When Steve Jobs held up the original iPhone in January 2007, he described it as a device that would "change everything." Eighteen years later, Apple is preparing to change the object itself. At its "Surprise and Shine" event — scheduled for 10 a.m.

Pacific Time on its campus in Cupertino, California — the company is widely expected to reveal a smartphone that folds like a passport, expanding from roughly 5.5 inches when closed to 7.8 inches when open, effectively doubling the usable screen in a single motion. The launch carries weight beyond the hardware.

John Ternus, who assumed the chief executive role on 1 September, will take the stage for the first time as Apple's leader, replacing the long-serving Tim Cook. Apple has not introduced a genuinely new iPhone form factor in nearly two decades, which means the foldable device will function simultaneously as a product debut and as an early referendum on Ternus's leadership. Pricing is expected to exceed $2,000 — a premium over rivals already operating in this space, such as Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which retails at $1,899. Samsung and several Chinese manufacturers have offered foldable handsets since the late 2010s, meaning Apple enters a market where consumer expectations have already been shaped by competitors across Asia and North America.

There are notable trade-offs embedded in the design. Because the device is too thin to house the camera array that Face ID requires, Apple is expected to rely on Touch ID instead — a step back in biometric terms for a company that pioneered facial recognition on phones. Prototype testing reportedly began as early as 2021 without any confirmed launch timeline, suggesting the path from experiment to product has been neither quick nor straightforward.