It's not clear when iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone preorders will start - AppleInsider
This year, we're getting our September Apple Event on Wednesday, September 9. In 2015, Apple announced the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on Wednesday, September 9. We won't know officially until Apple announces preorders at the September Apple Event.
Fri Aug 28 2026, 11:19 AM EDT · 2 minute read
Apple will reportedly sidestep a September 11 preorder date by moving sales to Saturday, only to burden buyers with a significantly less convenient start time.
Typically Apple holds its yearly iPhone launch on or around the second Tuesday. This hasn't always been the case; out of the last eight iPhone events, we've had five Tuesdays, two Wednesdays, and one Monday.
And, in 2020, that launch was in October, not September. So it's not a hard and fast rule.
This year, we're getting our September Apple Event on Wednesday, September 9. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and its first foldable phone, the iPhone Ultra.
Historically, Apple almost always opens preorders the following Friday. But there is one exception to that rule: when the following Friday falls on September 11.
In 2015, Apple announced the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on Wednesday, September 9. Preorders subsequently fell on Saturday, September 12.
It looks like Apple is going to repeat that pattern this year. According to Macwelt's sources, Apple plans to follow the this year's iPhone event by opening preorders on Saturday.
There may be one significant change, though. Instead of opening Preorders at 5:00 am PT or 8:00 am ET, the company will allegedly be opening preorders at 12:01 am PT, as it has done for iPhones in the past.
This means that anyone on the east coast will need to preorder at 3:01am ET.
If true, this would be wildly inconvenient to most of the U.S. While one could argue that 5:00 am is not a convenient time to wake up to place a preorder, it's still not unheard of.
Expecting someone in Chicago, for example, to either stay up or set an alarm for 2:00 am seems a bit cruel. Especially considering Apple will be launching the iPhone Ultra, a phone that will most assuredly have very limited supplies to begin with.
AppleInsider has also spoken with sources at a major U.S. carrier who have been told to keep the morning of September 11 open, with time-off requests for that period being denied.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean preorders will begin Friday morning. We were also told that the carrier has been wrong in the past, leaving stores to adjust their plans once Apple announced the concrete date.
We won't know officially until Apple announces preorders at the September Apple Event. You can use our helpful guide for when and where to tune in to see it live.
Amber worked at MacNN and Electronista from 2015 until 2017, reviewing software, apps, games, and tech accessories. In 2019, she signed up with AppleInsider, where she covers all things Apple, with a focus on tech rev...
I'm so ready for it. My iPhone 12 is very ready to retire. But I usually wait until late October or November to buy. No need to participate in the pre-order rat race.
Actually conflicted over getting a Pro, Pro Max or an Ultra though.
Perhaps I should do the 2-year cycle so I can actually use all the different form factors. Spent the last 12 years on 2 iPhones: a 6S Plus and a 12. As I get closer to retirement, feels like I have more time to be a tech fan.
”Expecting someone in Chicago, for example, to either stay up or set an alarm for 2:00 am seems a bit cruel.”
That’s not cruel at all, especially if it’s on a Friday night. I’d much rather go (back) to sleep just after 2AM, instead of getting up early for a 7AM pre-order time. With the most common bar closing time of 2:00AM, it also has the advantage of using the bartender’s last call as your reminder to open the Apple Store app to place a pre-order.
https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/comment/3508021#Comment_3508021
As a person who has a sleep disorder, I'd be real pissed if I had to set an alarm for 3:00am (hello, I am an ET gal) to order a phone and then have to go back to bed because I most definitely would not. I have a pretty standard 9:00-5:00 (or thereabouts) but there are folks that still work on Saturday and are going to wanna buy the phone and then do have to be at work a few hours later.
I will say, I think its … "better" than if they were to force people up at 2:00am on a Friday, but only marginally so.
I torn should I upgrade my 16PM to a 18PM or the ultra ?