On September 9, Apple is scheduled to hold its most anticipated hardware-centric event of the year. During the “Surprise and shine” keynote, Apple CEO John Ternus is expected to announce the all-new iPhone Ultra, alongside iPhone 18 Pro models, fresh Apple Watches, enhanced AirPods, and an overhauled smart home line.
While many of these devices will pack new hardware with a lot of hype behind it, it may be wise to skip buying your annual Apple upgrade this fall. Not only will iPhones be more expensive than ever, but many of the upgrades we’re expecting might not be worthy of an upgrade at all.
Insufficiently Ultra
Perhaps the event’s most exciting announcement will be the iPhone Ultra. The first-generation product will mark Apple’s entry into the foldable market, rivaling Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the like. It’ll probably offer some neat benefits, like a more powerful iOS multitasking system and the ability to seamlessly switch between the small and large screen form factors. Essentially, it’s a hybrid device that blends an iPhone with an iPad mini. It all sounds great until you take a closer look at the full package.
Ice Universe
Despite its rumored Ultra branding, the foldable will sacrifice several iPhone features available on cheaper models. Most notably, it’ll downgrade biometric authentication from Face ID to Touch ID and exclude the telephoto camera that enables a longer zoom range. It may also come in just two lifeless colorways.
Taking its high cost into consideration, it’s hard to justify buying the iPhone Ultra. It’s usually advisable to steer clear of first-gen devices, especially when they cost $2,000-2,500 and aren’t as capable as the rest of the lineup. I’d recommend waiting for its successor, which will almost surely address some of the original iPhone Ultra’s shortcomings and potentially be more durable. Until then, using an iPhone and iPad separately provides a wider feature set and a longer combined battery life.
Familiar Pro-file
With the iPhone Ultra out of the way, you may be eyeing an iPhone 18 Pro instead. After all, the Pro models are the most advanced and reliable of their kind, offering Apple’s latest innovations in the mobile department. Nevertheless, you’ll want to skip that, too.
Foundry
The iPhone 18 Pro will likely introduce three core changes: a faster A20 Pro processor, a smaller Dynamic Island cutout, and new finishes. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could solely get a variable aperture lens that helps elevate photography. While welcome, these upgrades will come at a cost, as the devices will reportedly see a $100-300 price hike. For most users, it’s wiser to buy a more fairly priced iPhone 17 Pro or wait for next year’s iPhone XX, which should be a dramatic overhaul that arguably warrants the upcharge.
Watch from afar
Beyond the new iPhones, the company is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 during its upcoming event. The smartwatches could feature the first performance boost in three years and an all-day heart rate monitor. There have also been some rumors about ceramic editions of the Series variants and an updated fitness tracking system.
But here’s the thing—all models from the Apple Watch Series 9 already support all of watchOS 27’s announced features, including Siri AI. They also continuously record your heart rate while you exercise and, otherwise, periodically do so throughout the day. That’s enough relevant data collection to give users a solid idea of their overall cardiovascular state. As for the refreshed fitness system, that will presumably be a watchOS 27 software perk that expands to all compatible models—not just the latest ones.
As such, if you use an Apple Watch Series 9 or newer, it’s best to skip upgrading this year and wait for the noticeably redesigned model rumored to launch as soon as next year.
Sound decision
Other mobile accessories I expect to see at the event are two AirPods 5 variants. Like the AirPods 4, the latest-generation wearable will provide optional active noise cancellation (ANC) for those willing to pay a bit more. Given that Apple typically offers its best audio technology in the AirPods Pro line, it’s unlikely that the AirPods 5 will introduce any meaningful features unavailable on AirPods Pro 3. The refresh could be largely iterative, focusing on connectivity improvements and battery life. For something more exciting, I advise waiting for the camera-equipped AirPods rumored to debut in 2027, as they’ll enable major new capabilities.
Foundry
Smart spending
Apart from mobile devices, the “Surprise and shine” event will possibly feature Apple’s biggest smart home push to date. The Apple TV 4K and HomePod could leverage faster chips to unlock Siri AI. But let’s face it—your current smart speakers and set-top boxes can play music and movies just fine. While Siri AI is nice to have, it’s not an essential feature for media streaming devices.
Foundry
More importantly, Apple could reveal its first-ever dedicated smart home hub, which some are calling the HomePad. The new device will use a new OS with a new interface, letting you easily view your smart home’s state and control HomeKit and Matter accessories. It’ll likely also support FaceTime calls, viewing News+ recipes, and other existing Apple services. Despite that, I still fail to see its unique selling point. The Apple TV 4K and HomePod already act as HomeKit hubs to power automations, remote control, and more.
iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and even watchOS all support interacting with smart accessories using the built-in Home app. Unless its exclusive use cases haven’t leaked yet, I see little reason why one would add a HomePad to their setup.
