iPhone 18 Pro Release Day: What to Expect on September 18 at Apple Stores and Online

Apple iPhone 18 Pro 2up
Image: Apple

iPhone 18 Pro goes on sale Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions, nine days after Apple announced it. Twenty more countries follow on Friday, September 25.

Release day involves three groups: pre-order customers waiting for deliveries, pre-order customers collecting in store, and walk-in buyers hoping for stock. Here is what Apple has confirmed for each, and what it has not.

Deliveries and in-store pickup on September 18

Pre-orders placed from Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT are the ones in line for September 18 delivery. Apple has not said how deep launch-day supply is, and in previous years delivery estimates for popular configurations have slipped into later weeks as the pre-order window went on.

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If you selected in-store pickup, your order is held at the store you chose. Apple has not published launch-day store hours, so check your local store’s listing on apple.com before you go. Our pre-order preview has more on how the opening window tends to run.

Walk-in stock at Apple Stores

Apple has not said whether stores will have walk-in stock on September 18 or which colors and capacities it will cover. If you did not pre-order, the safest plan is to check the Apple Store app for local availability on the morning of the 18th rather than queueing on the assumption that stock exists.

The four colors, Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy, and the four storage tiers, 256GB through 2TB, are all launch configurations on paper. Apple has not said whether every combination will be in stores at once; our announcement coverage has the full list.

What else arrives the same week

  • iOS 27 releases Monday, September 14, four days before the phone, with Siri AI in beta in English.
  • AirPods 5, at $129 and $149, also reach stores on September 18 in the US and more than 65 countries.
  • Apple’s updated Clear Case, silicone case, FineWoven case and wrist strap are the launch accessories for iPhone 18 Pro.
  • iPhone Duo is not part of this release; the keynote pointed to October, and Apple has not published full details.

Setup notes for release day

In the United States and 11 other eSIM-only markets, including Canada, Japan and Mexico, there is no SIM tray, so have your carrier login ready to transfer your number rather than expecting to move a card across.

Back up your current iPhone before the new one arrives. With 50 percent charge in about 15 minutes on a cable, the phone will not need long on a charger before you can start the transfer. Our keynote live blog has the full run of announcements if you want to catch up first.

After September 18, the next date is September 25, when the second wave of 20 countries gets the phone. Apple has not published the country list for either wave.