Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in first major iPhone keynote under CEO John Ternus

Apple on Wednesday unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, saying its new premium phones offer an upgraded pro camera system, better battery life and improved performance.

The launch came at Apple’s “Surprise and shine” event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park and marked the first major iPhone unveiling under Chief Executive Officer John Ternus. Ternus took over as CEO on Sept. 1, making the Sept. 9 keynote an early test of how he plans to present Apple’s most important consumer product line.

Alongside the hardware update, Apple used the presentation to spotlight Siri’s new artificial intelligence features and to reinforce its broader message around privacy and security. The Associated Press, in its coverage of the event, noted that those themes were a key part of Apple’s keynote, underscoring the company’s attempt to frame AI as part of its ecosystem while stressing user protections.

That made the event notable beyond the phones themselves. Apple’s annual September iPhone launches typically set the tone for the company’s hardware lineup and broader strategy for the year ahead. With Ternus now leading the company, this year’s presentation offered one of the clearest early signals yet of his priorities: premium hardware upgrades, performance gains and a continued push to tie new software features to Apple’s privacy-focused brand.

Apple announced the leadership transition on April 20, saying longtime CEO Tim Cook would become executive chairman and Ternus would succeed him as CEO effective Sept. 1. In that announcement, Ternus said he was “profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward.” AP described his opening remarks Wednesday as emphasizing a “relentless pursuit of excellence.”

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max follow last year’s introduction of the iPhone 17 Pro lineup and continue Apple’s annual cadence of high-profile flagship phone releases. As with previous September events, the company used the moment not only to refresh its top-end devices but also to signal where it sees the next phase of the iPhone experience — in this case, a mix of camera and performance improvements, longer battery life, and software features that Apple says are increasingly shaped by AI and privacy.