thing" that truly changed the scale of this keynote. The iPhone Duo adopts a book-like form factor: a 5,4-inch exterior screen for everyday use and, when opened, a 7,6-inch interior display that transforms the phone into a small tablet. Apple is banking on a titanium chassis, IP68 certification, and a nano-textured interior screen designed to minimize reflections and make the crease as discreet as possible.
But Apple's main selling point probably lies less in the hardware than in iOS. The system automatically adapts its interface depending on whether the Duo is closed, fully open, partially unfolded, or positioned in tent mode. Two apps can coexist on the screen, and the interfaces rearrange themselves as the phone is opened. Nothing revolutionary for those accustomed to Android foldables, but Apple is clearly aiming to make these uses smoother and more consistent within its own ecosystem.
A spectacular device… at a spectacular price
The Duo retains the A20 Pro chip and two 48-megapixel cameras, while also allowing the external screen to be used as a monitor when taking photos. Touch ID also makes a return in the side button, while Face ID is absent from this model. The smartphone even accepts the Apple Pencil USB-C, a feature that confirms Apple envisions its foldable phone as much as a productivity tool as a simple phone.
This technological showcase comes at a price, however: €2,339 for 256GB, €2,589 for 512GB, €3,089 for 1TB, and up to €3,839 for 2TB. At this price point, the iPhone Duo is clearly not aiming to democratize the foldable smartphone. Apple is positioning it as a flagship product, almost a status symbol, intended for enthusiasts and the wealthiest users. Pre-orders are scheduled to begin on October 16, with sales starting on October 23.
iPhone 18 Pro: Apple wants to attract photographers
More conventional, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max focus their improvements on photography and power. Their 48-megapixel Fusion main sensor now features a variable aperture, with several settings ranging from f/1,48 to f/4. This allows users greater control over light and depth of field. Apple also adds true professional controls, enabling users to adjust shutter speed, white balance, aperture, and even view a histogram directly within the Camera app.
Video capabilities are also improving, notably with the arrival of 4K Dolby Vision time-lapse. Behind these new features lies a now obvious strategy: Apple is no longer simply presenting the iPhone as the best camera you always have in your pocket, but increasingly as a tool capable of replacing some of the equipment used by content creators and certain professionals.
A20 Pro: even more power… and above all, more AI
Under the hood, Apple is introducing its A20 Pro chip, built on a 2-nanometer process. The company is announcing significant gains for the CPU and especially the GPU, along with a substantial increase in memory bandwidth. A much larger vapor chamber is designed to prevent performance drops when the phone heats up during demanding tasks, such as gaming, video editing, or AI processing.
This is precisely one of the major challenges of this generation. Apple wants to run more Apple Intelligence functions directly on the device, without systematically relying on the cloud. The new Siri must also play a much more prominent role in the ecosystem, even interacting with applications. After having long seemed to lag behind the wave of generative AI, Apple is now looking to transform the power of its own chips into a strategic advantage.
AirPods 5: Noise cancellation is becoming more accessible
The AirPods 5 represent a less dramatic but likely more commercially significant evolution. Apple is making active noise cancellation standard on its open-back earbuds, with a claimed improvement over the previous generation. Live translation and Adaptive Audio are also included, while a higher-end version adds features such as wireless charging and volume control directly from the stem.
With a starting price of €149 in France, Apple is gradually narrowing the functional gap between its standard AirPods and AirPods Pro. For users who dislike in-ear headphones but want effective noise cancellation, this generation could be one of the most interesting new products of the conference.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Recovery becomes central
The major evolution of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 focuses on health and fitness. New sensors will allow for more frequent monitoring of heart rate data and heart rate variability. Apple is also introducing "Ready," a recovery score from 0 to 10, calculated based on sleep, vital signs, training load, and recent activity. The watch can then advise the user to slow down or, conversely, push their training further.
This marks a significant shift for Apple, which is now more directly challenging the territory occupied for several years by Garmin, Whoop, and Oura. The Ultra 4 takes this strategy even further, boasting up to 50 hours of battery life under normal use and new Audio Intelligence tools capable of recognizing specific sounds and providing summaries via Siri. The Series 12 starts at €449 and the Ultra 4 at €899.
A keynote that primarily marks a change of cycle
Taken individually, the iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and new Apple Watch are primarily refinements to already highly mature product lines. Better photography, more artificial intelligence, more precise fitness tracking, improved battery life: Apple is consolidating its ecosystem without disrupting its users' habits. The iPhone Duo is different. For the first time in a long time, Apple is introducing a major new hardware feature to its smartphone lineup.
The paradox is that Cupertino invented almost nothing about the concept. Foldable screens, multitasking, tent mode, and the stylus already exist among its competitors. The real question, then, is whether Apple can replicate one of its historical strategies: letting others experiment, then transforming a still-imperfect technology into a desirable product for the general public. At over €2,300 for the entry-level model, the iPhone Duo won't be everyone's foldable phone just yet. But it could very well be the product that definitively brings this category into the mainstream of the ultra-premium market.
