Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro series are widely expected to open at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, 12 September, while the foldable model may not arrive until the end of the month or later.
Information has emerged indicating that pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro series are expected to open on Saturday, 12 September. Macwelt says it obtained information from a reliable source indicating a 12 September launch for pre-orders, while a report by journalist Gurman points to the same conclusion. Pre-orders are expected to open at 9:00 a.m. on 12 September CEST, which would be 4:00 p.m. the same day in Japan.
The announcement event is reportedly expected to take place at 2:00 a.m. Japan time on Thursday, 10 September, in line with Apple's “Good morning, world.” However, the view that pre-orders will open on Saturday, 12 September is considered the more likely scenario. Although a Friday, 18 September release is widely expected, there may be a gap between the event date and the start of pre-orders.
The foldable iPhone may be announced at the same time, but reports suggest that pre-orders could be delayed until the end of September because of limited initial inventory and differences in launch timing by region. Friday, 25 September has been suggested as a possible late-September pre-order date, with the release potentially following on Friday, 2 October.
There is also speculation that orders for new products such as the Apple Watch may open after the announcement date. It remains unclear whether the foldable iPhone will launch worldwide simultaneously or first in the United States, and whether its pre-order and release schedule will follow the same timeline as the standard iPhone.