On September 9, 2026, Apple held a major presentation of its new flagship smartphones, and on September 12 — a Saturday — the company opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, unlike in previous years, when the most in-demand configurations sold out within minutes, the market this time recorded an unusually calm start. According to Apple Insider, as cited by RBC-Ukraine, within the first hour after pre-orders opened in the US, none of the standard iPhone 18 Pro versions showed any shift in the delivery timeline. The official launch of the devices is scheduled for September 18, 2026, and at the time of publication, most configurations remained available for pickup on that same day.
What the First Day of Sales Showed
A detailed breakdown of the configurations confirms the picture of calm demand. The base iPhone 18 Pro had no delays in the overwhelming majority of variants: the only exception was the silver (Silver) model with 512 GB of storage, for which a two- to three-week shipping delay was recorded. Among the higher-end Pro Max line, 1 TB and 2 TB storage options are available without delays in most color choices, with the exception of the 2 TB burgundy (Burgundy) variant. The first shipping deadlines shifted for popular configurations: the 256 GB and 512 GB versions in Burgundy, as well as the 256 GB options in Glacier, Silver, and Black. At present, most of them are expected to be delivered within two to three weeks — a figure that in past cycles was typical for exotic combinations, not for mass-market configurations.
Why Buyers Are Postponing Their Decision
Experts highlight several key factors explaining the audience's restrained behavior. First, a significant share of consumer attention has been captured by the announced foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, whose pre-orders will open as early as October 2026. Many users are consciously delaying their purchase of the classic flagship in order to compare the specifications, price, and form factor of the foldable device. Second, buyers' decisions are influenced by the overall economic pressure: rising prices on electronics due to component shortages and macroeconomic instability make the purchase of a new smartphone a more deliberate step. Third, analysts point to the atypical choice of day for opening pre-orders — Apple did so on a Saturday, which traditionally reduces the initial surge of interest compared to weekdays.
Contradictory Data
Nevertheless, not all analysts are in a hurry to draw conclusions about a "failure" of the lineup. The counterargument is that Apple may have significantly increased the production volumes of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max compared to previous generations. In that case, the absence of delays and the free availability of configurations do not indicate falling demand but are the result of quality logistics and inventory planning. Thus, identical visual indicators — stock availability — can be interpreted in opposite ways: as a sign of sluggish interest or as the outcome of successful production scaling. According to experts, full conclusions about the success of the lineup can only be drawn once the entire sales cycle is complete, not based on the first day of pre-orders.
Context and Outlook
The situation with the iPhone 18 Pro is unfolding against the backdrop of a restructuring of Apple's product strategy. The foldable iPhone Duo, whose arrival is expected in October, becomes the company's first foldable smartphone and potentially changes the entire architecture of the lineup. For the classic Pro models, this means that a segment of the audience that previously upgraded automatically is now considering an alternative. At the same time, the economic climate of 2026 — with rising prices on semiconductors and memory — makes flagship smartphones more expensive, narrowing the pool of impulse buyers. Nevertheless, historically Apple has demonstrated the ability to recover sales volumes within the first two weeks after launch, once the devices become physically available in retail. The final picture of demand for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will become clear no earlier than the end of September — the beginning of October 2026.
