What Apple Fans Are Really Hoping to See Before the Year Ends

The same poll, which drew responses from readers across the CNET Group — Mashable, ZDNET, PCMag, CNET, and Lifehacker — indicates near-identical confidence in a black iPhone variant returning to the lineup. These numbers land ahead of Apple's September event, where the iPhone 18 Pro generation will take center stage. For buyers weighing an upgrade cycle, the survey results and supply-chain signals point to a compressed window of decision-making this fall.

iPhone 18 Pro: what the leaks and analyst timelines confirm

AppleInsider reports the September presentation will focus on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max exclusively. Standard iPhone 18 models are expected to be pushed to early 2027, a move that narrows holiday-season availability to the higher-margin SKUs. The external design mirrors the iPhone 17 Pro closely — same general construction, marginally larger camera bump, new colorways including dark cherry. Internal changes are the headline: the A20 Pro chip, which multiple sources describe as delivering substantial generational performance gains. Revised packaging reportedly improves sustained thermal management, reducing thermal throttling during extended workloads — a metric that directly affects real-world benchmark consistency.

The foldable: high expectations, zero confirmation

Despite 68 percent reader confidence, Apple has not officially acknowledged the device, often referred to in leaks as the iPhone Ultra. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, cited by Mashable, has reported on related development, but no specifications, display dimensions, or hinge mechanism details exist in confirmed data. The gap between consumer expectation and corporate disclosure remains wide. Buyers considering a foldable purchase from competing manufacturers should factor in that Apple's entry — if it materializes — will reset price and feature baselines in the segment.

AirPods, M6 silicon, and the touchscreen MacBook question

Reader sentiment skews heavily toward new AirPods: 74 percent expect a launch this year. Reportedly, Apple is developing AirPods with integrated cameras designed to support Siri AI spatial features — not for photography. On the silicon front, 65 percent anticipate an M6 chip, consistent with Apple's prior release cadence. The touchscreen MacBook Pro drew a near-split response: 55 percent yes, 45 percent no. OLED panels and touch input for MacBook Pro have circulated in rumor pipelines for multiple cycles without materializing. Until Apple provides engineering samples or display specifications, the touchscreen remains an unconfirmed variable in the buying calculus.

What to watch

John Ternus assumes the CEO role on September 1. His first product cycle will define the company's hardware trajectory for years. For consumers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: wait for the September keynote before committing to a current-gen iPhone 18 Pro purchase. Benchmark data, thermal performance under sustained load, and confirmed pricing for the foldable (if announced) will determine whether this cycle delivers measurable improvements over the iPhone 17 Pro or merely iterates on existing architecture.