Key Takeaways
- iPhone 18 Pro runs the 2-nanometre A20 Pro and a vapour chamber three times larger than last year's, delivering up to 40 % more sustained performance than iPhone 17 Pro.
- A real aperture at last. The 48 MP Fusion main camera uses six laser-cut blades, so aperture becomes a physical control rather than a software effect.
- Apple Reference Image signs photo data at the sensor, producing an unalterable digital negative alongside the editable shot.
- Siri AI will not launch in the EU or China. Apple stated this in a footnote and gave no date for Europe.
- Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 read heart rate every five seconds — 60 times more often than before — and add on-device Audio Intelligence.
- iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable: a 7.6-inch inner display, Touch ID in the side button, eSIM only, from €2,299 on 23 October.
Introduction
Apple held its autumn keynote on 9 September 2026, and for once the ending mattered more than the beginning. After the expected iPhone, Watch and AirPods updates came the product the industry has been predicting for years: a foldable iPhone.
Below is what was announced, sorted by what actually changes how you work — including the one line in the small print that matters most if you are based in Europe.
iPhone 18 Pro: performance that lasts
The bottleneck in modern phones is not peak speed. It is heat. Render a video or run a model locally, and the device throttles within minutes.
Apple attacked exactly that. The iPhone 18 Pro carries a vapour chamber with three times the surface area of the iPhone 17 Pro, built from 80 % recycled stainless steel, circulating deionised water and paired with an industry-first nano-twin copper material. The A20 Pro package borrows from the M-series: memory now sits beside the die rather than in its thermal path, connecting the silicon directly to the vapour chamber. The result is up to 40 % more sustained performance than iPhone 17 Pro, and roughly double that of iPhone 16 Pro.
The A20 Pro itself is Apple's first 2-nanometre iPhone chip: a six-core CPU with two new supercores up to 20 % faster, a seven-core GPU up to 40 % faster, a second Neural Engine for 32 cores and double the AI compute, and 50 % more memory bandwidth — the widest memory interface Apple has shipped in an iPhone.
Battery and charging
Video playback reaches 36 hours on iPhone 18 Pro and 45 hours on iPhone 18 Pro Max. More telling: the smaller 18 Pro now matches the battery life of last year's much larger 17 Pro Max.
Apple also introduced a second, more honest figure derived from real usage data — photography, AI, app switching — quoting 24 hours per charge for the 18 Pro and 30 hours for the Pro Max. Wired charging reaches 50 % in about 15 minutes, and five minutes on the cable buys roughly six hours of video.
The camera: a physical aperture in a phone
Every camera has three controls: shutter speed, ISO and aperture. On iPhone, aperture has always been fixed — what the app called aperture was software.
That changes. The 48 MP Fusion main camera uses six laser-cut blades, each thinner than a human hair, made from a polymer composite and driven by a purpose-built rotor. In automatic mode the aperture opens in low light to admit around 50 % more light; f/1.8 is the optimised default. Pro Controls add white balance, a live histogram, four aperture settings and manual shutter speed, for stills and video alike. Photographic Styles gain texture and grain control, Smart Focus Tracking holds a subject that briefly leaves the frame, and cinematic mode can now be applied to ordinary video after capture at 60 fps.
Apple Reference Image: proving a photo is real
Alongside support for the Scene ID standard for labelling AI-generated images, Apple introduced Apple Reference Image. The sensor signs photo data at pixel level at the moment of capture; Private Cloud Compute develops that signed data into an unalterable image viewable in Photos.
This reference photo lives alongside the normal, editable one — a digital negative. If you document damage, construction progress or site conditions for a living, that is a meaningful piece of evidence, and it received far less stage time than it deserved.
Siri AI — and the footnote that excludes Europe
The new Siri draws on personal context across Mail and Messages, can see what is on your screen, and takes action inside more than 300,000 apps, including third-party ones. There is a dedicated Siri app on the Home Screen, with conversations syncing privately over iCloud, and Siri is now built into the Camera app. Elsewhere, Apple Intelligence adds Notify Me in Safari, shortcuts written in plain language, contextual information in the Phone app, and new photo tools including Extend and spatial reframing.
Then came the small print at the bottom of the language slide: "Siri AI will not be available in the EU and China." Apple offered no date for Europe and no reason. Note the distinction — Apple Intelligence supports 16 languages and does reach Europe; Siri AI does not. Anything that depends on it, including Live Rewind and Siri Recap on Apple Watch, is unavailable in the EU too.
iOS 27
iOS 27 makes the Liquid Glass effect customisable, improves search in apps such as Mail, and speeds AirDrop transfers by up to 80 %. Parents get more flexible child safety controls. The most useful change for professionals is iPhone Handoff: a single phone number across two iPhones, instantly active on whichever device you pick up, launching with T-Mobile and Telekom Deutschland, with Verizon and EE to follow. The Dynamic Island is also narrower and now shows three live activities at once.
AirPods 5
The open-fit design stays; the interior is new. A multi-port acoustic architecture and next-generation adaptive EQ are joined by active noise cancellation with 50 % more noise reduction than the previous generation — the best ANC in an open-ear design, according to Apple. Adaptive Audio switches between ANC and transparency on its own. Add live translation, conversation awareness, voice isolation, a custom EQ, camera remote and IP57 protection. Battery life is four hours with ANC and 20 hours with the case; a second model adds swipe volume control on the stem, five hours of playback and a wireless charging case. Prices in Germany are €149 and €169.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
The new health sensing system enlarges the ECG electrode area, arranges photodiodes in a ring and uses larger, more efficient green LEDs. Background heart rate is now sampled every five seconds — 60 times more often than before — and heart rate variability every five minutes, 24 times more often. In Apple's own comparison against other wearables, with an ECG chest strap as reference, Apple Watch measured most accurately.
That data feeds new features: a daily Readiness score, a redesigned Health app that summarises your metrics with Apple Intelligence, Health Age, a Longevity tab measured against clinical guidelines, and a VO2 max test run through the iPhone camera. The new Health app arrives later this year, starting in US English.
Audio Intelligence, powered by the S11 chip and its secure exclave, brings sound recognition for sirens, alarms, doorbells and a crying baby, plus Live Rewind and Siri Recap. Apple is unusually explicit about privacy: no audio is recorded or stored, raw audio is inaccessible even to Apple, speakers are not identified, and transcripts are end-to-end encrypted. Live Rewind and Siri Recap require Siri AI — which means they will not work in the EU.
Series 12 comes in recycled aluminium, titanium and, for the first time, ceramic, with Ceramic Shield 2 making the front glass 60 % tougher, and up to 24 hours of battery. Ultra 4 runs to 50 hours, 84 in low power mode, 18 hours of GPS workout tracking and up to 45 hours in the new Max Extended Workout mode. Prices in Germany start at €449 and €899.
iPhone Duo
Apple's argument against existing foldables is that they feel like two phones glued together, with a screen ratio that suits nothing. Its answer is a consistent aspect ratio across both displays. Closed, iPhone Duo is roughly the size of a passport, with an asymmetric shape and two rounded corners. Open, it reveals a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR display with a nano-texture finish — 50 % larger than iPhone 18 Pro Max and 80 % larger than iPhone 18 Pro. The 5.4-inch outer display offers 90 % of an 18 Pro's screen area. Both reach 3,000 nits with ProMotion up to 120 Hz.
iOS 27 moves the controls to the side of the screen rather than the bottom, freeing vertical space and keeping everything in thumb reach. Split view runs two apps side by side, or two windows of the same app; app pairs reopen together; the device works partly folded, propped up without a stand, or as a bedside clock. Apple Pencil with USB-C works on both displays later this year. Unlocking is by Touch ID in the side button, or via Apple Watch.
The camera system pairs a 48 MP Fusion main camera offering 2x optical quality with the same 48 MP Fusion ultra-wide found in iPhone 18 Pro, plus 4K 120 fps video, a 12 MP Center Stage front camera and a FaceTime camera hidden under the inner display. The form factor unlocks Dual Capture, Duo FaceTime, Duo Preview, KidQ and Smart Take, which fires the shutter automatically once everyone is ready.
Two batteries operate as one, giving up to 31 hours of video on the inner display, 44 hours on the outer, and 24 hours per charge with mixed use; 50 % charges in about 20 minutes. The device is eSIM only worldwide, with no SIM tray anywhere, and carries the new C2 modem: up to 50 % faster uploads than C1X while drawing 15 % less power.
Prices and dates
- iPhone 18 Pro: from €1,449 · iPhone 18 Pro Max: from €1,599
- Apple Watch Series 12: from €449 · Apple Watch Ultra 4: from €899
- AirPods 5: €149, or €169 with wireless charging case
- iPhone Duo: from €2,299 (256 GB) up to €3,799 (2 TB)
iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 can be pre-ordered from 12 September and ship on 18 September. iPhone Duo opens for pre-order on 16 October and arrives on 23 October.
Mentioned Tools & Resources
- Apple — every product announced: apple.com
- iPhone Duo — full specifications: apple.com/iphone-duo
- Apple Intelligence — feature and language availability: apple.com/apple-intelligence
- Apple Watch — Series 12 and Ultra 4 compared: apple.com/watch
- digital4productivity — weekly notes on working digitally: digital4productivity.de
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I buy iPhone 18 Pro and what does it cost?
Pre-orders open on 12 September at 2 p.m. CEST and the phone ships on 18 September. iPhone 18 Pro starts at €1,449 with 256 GB and iPhone 18 Pro Max at €1,599. Both offer a 2 TB option for the first time.
Why is Siri AI not available in the EU?
Apple stated the exclusion in a footnote — "Siri AI will not be available in the EU and China" — without giving a reason or a date for Europe. Apple Intelligence itself does reach Europe and supports 16 languages, including German. Only the new Siri, and the features that depend on it, are missing.
What is Apple Reference Image for?
The camera sensor signs image data at pixel level as the shot is taken, and Private Cloud Compute turns that into an unalterable reference image stored beside the editable photo. It works like a digital negative, which matters if you photograph damage, site conditions or anything else that may later be disputed.
Does iPhone Duo take a physical SIM card?
No. iPhone Duo is eSIM only worldwide and has no SIM tray at all; Apple used the space for battery capacity instead. Check eSIM availability for the countries you travel to before ordering.
How much more accurate is the new Apple Watch heart rate sensor?
Series 12 and Ultra 4 sample background heart rate every five seconds instead of every five minutes, 60 times more often, and heart rate variability every five minutes, 24 times more often. Apple ran a comparison against other wearables using an ECG chest strap as reference and reports the most accurate result. That is a vendor claim; independent testing is still pending.
Can I use Siri Recap to take notes in meetings?
Not in the EU, because Siri Recap requires Siri AI. Technically Apple's implementation is careful — no audio is recorded, speakers are not identified, summaries are end-to-end encrypted. Legally, recording conversations with other people needs their consent, and in a company setting works councils and data protection officers need to be involved before you switch anything on.
Conclusion
This keynote had two faces. One is solid engineering: the A20 Pro and the new cooling system finally turn peak performance into sustained performance, the variable aperture is the first genuine photographic advance on iPhone in years, and Apple Watch now samples densely enough to turn snapshots into trends.
The other is iPhone Duo. Apple arrived late and still reset the category, with a consistent aspect ratio, side-mounted controls and an operating system that folds with the hardware. At €2,299 it is not for everyone, but if you genuinely work while travelling it replaces two devices.
What sours it for European buyers is the footnote. Siri AI is not coming to the EU, and Live Rewind and Siri Recap go with it. You will pay for the same hardware as everyone else and receive less software. Buy these devices for the camera, the battery and the sustained performance — not for the assistant.
