Apple announced a foldable phone last night, the one the world has been waiting on for years and yet the product I’m most interested in is a pair of earphones.
That probably says as much about where we are with smartphones as it does about the AirPods 5. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are definitely capable, the iPhone Duo finally gives Apple some teeth in the foldable game, while the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 add some useful hardware improvements. But when I look at each product on their own and what’s offered for the money, the AirPods are where Apple’s September 9 event becomes particularly interesting.
There is one South African detail to get out of the way first. At the time of writing, we could not verify local pricing or release dates for these products. The dollar prices below are Apple’s US prices which tell us how Apple is positioning the range, but they are not rand price estimates as huge chunk of taxes and margins will still be applied.
The AirPods 5 start at $129, with active noise cancellation (ANC) included while the $149 version adds a wireless charging case, volume adjustment by swiping the stem, and longer battery life with both listed for US availability from September 18.
That $20 difference buys features you actually use every day. Adjusting the volume without reaching for your phone is a small convenience until you find yourself doing it repeatedly and an extra hour between charges is similarly easy to appreciate.
Apple rates the standard model for up to four hours with noise cancellation enabled, and the wireless-case version for five. It also claims up to 1.5 times the noise cancellation of the AirPods 4 with ANC. There’s a revised acoustic design, Adaptive Audio that adjusts noise control to your surroundings, and Conversation Awareness, which lowers playback when you speak. Naturally, these will remain Apple’s claims until we’ve tested them.
On paper, that is an impressive amount of functionality for the asking price, particularly if you already use an iPhone. I like the fact that the cheaper model includes noise cancellation, leaving the step up to buy additional convenience.
Live Translation needs a closer look before anyone buys these for that feature alone. Apple requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone and limits support by language and region. Its published language list does not include Afrikaans or Zulu, however I doubt most people buying these will be using it for translation locally.
The iPhone 18 Pro however asks for much deeper pockets, with US pricing starting at $1,199, or $1,299 for the Pro Max.
The main hardware changes include the A20 Pro chip, revised cooling and a 48MP main camera with variable aperture. Variable aperture lets the camera change the opening through which light enters, giving it more control over exposure and how much of a scene stays in focus. Apple also claims up to 45 hours of video playback on the Pro Max, six hours more than the 17 Pro Max under its testing conditions. US preorders open September 12, with availability from September 18.
The camera deserves proper testing, and better battery life is always welcome, but for someone with a recent Pro model, this looks incremental at best. I struggle to see a compelling reason to replace a phone that already takes good photos and comfortably handles the apps you use.
Someone coming from a much older handset could reasonably reach a different conclusion. Several generations of improvements certainly do add up. The mistake is treating that accumulated benefit as evidence that everybody should upgrade annually.
There is also iOS 27, due from September 14 worldwide and Apple’s compatibility list reaches back to the iPhone 11 range and the second-generation iPhone SE. The update includes changes to Siri ( for iPhone 16 Pro and newer), photo editing, accessibility and shared albums, although individual features have their own hardware, language and regional requirements. Installing iOS 27 does not give every supported phone the full set of Apple Intelligence capabilities.
For existing owners, trying the software update first will be the most sensible thing to do to find out what your current phone gains before deciding to upgrade.
The iPhone Duo is a more substantial departure. Its 5.4-inch outer screen opens into a 7.6-inch display, with room to run two apps alongside each other. It has an A20 Pro chip and a 48MP dual-camera system. Reading a document while replying to an email is the sort of use that could make the extra screen worthwhile beyond the initial novelty.
I think it looks very promising and Apple has optimised the experience way beyond anything I’ve seen in the Android space. But at $1,999 for 256GB, I would still wait for the next generation as that is a huge amount of money to spend before we know how Apple’s first foldable holds up over time. I’d want to see how the hinge and inner display age, what repairs cost, and whether the apps I use make proper use of the space. Those are unanswered questions, rather than faults but it’s worth the wait.
A second generation would give Apple time to respond to everyday use and owners’ frustrations andwould also give prospective buyers much better evidence. At roughly two thousand dollars, I’m comfortable being patient.
The watches have a more familiar pitch with the Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 in the US, with 42mm and 46mm sizes and aluminium, titanium and ceramic options. Apple lists US preorders for October 16 and availability from October 23.
Its S11 chip supports new intelligence features, while revised sensors take background heart-rate readings every five seconds. Apple quotes up to 24 hours of normal use and up to 12 hours from a 15-minute fast charge. There’s also a new readiness score and a Health Age feature arriving later in 2026.
The Ultra 4 starts at $799, with a 49mm titanium case. Its battery claim is more persuasive for anyone tired of planning their day around a charger: up to 50 hours of normal use, or 84 hours in Low Power Mode. Those are different usage conditions, so take the larger figure with a pinch of salt. For most people, a Huawei Watch with a week or more of battery life will do just fine.
The Ultra shares the new sensing system and S11 chip and both watches are listed for US availability from September 18. Apple also advertises satellite communication on the Ultra, but South African service availability was not verified for this article.
Some of the more ambitious watch features will require some patience. Live Rewind, which transcribes the preceding 15 seconds, and Siri Recap, which produces conversation notes, are scheduled for beta availability late in 2026. Apple says these are opt-in features so they should not be counted as reasons to upgrade just yet.
The local prices will determine how much of this makes sense here. For now, the AirPods 5 are the announcement I’d most like to get into daily use. If the sound, fit and noise cancellation deliver, and the rand pricing preserves the value suggested by those US prices, they could be a very easy product to recommend. The iPhone Duo may take another year to persuade me.
