iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders are shifting to Saturday, September 12, a day later than Apple’s usual Friday window, and the reason stretches back 25 years to the September 11 attacks.
What changes for iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders
Apple confirmed its September event for Wednesday, September 9, where the iPhone 18 Pro models, its first foldable iPhone and the Apple Watch Series 12 are expected to debut. But a report from MacRumors says pre-orders will not open on the usual Friday after the event. Instead, they reportedly begin Saturday, September 12.
The time shifts too. Pre-orders usually open at 5 a.m. Pacific, but the source says the window will instead start at midnight Pacific on Saturday.
Why the move to Saturday
This year, September 11 falls on the Friday right after the event, and it marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a day of remembrance and mourning in the United States. Apple has done this before: in 2015, when the pre-order Friday also landed on September 11, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were pushed to Saturday, September 12.
What time pre-orders open in Manila
The shift from 5 a.m. to midnight Pacific changes the math for Filipino buyers as well. Here is how the reported window maps to Philippine time:
| Pre-order window (Pacific) | Manila (PHT) | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight PT (new) | 3:00 p.m. | Saturday, Sept 12 |
| 5 a.m. PT (usual) | 8:00 p.m. | Saturday, Sept 12 |
Midnight Pacific on Saturday equals 3 p.m. Saturday in Manila, so expect pre-orders to open in the afternoon rather than late evening. Note that the midnight timing is still a reported detail, not an official Apple confirmation.
What else is coming at the event
Beyond the iPhone 18 Pro, the September 9 event is expected to bring the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with an always-on heart tracker. The foldable iPhone Ultra may follow later, with pre-orders possibly not opening until late September, echoing the delayed launches of the iPhone X in 2017 and the iPhone 12 Mini and Pro Max in 2020. We already broke down what to expect from Apple’s September 9 event.
