Apple introduced its first foldable iPhone, priced from roughly $2,000, at a September 9 event that marked new CEO John Ternus's debut keynote. The launch also included the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and two new Apple Watch models, arriving a day after Huawei and Xiaomi unveiled their own foldable phones.
Apple priced its first foldable iPhone at roughly $2,000, with higher-storage versions reaching close to $3,000, at a September 9 event held at Apple Park in Cupertino. The device opens from a 5.5-inch cover display into a tablet-sized 7.6 to 7.8-inch screen.
A new CEO's first keynote
The launch marked John Ternus's debut as Apple CEO, a month after he took over from Tim Cook on September 1. Ternus teased the event Wednesday morning with a 14-second video posted to X, his second post on the platform. According to CNBC, his first post, on September 1, read: "hello".
Apple's late entry into foldables
The device represents Apple's first new iPhone form factor since the iPhone X in 2017, arriving nearly a decade after that model dropped the home button. It also lands years behind competitors: Samsung shipped the first Galaxy Fold in 2019, Google released the Pixel Fold in 2023, and Huawei and Xiaomi have iterated on folding designs for years.
Huawei and Xiaomi, Apple's fiercest smartphone rivals in China, announced their own foldables on Tuesday — Xiaomi's passport-sized 18 Fold and Huawei's trifold Mate XT2. Foldables still make up about 2.2% of smartphone shipments this year, according to IDC, and Huawei controls close to 80% of that segment in China.
Cameras, pricing and what's missing
The foldable packs dual 48-megapixel rear cameras and supports the Apple Pencil, a first for the iPhone line, along with a magnetic hinge mechanism. Sales are set to begin in October 2026, though supply is expected to be limited at launch.
Apple did not introduce standard iPhone 18 models alongside the Pro and Pro Max versions, pushing that lineup to 2027. Investors were also watching whether Apple would raise iPhone starting prices after lifting Mac and iPad prices over the summer amid a global computer parts shortage.
Sources: CNBC, Crypto Briefing
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