The Executive Selection: Apple’s Latest Lineup Brings AI and Foldable Design Into Focus

Apple has unveiled its latest generation of devices, led by the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, alongside its first-ever foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo. The company’s September 9 launch also introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and AirPods 5, while artificial intelligence emerged as a common thread across much of the new hardware and software.

The announcements also mark one of Apple’s most significant pushes into AI-enabled consumer devices yet. The iPhone 18 Pro lineup arrives with the new A20 Pro chip and Siri AI, while the Apple Watch Series 12 introduces AI-powered features designed to analyze health data and even summarize conversations.

Here is a closer look at Apple’s latest launches.

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max

Apple’s new flagship smartphones, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, place particular emphasis on camera technology, performance, battery life and AI.

One of their biggest upgrades is a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture — a first for the iPhone. The system uses six laser-cut blades to move between different apertures, automatically adapting depth of field and lighting while also giving users greater manual control.

A new Pro controls interface allows photographers to adjust settings including aperture, shutter speed and white balance, as well as view a histogram to assess exposure. Apple has also upgraded Photographic Styles with texture and grain controls, while video users can apply Cinematic effects after capturing footage at up to 60 frames per second. Time-lapse videos can now be recorded in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

Another notable camera addition is Apple Reference Image, which is designed to help verify the authenticity of photographs. When Reference mode is used, the camera sensor signs image data at pixel level, with Private Cloud Compute subsequently creating an unalterable reference image. This can be viewed alongside the final photograph to determine whether changes have been made — essentially providing a digital negative of what the camera originally captured. Apple is also adding image metadata and upcoming support for the SynthID standard to help identify AI-generated or edited imagery.

Powering the phones is Apple’s A20 Pro, manufactured using a 2-nanometer process. It includes a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU and a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine with 32 cores in total, which Apple says provides twice the AI processing power of the A19 Pro. The GPU, meanwhile, offers up to 40% greater performance compared with its predecessor, while memory bandwidth has increased by 50%.

Apple has also redesigned the phones’ thermal architecture, connecting the A20 Pro directly to a next-generation vapor chamber with three times the surface area of the previous generation. According to the company, the system enables up to a 40% improvement in sustained performance.

Battery life has received a significant upgrade too. Apple says eSIMonly versions can provide up to 36 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro and 45 hours on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The latter represents what the company describes as the largest increase in battery life in iPhone history. Both phones also support faster charging, with the iPhone 18 Pro capable of reaching 50% charge in around 15 minutes using a wired connection. The devices run iOS 27 and introduce Siri AI, a new version of Apple’s voice assistant that can draw upon personal context from messages, emails, photos and other content. Other iOS 27 features include AI-powered photo tools, web-page monitoring in Safari and iPhone Handoff, which allows supported users to move the same phone number between two iPhones.

Apple said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will open for pre-order in the UAE on September 12 and go on sale on September 18, starting at AED5,099 and AED5,499 respectively.

iPhone Duo

Perhaps the biggest departure from Apple’s traditional iPhone design is the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable smartphone.

The device is approximately the size of a passport when folded and incorporates both an external screen and a 7.6-inch internal display. Apple says the outer screen offers around 90% of the display area of an iPhone 18 Pro, allowing the Duo to function as a conventional smartphone without needing to be unfolded.

When opened, the larger display supports multitasking with two applications running simultaneously. Apple has also redesigned elements of iOS specifically for the dual-screen format, including repositioning buttons and controls, while the device supports Apple Pencil. Rather than Face ID, the iPhone Duo uses a fingerprint sensor incorporated into its side button for authentication. Its enclosure is made from titanium.

The Duo also uses Apple’s new C2 cellular modem, the company’s second-generation in-house modem system. Apple says C2 is 50% faster than its previous modem, uses 15% less energy and incorporates AI algorithms designed to improve cellular reliability, including faster reconnection in areas with weak coverage.

Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, is available in the UAE in four storage configurations: 256GB for AED8,499, 512GB for AED9,349, 1TB for AED11,049, and 2TB for AED13,599. Pre-orders open on October 16, 2026, with general availability starting October 23, 2026.

Apple Watch Series 12

AI also plays a prominent role in the Apple Watch Series 12, particularly through a new feature called Audio Intelligence.

The feature uses the watch’s microphone to help users revisit and summarize conversations. Live Rewind allows users to go back 15 seconds if they miss something that was just said, while Siri Recap uses ambient listening to generate high-level notes from conversations, such as meetings or parent-teacher conferences. These can include AI-generated titles, summaries and key points.

Apple says the system has been designed with privacy in mind and does not store audio recordings or share them with the company. The Audio Intelligence features are expected to arrive in beta later in 2026. Apple is also expanding the Watch’s health capabilities with AI-powered coaching. Each morning, the device will analyze recent activity, vital signs and sleep information to produce a score indicating the user’s capacity for the day.

Apple Watch Series 12 starts at AED1,599 in the UAE, according to Apple’s official UAE store.

Apple Watch Ultra 4

Apple also introduced the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the latest generation of its premium smartwatch designed for outdoor, sports and adventure use. The new model joins the Apple Watch Series 12 in Apple’s updated wearable lineup and continues the Ultra range’s focus on durability, performance and activity tracking. Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at AED3,199, on sale September 18, 2026.

AirPods 5

Rounding out Apple’s latest hardware announcements are the AirPods 5. The fifth-generation AirPods introduce longer battery life and bring active noise cancellation to Apple’s entry-level AirPods range for the first time, expanding a feature previously associated with more expensive models.

AirPods 5 in the UAE start at AED539 for the standard version and AED629 for the version with a Wireless Charging Case.

Taken together, Apple’s September launches span some of its most familiar product categories while also pushing the company into new territory. The iPhone 18 Pro lineup focuses on camera, battery, and AI upgrades; the Apple Watch Series 12 extends AI into health and everyday conversations; and AirPods 5 bring higher-end features further down the range. But the biggest structural change comes with the iPhone Duo, which marks Apple’s long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone category and represents one of the most significant changes to the physical form of the iPhone since its introduction.

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