Apple's Foldable iPhone Event Is Today. Here's the UAE Read
Apple's September event happens today, and this is the biggest iPhone launch in years: the first foldable iPhone alongside the usual Pro refresh. Here's what's expected, and what actually matters if you're buying in the UAE rather than the US.
iPhone Ultra: the foldable
The headline product is the iPhone Ultra, Apple's first foldable. Expect a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.8-inch inner display unfolded, a roughly 4:3 aspect ratio closer to an iPad mini than a phone, a minimized crease, a 2nm A20 chip, a dual battery system, and a two-lens rear camera.
Two details stand out for anyone outside the marketing copy:
- Touch ID instead of Face ID. The fold likely doesn't leave room for Apple's Face ID hardware, so the foldable is expected to go back to a Touch ID sensor, probably built into the side button.
- No physical SIM tray. This is the one that actually changes things for UAE buyers, and I'll come back to it below.
Pricing is expected around $2,000 to $2,500 in the US, and there's a real chance the foldable doesn't ship alongside the Pro models today and instead lands a few weeks later.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
The more conventional update: a smaller Dynamic Island, a new Wide camera with variable aperture, the faster A20 Pro chip, an upgraded LTPO+ OLED display, and Apple's own C2 modem paired with an N2 networking chip, its next step toward dropping Qualcomm entirely. A Dark Cherry colorway is expected, and a $100 to $200 price increase over last year is on the table.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 are also expected today, both getting a faster chip and, for the Ultra, a possibly thinner profile.
Standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2, and Watch SE 3 are reportedly being held back for spring 2027, so don't expect a budget option in today's lineup.
The UAE angle: the SIM tray matters here
Apple has sold a SIM-tray-free, eSIM-only iPhone in the US since the iPhone 14. Every international model, including every iPhone sold in the UAE, has kept the physical tray. If the iPhone Ultra drops the SIM tray as a global design choice rather than a US-only variant, that's a genuine change for a market like the UAE, where a huge share of residents are expats who swap SIMs when traveling home, and where dual-SIM travel setups are common.
Etisalat and du both support eSIM, so this isn't a dealbreaker, but it's a real workflow change if you're used to physically swapping a SIM at the airport. Worth checking Apple's UAE product page carefully once the Ultra actually lists, rather than assuming it matches the Pro models' spec sheet.
On price: Apple's UAE pricing typically runs higher than a straight USD-to-AED conversion once VAT and regional markup are factored in, so treat any dirham figure that circulates before the official UAE Apple Store listing goes live as a rough guide, not a quote.
Where to watch
The keynote streams today on Apple's website and YouTube channel. Pre-orders are expected around September 11-12, with UAE availability typically following the US launch by a matter of days rather than weeks for headline products like this one.