According to a new report from Macwelt, pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup could begin on Saturday, September 12, local time.

Apple’s annual iPhone launch event is expected to take place on Wednesday, September 9, or midnight on September 10 in Vietnam. The company is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro models, its first foldable iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

Apple typically opens pre-orders on the Friday immediately following its launch event, with deliveries beginning the next Friday. Following that pattern, this year’s pre-orders would begin on Friday, September 11. However, a source described as reliable says Apple will instead move the date to Saturday, September 12.

The change is believed to be connected to September 11, 2026, which marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Apple has made a similar scheduling change before: in 2015, when the expected pre-order date also fell on September 11, the company moved pre-orders for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to Saturday, September 12.

The time at which orders open could also change. Instead of beginning at the usual 5 a.m. Pacific Time, the source says this year’s pre-orders will open at midnight on Saturday, Pacific Time.

The delayed schedule is expected to apply to the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and other hardware introduced at the event. The foldable iPhone, however, could have a later pre-order date, potentially toward the end of September.

Macwelt previously reported that Apple would launch the iPhone 17e on February 19, but the company did not actually announce it until March 2. As a result, while the September 12 pre-order date is considered highly plausible, the reported midnight opening time still requires further confirmation.

Du Lam