Apple has wrapped up its Surprise and Shine event on September 9, with the biggest announcement being the company’s entry into the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo. Apple also unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Alongside the new iPhones, Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.

The event also marked John Ternus’ first major iPhone launch as Apple’s CEO after taking over from Tim Cook. Ternus described the iPhone as a “personal intelligence hub” as Apple put much of the event’s focus on Apple Intelligence and its new Siri AI.

Here are the biggest announcements from Apple’s Surprise and Shine event.

Apple launches its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo

The biggest announcement of the night was the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable iPhone. It takes a passport-like approach to the form factor, with a 5.4-inch outer display that opens into a 7.6-inch inner screen. Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever when unfolded.

The iPhone Duo comes in star white and night sky, starts at Rs 2,99,900 and will be available from October 23. Pre-orders begin October 16.

The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer Super Retina XDR display and a 7.6-inch inner Super Retina XDR display. The inner screen is 50 per cent larger than that of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both displays support ProMotion, Always-On and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness. A nano-texture finish on the inner display is designed to reduce glare, reflections and the visibility of the crease. 

The inner FaceTime camera sits underneath the display.

The phone uses a Grade 5 titanium construction, Ceramic Shield on the back and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, along with an IP68 rating. Touch ID is built into the side button.

Apple has redesigned iOS 27 for the foldable, with the interface adapting as the phone is opened, closed or held at different angles. Split View allows two apps to run side by side, while users can also save pairs of apps for quick access.

The iPhone Duo uses the A20 Pro chip, a custom vapour chamber and a dual-battery design. 

Apple claims up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and up to 44 hours on the outer display. It can charge to 50 per cent in around 20 minutes.

The phone is eSIM-only worldwide and includes Apple’s C2 modem, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread.

The camera system includes a 48MP Fusion Main camera with integrated 2x telephoto and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera. Smart Take uses on-device AI to automatically capture a photo when the subjects are properly framed. The foldable design also allows users to preview photos on the outer display while using the rear cameras for selfies. Video recording goes up to 4K at 120 frames per second (fps) with Dolby Vision. 

Apple will add support for Apple Pencil with USB-C on both displays later this year.

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max

The iPhone 18 Pro series gets a more substantial camera upgrade this year, along with the new A20 Pro chip, improved thermal management and larger batteries. The biggest camera change is the addition of a variable aperture to the 48MP Fusion Main camera, giving users control over aperture for the first time on an iPhone.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900. Both models will be available from September 18, with pre-orders beginning September 12.

The 48MP Fusion Main camera now has a variable aperture that can automatically adjust according to lighting and depth of field. Users can also manually choose from four aperture settings. Apple has added Pro Controls for adjusting aperture, shutter speed and white balance, along with a histogram for checking exposure. Photographic Styles now include texture and grain controls. Cinematic effects can be applied after recording to videos shot at up to 60 fps. Audio Mix can now isolate music in addition to improving voices.

Apple Reference Image lets users create a signed reference version of a photo to help determine whether the image has been edited.

The Dynamic Island is smaller and can now display three Live Activities at once.

Both the models are powered by the A20 Pro, built on a 2nm process and has a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU and dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says the chip has 50 per cent more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro, while the GPU is up to 40 per cent faster. A redesigned vapour chamber with three times the surface area of the previous generation is designed to improve sustained performance.

The iPhone 18 Pro gets up to 36 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers up to 45 hours. The Pro Max gets a larger battery, and Apple says five minutes of wired charging can provide around seven hours of video playback.

Siri AI is built into iOS 27, with personal context understanding, onscreen awareness and a new Siri mode in the Camera app.

The phones are available in black, silver, glacier and the new burgundy finish.

New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4

Apple’s new Watch lineup gets a bigger health focus this year, with the same S11 chip and Health Sensing System coming to both the Series 12 and Ultra 4. The new system increases the frequency of heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements and adds a new Readiness score. There is also a new Audio Intelligence system that uses Apple Intelligence and built-in microphones to power features such as Live Rewind and Sound Recognition.

The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at Rs 56,900 in India, while the Watch Ultra 4 starts at Rs 1,09,900. Both watches will be available from September 18.

Apple Watch Series 12:

• New S11 chip and Health Sensing System with new optical and electrical heart sensors.
• Heart rate is now measured every five seconds throughout the day.
• HRV measurements are taken up to 24 times more frequently.
• New Readiness score uses recent activity, training load, vitals and sleep to give users a score from zero to 10.
• New daytime vitals view complements overnight measurements.
• Up to 24 hours of everyday battery life.
• Faster charging can provide up to 12 hours of additional battery life from 15 minutes of charging.
• Redesigned pedometer and machine learning improve step tracking.
• Aluminium models get Ceramic Shield 2, while Apple is also introducing ceramic versions of the watch.
• Audio Intelligence features include Sound Recognition, Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Shazam.
• Live Rewind can surface a text snippet of the previous 15 seconds of a conversation, while Siri Recap creates a short summary of conversations.
• Apple says these Audio Intelligence features do not create or store audio recordings.

Apple Watch Ultra 4:

• S11 chip and the new Health Sensing System.
• HRV is measured up to 24 times more frequently.
• New Readiness score combines activity, training load, vitals and sleep data.
• Up to 50 hours of normal battery life and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode.
• Extended Workout mode supports up to 25 hours of GPS and heart-rate tracking.
• Max Extended Workout mode takes this to up to 45 hours.
• New Audio Intelligence features and Siri AI arrive through watchOS 27.
• Available in natural and black titanium.

AirPods 5 bring ANC to Apple’s open-ear design

Apple has also updated its standard AirPods lineup with AirPods 5. The biggest change is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which is now available across both AirPods 5 models. AirPods 5 start at Rs 14,900, while AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case cost Rs 17,900. Both models will be available from September 18.

Apple says AirPods 5 offer up to 50 per cent more noise reduction than AirPods 4 with ANC.

Adaptive Audio automatically switches between ANC and Transparency mode based on the surroundings.

• Conversation Awareness lowers media volume when the user starts speaking.
• Siri AI can be accessed hands-free, including through head gestures.
• Live Translation lets users hear conversations in their preferred language.
• The higher-end AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case add on-stem volume control through a swipe gesture.
• The wireless charging case supports Apple Watch chargers, Qi and USB-C.
• AirPods 5 offer up to four hours of listening with ANC, while the Wireless Charging Case model gets up to five hours on a charge and up to 22 hours with the case.

Other announcements

The event was also heavily focused on Apple’s software and AI push, with iOS 27 and watchOS 27 tying together many of the new hardware features. 

iOS 27: Apple is introducing a redesigned Siri AI with personal context understanding, onscreen awareness and the ability to take actions based on what is displayed on the screen. 

Siri Camera mode: Siri can use the camera to understand what the user is looking at and provide information or take actions.

Apple Intelligence: New features include Spatial Reframing, Extend and an upgraded Clean Up tool, while Image Playground can now create photorealistic imagery.

Notify Me: Safari can monitor webpages for changes such as product restocks or price drops.

watchOS 27: The update brings Siri AI, a new dynamic app grid, new Smart Stack suggestions and additional health and fitness features.

Satellite features: Apple is extending free access to its satellite features for another year for existing iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 users who activated their devices in supported countries before midnight PT on September 9.