Apple is about to hold its biggest event of the year on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The special event will reveal the iPhone 18 Pro (in four new colors , perhaps), the iPhone 18 Pro Max , perhaps with a bigger battery and Apple’s first foldable iPhone. Here’s what to expect when, down to the minute. And there’s a new date and time predicted for that key element: when iPhone pre-orders will begin.

Apple Special Event: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9 (CONFIRMED)

There’s a lot coming up, so I’ll let you know in this post what’s been confirmed already and what’s predicted. I’ll update this article as things change, so please check back.

We know when the keynote is happening, and where, at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, at Apple Park, the company’s headquarters. It’ll start at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. U.K.

What isn’t confirmed is what will be announced, though it’s thought that five products are absolute shoo-ins. These are the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the first foldable iPhone, which could be called the iPhone Ultra ( though I don’t think it will be ). The other two products look certain to be the Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12.

We’ll also learn the pricing for the new iPhones — which may impact whether the iPhone 17 will get pricier , too.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Order Opening Date: 12 midnight Saturday, Sept. 12 (PREDICTED)

This is the surprise change from the regular schedule, but the reason why is clear to see.

Normally, Apple opens pre-orders at 5 a.m. Pacific on the Friday following the special event. But this year, Friday is Sept. 11, and what’s more, the 25 th anniversary of the terrorist atrocity. So, it’s no surprise that Apple looks like it’s showing respect for this by shifting the date of the pre-orders. As Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has pointed out, Apple has made this shift before when the Friday has been on this date.

But there’s another change and that’s to the time of day the pre-order will open.

“The time is also set to change, according to the source: While pre-orders usually begin at 5 am PT, Apple is reportedly opening up pre-sales at midnight PT on Saturday, MacRumors reported, referring to a source quoted by its German sibling publication, MacWelt .

That means pre-orders will open the second the clock chimes midnight as Saturday, Sept. 12 begins in the Pacific time zone. That means 3 a.m. Eastern, 8 a.m. in the U.K.

iPhone 18 Pro On-Sale Date: 8 a.m. Local, Friday, Sept. 18 (PREDICTED)

The new products traditionally go on sale on the Friday in the week following the keynote and there’s no reason to doubt that schedule applies this year.

No need to give the time zones for the on-sale moment as Apple puts the new products on shelves at 8 a.m. wherever you are. You’ll realize that customers in Australia, for instance, can nab a new iPhone 18 Pro way sooner than buyers in California, thanks to the time difference.

Last year, Apple opened its stores early, at 8 a.m., and it’s thought will do the same this year.