Kathmandu, September 10
Apple’s annual Apple Event unfolded in California with a series of massive hardware and software updates. Featuring executive presentations and product debuts, the event marked one of the biggest updates to Apple’s ecosystem in years.
If you missed the livestream, here are the seven biggest announcements and takeaways you need to know:
1. The iPhone Duo marks Apple’s entry into foldables
The biggest highlight of the event was Apple’s “One More Thing” announcement: the iPhone Duo. Unfolding like a passport, the device features a 5.4-inch outer cover screen that expands into a 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR display inside.
Apple solved traditional foldable flaws by incorporating multi-layer flexible glass with a custom nano-texture finish to minimize the screen crease, a variable-torque titanium hinge, and an under-display FaceTime camera.
“We started with the experience that we wanted for ourselves — a larger display that feels as natural and intuitive as iPad, then we brought together thoughtful design with breakthrough engineering in a way only Apple can,” said John Ternus, CEO of Apple.
2. Apple Pencil support comes to iPhone for the first time
Alongside the folding screen, Apple confirmed that the iPhone Duo will support the Apple Pencil (USB-C) on both its outer cover screen and large inner display. Users can sketch, annotate PDFs, and take handwritten notes directly on an iPhone display for the first time.
3. iPhone 18 Pro introduces physical variable aperture
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max received major camera upgrades. The new 48MP Fusion main camera includes a custom 6-blade mechanical variable aperture system (f/1.8) that dynamically shifts to allow up to 50% more light into the sensor for low-light shots, deep landscape photos, and portrait mode background blur.
“Being able to change the aperture provides more control for light intake and depth of field, so iPhone 18 Pro has a new 48 megapixel fusion main camera with variable aperture for creative control that wasn’t possible before,” said Ternus.
4. Apple Silicon leaps to 2nm with A20 Pro & dual Neural Engines
At the core of the new iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo is the A20 Pro chip, built on an industry-first 2-nanometer architecture.
- 32-Core Neural Engine: Features dual Neural Engines to deliver twice the AI processing power on-device.
- Next-Gen Thermals: Paired with a redesigned 3x larger vapor chamber to sustain up to 40% higher peak performance during heavy workloads and AAA gaming.
5. Siri gets a deep AI overhaul and a standalone app
Powered by the A20 Pro chip, Siri AI gains context awareness across system and third-party apps. The assistant can now take action across over 300,000 apps—such as pulling recipe details from email threads to update your grocery list—and features a dedicated Siri App on the iOS 27 home screen for tracking past prompt conversations.
“Siri AI can find what you need and get more done than ever… It is personal intelligence that is actually personal,” said Ternus.
6. Active Noise Cancellation becomes standard across AirPods 5
Apple completely refreshed its open-ear audio lineup with the AirPods 5. For the first time, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) comes standard across all models, delivering 50% improved noise reduction in an open-ear design. Apple also introduced stem-swipe volume controls and longer battery life on its step-up wireless charging model.
7. Apple Watch Series 12 introduces “Audio Intelligence” & 5-second heart tracking
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 featured significant health and audio upgrades:
- Continuous Health Sensing: The sensor array takes background heart rate readings every 5 seconds (60 times more frequently) and HRV every 5 minutes.
- Audio Intelligence: Powered by the S11 chip, the watch can now run Live Rewind (replaying and transcribing the last 15 seconds of audio) and Siri Recap for private ambient meeting note summaries.
