Apple Debuts iPhone 18 Pro Lineup and Teases Foldable Duo Under New CEO John Ternus

New Apple Chief Executive Officer John Ternus led the company's annual hardware launch on Wednesday, introducing the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and teasing a passport-sized foldable smartphone called the iPhone Duo. The keynote marked Ternus's public operational debut following the transition of former chief executive Tim Cook to executive chairman. Facing ongoing global computer memory shortages, Apple announced price increases for its high-end flagship smartphones while emphasizing hardware-level security and local artificial intelligence execution.

The newly introduced iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively, reflecting a $100 price increase across both models, as detailed in live coverage by CNBC Technology. The handsets feature an updated system-on-chip dubbed the A20 Pro, manufactured using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s 2-nanometer process node. The six-core CPU delivers a 20% speed improvement, while the seven-core GPU raises graphics performance by 40%. To navigate global memory constraints, Apple redesigned the SoC architecture to position memory chips adjacent to core logic, yielding a 50% boost in memory bandwidth.

Apple also showcased a preview of the iPhone Duo, marking the company's planned entry into the foldable smartphone segment. Ternus criticized rival foldable hardware as feeling like two separate phones attached together, contrasting them with Apple's dual-screen design. Analysts from IDC and JPMorgan Chase expect commercial foldable iPhones to command retail prices between $1,999 and $2,500 upon release, placing them above the cost of many entry-level laptops. The segment currently represents roughly 2.2% of global smartphone shipments this year, with Huawei holding nearly 80% market share in China.

To address growing concerns over machine-generated content, Apple debuted a hardware-backed verification protocol called Apple Reference Image. Integrated directly into the main camera sensor, the mechanism signs photo data at the pixel level during capture to confirm that pictures originated from physical camera optics rather than generative software. The updated camera module also incorporates six laser-cut mechanical blades, each thinner than a human hair, to create a physical variable aperture system for managing depth of field and focus.

Artificial intelligence features were integrated across Apple's broader hardware portfolio. The Apple Watch Series 12, starting at $399, introduces Audio Intelligence capabilities, enabling a 15-second live rewind feature to revisit recent spoken dialogue along with automated conversation summaries branded as Siri Recap. Additionally, the updated iOS 27 platform includes iPhone Handoff, allowing subscribers to share a single phone number across multiple active iPhones, launching initially with T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom before expanding to Verizon and EE later this year.

Beyond smartphones and core wearables, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 4 at $799 alongside a new ceramic case option, while updating its entry-level AirPods with active noise cancellation priced at $129, or $149 for a wireless charging case variant. On-device software now features an overhauled version of Siri capable of executing multi-step tasks within third-party applications, alongside AI-driven daily readiness scores within the reorganized Health application.

Wall Street reacted cautiously to the pricing adjustments and component supply headwinds, with Apple shares declining for a third consecutive session on Wednesday. While KeyBanc Capital Markets maintained a sell rating citing risks to gross margins and shipment volumes, Apple stock remains up approximately 15% year-to-date, slightly outperforming the broader Nasdaq index. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro line open on Saturday, with retail availability slated for Sept. 18.