iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-orders open Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 5 a.m. PT, and the phones go on sale Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions. A second wave of 20 more countries follows on Friday, September 25.
Apple confirmed the dates in its press release after today’s “Surprise and shine” event at Apple Park. The Saturday pre-order and Friday-the-following-week launch fit the pattern we outlined in our iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo pre-order expectations piece.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-order time by region
Apple gives a single start time of 5 a.m. Pacific. Here is what that works out to elsewhere on Saturday, September 12.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
| Region | Pre-order start |
|---|---|
| US Pacific | 5 a.m. PT, September 12 |
| US Eastern | 8 a.m. ET, September 12 |
| UK | 1 p.m. BST, September 12 |
| India | 5:30 p.m. IST, September 12 |
| Australia (Sydney) | 10 p.m. AEST, September 12 |
Release date: September 18, then September 25
The first deliveries and in-store availability begin Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions. Apple has not listed every launch country in its press release, but it says 20 more countries join on Friday, September 25.
iOS 27 lands earlier, on Monday, September 14, as a free update. That means existing iPhones get the new software four days before the new hardware ships.
How to get an iPhone 18 Pro on launch day
Launch-day stock has been tight in previous years, so it pays to be ready before 5 a.m. PT on Saturday. A few things to decide in advance:
- Model and size: the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro from $1,199 or the 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max from $1,299.
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or the new 2TB tier. Apple has not yet published prices above 256GB.
- Color: Black, Silver, Glacier or Burgundy.
- Payment: full price or the monthly option at $49.95 (Pro) or $54.12 (Pro Max) for 24 months.
- Connectivity: in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico and eight other markets the phones are eSIM-only, so check your carrier supports eSIM transfer.
Everything Apple announced for the phones, from the A20 Pro chip to the variable aperture camera, is in our iPhone 18 Pro announcement roundup.
The other big phone from today, the foldable iPhone Duo, is on a different schedule. According to the keynote it arrives in October at a starting price of about $2,000, though Apple has not published full details or a pre-order date. Our Apple event live blog has the rest of the day’s announcements.