Apple's first ever foldable iPhone is about to be real, and the invite already gave the game away

Apple didn't even try to hide it this time. The invite for its 9 September event dropped with a fold line practically drawn across the graphic, and tech reporters clocked it within minutes.

The event is called "Surprise and Shine," which is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a company that usually plays things close to the chest. It's happening at Apple Park, and it's shaping up to be the biggest iPhone reveal in years.

On the list: the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, both expected to run Apple's new A20 Pro chip built on a 2nm process. But the real story is the foldable, widely tipped to be called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra. Leaks point to a book style design, a roughly 7.7 to 7.8 inch inner screen, a smaller outer display, Touch ID instead of Face ID, and a crease Apple has reportedly gone to serious lengths to hide. Every other foldable on the market has that visible line down the middle. Apple's apparently spent years trying not to have one.

None of this is officially confirmed, but the price chatter has been consistent for well over a year: north of $2,000 USD to start, with top storage tiers rumoured to creep toward $2,600 to $2,900. That would make it Apple's most expensive phone ever by a wide margin.

There's an extra layer here too. This is the first keynote under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook just over a week before the event. A foldable launch is a big swing for a company that's been criticised for playing it safe on hardware while falling behind on AI. If it lands well, it's a strong opening statement. If it flops, the timing won't be kind.

Apple's watching everyone talk about the crease, the price and the fold before a single device has even been shown on stage. Mark 9 September in the calendar and get ready to find out if the leaks were worth the hype.