CUPERTINO, California — Apple on Wednesday unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its annual autumn event, featuring the A20 chip, expanded on-device AI features and upgraded camera systems. The company set pre-orders to open Friday.

The A20 processor, built on TSMC's second-generation 2-nanometre process, powers a larger suite of Apple Intelligence tools that run locally on the device. Apple executives emphasised on-device processing for privacy, extending features such as live translation and improved Siri interactions without routing data to servers.

Apple also refreshed its wearables and audio range at the same event. The company introduced a new Apple Watch Series and AirPods Pro update, with the latter adding health-sensing and enhanced noise cancellation. Pricing for the Pro models started at $1,099 for the standard Pro configuration.

The announcement follows leaks reported earlier in the week and Apple's confirmation of the September 9 date. It arrived days after Apple named John Ternus as chief executive, succeeding Tim Cook, making this the first flagship launch under the new leadership. Analysts at Wedbush and Counterpoint Research had forecast strong upgrade demand tied to the AI features.

Apple shares traded near record levels ahead of the event as investors weighed the pace of the company's artificial intelligence rollout against rivals Samsung and Google, both of which showcased on-device AI at IFA in Berlin.