Apple unveils iPhone 18 and first foldable iPhone Duo under new CEO Ternus

Apple's new chief executive, John Ternus, stepped before the company's annual fall product showcase on Wednesday to introduce the iPhone 18 and, for the first time in the company's history, a foldable iPhone. The moment carried weight beyond the usual cadence of new hardware. Ternus had taken the helm just weeks earlier, replacing Tim Cook, and this event would signal how he intended to steer one of the world's most valuable technology companies forward.

The iPhone 18 lineup represents a modest but deliberate price increase across the board. The base model starts at $1,199, up $100 from the iPhone 17 Pro's opening price. The Pro Max variant begins at $1,299, a $100 jump from its predecessor. Apple attributed the increases partly to a global shortage of memory chips. The devices will ship beginning September 12 in four colors: black, silver, glacier blue, and a new shade Ternus described as burgundy—"a sophisticated and unique new color." Inside, the phones run on a new chip called the A20, built with a six-core processor that includes two enhanced cores capable of delivering up to 20 percent faster performance than previous generations. Battery life has stretched to 45 hours of video playback on the Pro Max model, and charging speeds have improved. The camera system now offers what Apple calls cinematic effects, drawn from standard video footage captured on the phone, alongside new manual controls and a feature called smart focus tracking that keeps a single moving subject in sharp focus as it moves across the frame.

The centerpiece of Ternus's presentation, however, was the iPhone Duo—Apple's entry into the foldable phone market. Priced at $1,999 for 256 gigabytes of storage, it will be available for pre-order on October 16 and ship on October 23. The device comes in two colors: star white and night sky. When folded, it approximates the size of a passport. When unfolded, it displays the largest screen Apple has ever put on a phone. The design allows users to split the display and run two separate applications simultaneously, or display two windows of the same website side by side—a feature particularly useful for comparison shopping. Ternus framed the foldable as the product of careful consideration about what users actually wanted from such a device, combined with engineering that he suggested only Apple could execute. "We started with the experience that we wanted for ourselves," he said, "a larger display that feels as natural and intuitive as iPad."

Ternus also emphasized artificial intelligence as a defining feature of the new iPhones. Apple Intelligence, the company's AI system, runs directly on the device whenever possible to preserve user privacy. When additional computing power is required, the system taps private cloud computing resources—infrastructure Apple controls—rather than sending data to external servers. "When greater capability is needed, private cloud compute extends that same level of privacy protection, ensuring that nobody, not even Apple, can access what's yours," Ternus said. "It's personal intelligence that's actually personal." The company also announced new AirPods, the fifth generation, priced at $129 with improved noise cancellation, and a new Apple Watch starting at $399 with additional health sensors designed to deliver more precise heart rate measurements. Both will launch on September 18.

Industry analysts offered measured assessments of the announcements. Gerrit Schneemann, a principal analyst at Counterpoint Research, called the price increases "relatively modest" and suggested they would provide relief to consumers worried about steeper jumps. Dan Ives, a partner at Yorkville Ives & Co., characterized the foldable as potentially "a major hit for Apple" and described the timing as appropriate for Ternus's leadership. Varun Mishra, also at Counterpoint, noted that the foldable would likely appeal to iPhone Pro users seeking an upgrade, early adopters, and consumers who had specifically waited for Apple to enter the foldable market. He flagged one concern: repair costs for foldable devices tend to be substantial, which could drive higher adoption of AppleCare and insurance services.

For Ternus, the event carried particular significance. He inherits a company that has achieved extraordinary scale and profitability under Cook's stewardship—a legacy that sets a formidable standard. Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester, observed that Ternus must extend Cook's track record of execution and monetization while charting his own course. Melissa Otto, head of research at S&P Global Visible Alpha, said the showcase aligned with market expectations and that the foldable phone, priced near Samsung's comparable model at around $2,000, presented a compelling offering. She noted that Apple's emphasis on AI and privacy protections would likely resonate with users. Yet she posed a question that will linger as these devices reach the market: whether these updates are sufficient to convince consumers that upgrading is worth the cost.