iPhone 18 preorders: every date, price and how the rumors held up
iPhone 18 Pro preorders opened Saturday, September 12. Here is every date and price Apple confirmed, and how last week’s rumors compared.
Updated September 12, 2026 · Dates and prices confirmed by Apple
iPhone 18 preorders are open. Apple started taking orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on Saturday, September 12, at 5 a.m. Pacific (8 a.m. Eastern), and the first phones arrive on Friday, September 18. The foldable iPhone Duo follows its own, later timetable.
iPhone 18 preorder dates and prices
| Model | Preorders open | Available | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro | Sat, Sept 12, 5 a.m. PT | Fri, Sept 18 | $1,199 |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | Sat, Sept 12, 5 a.m. PT | Fri, Sept 18 | $1,299 |
| iPhone Duo | Fri, Oct 16, 5 a.m. PT | Fri, Oct 23 | $1,999 |
There is no 128GB tier this year: both Pro models start at 256GB, and only the Pro Max offers 2TB ($2,499). Every storage tier, plus the new Apple Watch prices, is in our Apple September 9 event recap.
How the preorder rumors held up
The day was right; the hour was not. Macworld’s source expected iPhone 18 preorders to open on Saturday, September 12, at midnight Pacific. Apple did pick the Saturday, but opened orders at 5 a.m. Pacific instead.
The foldable came in cheaper than forecast. TrendForce estimated $2,099–$2,299 for a 256GB folding iPhone. The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. The other half of that forecast did hold: top configurations were expected to pass $3,000, and the 2TB Duo costs $3,199 — the most expensive iPhone Apple has sold.
The later order window was real. Reports said the folding model could open for orders after the Pro phones, and it does: Duo preorders start October 16, five weeks after the iPhone 18 Pro.
Order your accessories with the phone
Cases and screen protectors are model-specific, so buy ones listed for the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max by name rather than reusing last year’s. Our iPhone 18 Pro accessories guide covers nine you can buy for delivery on launch day, and the iPhone Duo accessories guide covers the foldable before its October 16 preorders.
If you want a case to arrive the same week as the phone, free same-day and next-day Prime delivery is what makes that work — here is whether Amazon Prime is worth it in 2026.
Tiny Tech Box’s take
Price the configuration you will actually keep. Because the 128GB tier is gone, the $1,199 iPhone 18 Pro already includes 256GB, which makes the entry model more sensible than it looks. The iPhone Duo asks $800 more before you add storage or a case, and it arrives a month later — so if you are choosing between them, you have until October 16 to decide.
News sources
- Apple Newsroom — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
- Apple Newsroom — Get ready to experience iPhone 18 Pro, the new Apple Watch lineup, and AirPods 5
- MacRumors — iPhone 18 Pro: Release Date and Pre-Orders (2026-09-10)
- Macworld / Macwelt · Eugen Wegmann — iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders might start later this year (2026-09-04)
- AppleInsider · William Gallagher — Maxed-out iPhone Ultra likely to break the $3,000 mark (2026-09-03)
Original report, September 5, 2026
This is the rumor report as we published it on September 5, before Apple’s event. It has not been edited. What Apple actually announced is above.
A reported change to the order window and analyst price estimates need to be kept separate from Apple’s announcement.
Pricing / availability rumor · Reporting checked September 5, 2026
Anyone planning an early order may need to watch more than the usual Friday window. Macworld’s September 4 report, adapted from sister publication Macwelt, says a source expects preorders to begin on Saturday, September 12, at midnight Pacific. Apple has not confirmed that schedule in the sources reviewed.
A reported calendar change
The report links the shift to September 11 falling on the Friday after the event. Midnight Pacific would be 3 a.m. Eastern. Macworld also notes reports that the folding model’s order window could come later, so a single launch event may not mean identical availability across the range.
The foldable price estimate
Separately, AppleInsider reports TrendForce’s estimate of $2,099–$2,299 for a folding iPhone with 256GB of storage. The research firm anticipates higher capacities and suggests the most expensive configurations could exceed $3,000. These figures are component-cost-based forecasts, not retail prices supplied by Apple.
Tiny Tech Box’s take
The sensible comparison starts with the configuration you would actually use. An entry price alone leaves out storage upgrades and any accessories you need. For a new folding design, the final repair and coverage options would also be useful information before making a commitment.
Keep the calendar provisional
Use the event to confirm three separate dates: announcement, orders opening, and first deliveries. Do not treat a preorder rumor as a guaranteed alarm time or a price forecast as a published offer. We will need Apple’s regional store pages to settle both, especially if the folding phone follows a different timetable from the Pro models.
