The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max go on sale Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions, with 20 more countries following on Friday, September 25. Apple has not published either country list in its press release.
The one-week gap is the detail that matters if your country is not in the first group. Pre-orders open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, and our guide to iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders covers how the process usually runs.
iPhone 18 Pro launch dates: what Apple confirmed
| Milestone | Date | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-orders open | Saturday, September 12, 5 a.m. PT | Apple has not specified which countries |
| iOS 27 release | Monday, September 14 | Free update |
| First availability | Friday, September 18 | More than 65 countries and regions |
| Second wave | Friday, September 25 | 20 more countries |
Both waves are the same phones at the same US prices: $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max, each with 256GB. Local pricing for other countries was not included in Apple’s release.
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What Apple has not said about the second wave
- Which countries are in the first 65 and which are in the 20 that follow.
- Whether pre-orders in second-wave countries open on September 12 or on a later date.
- Whether every model, color and storage tier, including the new 2TB option, ships in the second wave on day one.
- Whether AirPods 5, which also arrive September 18 in the US and more than 65 countries, share the same country list.
- When countries outside both groups will get the phone.
Apple typically publishes country-by-country availability on its regional websites rather than in the launch release, so the answer for your country will most likely appear on Apple’s local online store rather than in a press statement.
What to do if your country is in the second wave
The practical step is to check Apple’s online store for your country on September 12, since that is the only pre-order date Apple has given. If the store does not take orders that day, Apple has not said whether it will open pre-orders before September 25 or sell the phone outright on that date.
Buyers in the 12 countries where the iPhone 18 Pro is eSIM-only, which include Bahrain, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US, should also confirm eSIM support with their carrier before ordering. Apple has not said whether any of those 12 fall into the second wave.
One thing does not wait: iOS 27 arrives on September 14 for compatible iPhones regardless of where the new hardware ships, bringing Siri AI in beta in English first. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish follow in October.
We will update as Apple posts the regional lists. In the meantime, our report on the iPhone 18 Pro announcement has the full specs, and the event time guide is a useful reference for converting the 5 a.m. PT pre-order time to your time zone.
