‘Surprise and Shine’ — Apple reveals when to tune into its September event and teases what’s coming — here’s what to expect and how we might finally meet a folding iPhone

You can officially mark your calendars for September 9, 2026, as Apple has just made its annual September event official by sending out invitations with the tagline "Surprise and shine," announcing the Special Event.

In true Apple time, the September 9 event kicks off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (3am September 10 AEST) and will be livestreamed at Apple Park, specifically in the Steve Jobs Theater.

We’re fully expecting the Cupertino-based tech giant to stick with a virtual format, though, for the keynote itself, and if you didn’t score an invite, fear not, as it’ll be livestreamed to the world, and our expert team here at TechRadar will be breaking it all down in real time.

“Surprise and shine” doesn’t just stand as the annual event where we expect Apple to unveil its next generation of iPhones, Apple Watches, and a few other devices, but it arrives eight days after John Ternus steps into the role of CEO .

Our bet is that he still kicks off the show with a ‘Good Morning,’ and who knows, Tim Cook might still make an appearance.

Surprise and shine! It’s almost time for the #AppleEvent, on Wednesday, September 9! pic.twitter.com/SLkIcNmLwP August 26, 2026 The rumored hardware list is long for September 9, and all eyes are pointing to Apple entering the folding phone market with what will likely be called the iPhone Ultra.

A device that’s purported to be similar in overall size and shape to the most recent Galaxy Z Fold 8 , and that might make the foldable phone category a bit more mainstream with some Apple touches.

That won’t be the only iPhone, though, as the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected, but don’t hold out hope for a standard iPhone 18 or second-generation iPhone Air.

According to the rumor mill, the focus will be on the Pros, with the follow-up to the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air arriving later.

You can expect a next-gen Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Series 12, and we might see a new HomePod Mini and a long-awaited update to the Apple TV.

What does the ‘Surprise and shine” invite tell us? (Image credit: Apple) After months of rumors, our eyes now turn to examining every part of the invite for 'Surprise and shine." For one, it's on a bright blue background that somewhat resembles the skies over Apple Park, but the center features an Apple logo with colorful flare and blur around it.

There also appears to be a circle flowing from it, which might hint at the venue, the Steve Jobs Theater, the circular Apple Park Ring, or how the new Siri AI ebbs and flows.

Potentially, the middle of the Apple logo shows a vertical line, which could hint at the folding iPhone.

Though your guess is as good as ours at the moment.