CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

Apple will hold its fall product event at 10am Pacific time on September 9 — 1am on September 10 in Hong Kong — under the tagline "Surprise and Shine." This year's product launch will begin at 10am on September 9 on the US West Coast, or 1am on Thursday, September 10 in Hong Kong. It will be the first keynote led by John Ternus, who becomes Apple's chief executive officer on September 1, 2026, after the board unanimously approved a succession plan that moves Tim Cook into the role of executive chairman. Cook will remain involved in selected aspects of the company, including engagement with policymakers around the world. iPhone 18 Pro series: What we know about the iPhone foldable phone, colours, prices, and more +2

The most closely watched product from Cupertino will be Apple's first foldable phone, expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Apple appears to be skipping the standard model for the first time at launch: multiple reports say there will be no iPhone 18 this year, with Apple instead waiting until spring 2027 to introduce more affordable models. The Pro lineup and foldable phone are expected to use the A20 Pro, Apple's latest chip built on a 2nm process. Supply-chain leak trackers, whose estimates have been broadly consistent across separate reports, put the Pro Max's battery at about 5,391mAh for the China version — a 568mAh, or 12%, increase over the 4,823mAh cell in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple has not confirmed the figure. Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Surprise and Shine' - MacRumors +2

But the foldable's toughest test will not come from the press corps in Cupertino. It will come from Shenzhen. Huawei is scheduled to unveil the Mate XT 2, an upgraded version of its flagship trifold phone, just two days before Apple's event. The launches are taking place as the global smartphone market braces for an estimated 17% decline this year amid surging component costs and a persistent memory shortage. Research firm TrendForce expects Apple to capture about 19.3% of the OLED foldable market in its first year, narrowing Samsung's share to around 30.1% and Huawei's to 29.3%. Apple is therefore entering a category already divided between Chinese brands and Samsung, rather than one it can shape on its own terms. IDC analyst Nabila Popal describes Apple's arrival as a net positive for the category, rather than a guaranteed victory for Apple, saying the company's entry has done more than revive growth in a segment that had been losing momentum. Huawei and Apple bend to a tougher market with foldable phones as memory crunch bites | South China Morning Post +2

That distinction matters because the closest thing to a guaranteed winner from Apple's foldable bet may not be the iPhone itself, but a Hong Kong-listed supplier. Lens Technology, which raised $607 million after pricing its Hong Kong listing at the top of its marketed range in July 2025, is the exclusive supplier of Gen-1 ultra-thin glass for Apple's first foldable iPhone. Citigroup analysts estimated as early as mid-2025 that the foldable could account for about 5% of Lens Technology's revenue in 2026, rising to around 12% by 2027. The investment case is tied to Apple's supply chain and shipment volumes, largely independent of whether Chinese consumers choose Apple's foldable over an equivalent device from Huawei or Honor. The detail has appeared in Hong Kong analyst notes for more than a year, but rarely features in English-language previews focused on specifications and Ternus's debut on stage. Seeking AlphaDBS

A third, quieter thread running through the launch is Apple Intelligence's long-delayed entry into the Chinese mainland market. In July, China's cyberspace regulator published its latest batch of approved generative AI filings, with "Apple Intelligence" formally completing the compliance process under Apple Technology Development (Shanghai) Co. The filing number is Shanghai-AppleZhiNeng-202506160057. Alibaba's Qwen model will be integrated to serve iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS users in the Chinese mainland, with Baidu playing a more limited supporting role. The filing clears a compliance hurdle, not a release date. Official confirmation of when the feature will actually reach users in China is still pending, while Apple's newer and more capable Siri overhaul unveiled at WWDC will initially launch as an English-only beta. Whatever Apple announces on September 9 about availability in China will therefore be a compliance-driven rollout plan, not necessarily a live feature.

Originally published on IBTimes Hong Kong