iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders May Skip Friday for Sept. 12

Apple may break its Friday pre-order tradition by opening iPhone 18 Pro orders on Saturday, Sept. 12, avoiding the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Apple has confirmed a September 9 event at the Steve Jobs Theater, where the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its long-rumored foldable are expected to appear. But the company has not announced pre-order dates, and TechRepublic reports that Pro-model orders could instead open on Saturday, Sept. 12, rather than the Friday immediately after the event. The reported opening time is also unusual: midnight Pacific rather than the typical 5 a.m. Pacific start.

This would not be Apple's first scheduling change of this kind. MacRumors, as cited by The Sunday Guardian, reports the same rationale applies this year: Apple typically opens iPhone pre-orders on the Friday following its September event, but that day would mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. A reported source also told Macworld that pre-orders could begin at midnight Pacific Time instead of the familiar 5 a.m. PT window, though that timing remains unconfirmed.

The scheduling question lands days into a leadership transition. John Ternus officially became Apple CEO on September 1, replacing Tim Cook after 15 years, with Cook moving to executive chairman, The Sunday Guardian reports. In his roughly 150-word first company-wide memo, obtained by 9to5Mac and published by Gadget Review, Ternus wrote: "We have a huge launch next week that's going to be phenomenal." Gadget Review notes the memo contains no strategic manifesto or reorganization promises — a product-first message from the man who ran Apple's hardware engineering division. The September 9 event, promoted under the "Surprise and shine" tagline, will be one of Ternus's first major public moments as chief executive.

The foldable iPhone is the biggest wildcard in this launch plan. TechRepublic reports that while the device — widely rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, with a roughly 5.5-inch outer display and 7.8-inch inner screen — is expected on stage September 9, its preorders could be pushed to later in September, potentially because of production constraints. The Sunday Guardian adds that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reportedly expects a later pre-order window for the foldable because of production challenges. That means buyers watching for Apple's first foldable may face a separate timeline from the Pro models even if both are unveiled together.

Apple has not confirmed iPhone 18 Pro specifications, but The Sunday Guardian collects the leak consensus: an A20 Pro chip built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process, a smaller Dynamic Island, upgraded LTPO+ displays, Apple's C2 modem, an N2 wireless chip, and a variable-aperture main camera on the Pro Max that adjusts how much light reaches the sensor. TechRepublic similarly reports a smaller Dynamic Island, camera upgrades and the A20 Pro chip, with a variable-aperture main camera possible on the Pro Max. Pricing, however, could climb: TechRepublic reports analysts estimate price hikes of $100 to $300 due to memory costs and 2nm fabrication, while The Sunday Guardian cites analysts expecting a $100 to $200 increase, potentially putting the 256GB Pro Max around $1,299.

If the reported schedule holds, MacRumors lists September 18 as the most likely on-sale date, per The Sunday Guardian, after pre-orders begin September 12. The bigger strategic shift is the lineup itself: TechRepublic and The Sunday Guardian both report that the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and a second-generation iPhone Air could be held until spring 2027, leaving September focused on Apple's most expensive models. For now, September 9 is the only confirmed date — everything after remains a reported schedule.