The biggest phone event of the year has arrived. Today (September 9), Apple is holding its ‘Surprise and Shine’ event where — among many other things — we’re expecting to see the foldable iPhone Ultra unveiled.
This phone has been rumored for years, so it’s almost hard to believe that it could finally be launching today, but all signs suggest that it is — and it won’t be alone, as other phones, plus new wearables and AirPods, look set to be unveiled too.
So, below, we’ve detailed how to watch today’s Apple Event, along with all the things we expect to see announced in Cupertino.
How to watch Apple’s iPhone Ultra launch
Today’s major Apple launch is being held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, Cupertino, California. As with all these events, it will also be streamed online, so you don’t have to attend in person to witness it.
It starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST, which is 3am AEST on September 10 for people in Australia. So there’s a good chance you’ll either be at work or asleep while it happens, but you’ll be able to view a recorded version of the video after the live stream has ended, and we’ll also have full coverage of the event here on TechRadar, so you can always just stick with us for our analysis and impressions.
As for how to watch, that’s easy: simply hit play on the video embedded above. Alternatively you can head to YouTube, or Apple’s event page. You’ll also be able to view the livestream on Apple TV.
So, there are lots of ways to watch today’s event, and if you press the ‘Notify me’ button on that video, you’ll also get a reminder when the event is starting.
What to expect at Apple’s iPhone Ultra event
The iPhone Ultra is almost certainly going to be the most eye-catching announcement at Apple’s Surprise and Shine event. This foldable phone will reportedly have a passport-like form factor similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, with a 7.8-inch foldable display and a 5.5-inch cover screen.
But in addition to this, we’re also expecting Apple to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max. These will likely have similar designs to the iPhone 17 Pro series and the same screen sizes, but a powerful new chipset and potentially a variable aperture camera.
And it’s not just phones at this event — we’re also expecting to see the Apple Watch Series 12 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4. The main updates here could be the addition of Touch ID and an upgraded chipset, and the Ultra 4 might also gain new sensors.
The AirPods 5 could also land here, as might Apple’s first smart home display, and we might also see updates to the company’s HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K lines.
Beyond hardware, we also expect all of Apple’s next software versions to launch in finished form at today’s event, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, macOS 27, and tvOS 27, with the headline feature in most of them likely to be Siri’s AI overhaul.
And finally, today’s Surprise and Shine event will be the first public outing for Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, so it will be interesting to see how he comes across.
