Biggest flagship smartphones expected to launch in September

September is shaping up to be a busy month for the smartphone industry, with Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, Honor, Poco and iQOO expected to unveil or launch several high-end devices.

Apple is likely to draw the most attention, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max tipped to debut at a September 9 event. Leaks suggest the phones could feature Apple’s A20 Pro chip built on a 2-nanometre process, 12GB of RAM and a new C2 modem. Apple is also reportedly working to shrink the Dynamic Island and move Face ID components under the display.

The company’s first foldable iPhone is another major talking point. The device is rumoured to feature a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.3-inch outer screen, with Touch ID potentially integrated into the power button instead of Face ID.

Xiaomi is also expected to make a strong push with the Xiaomi 18 Fold and 18 Pro series. The foldable model could feature the company’s XRing O3 chip, a 7.6-inch display, a 200-megapixel camera and a battery exceeding 6,000mAh. The 18 Pro series is tipped to use Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset and upgraded camera hardware.

Huawei could add another foldable to the market with the Mate XT2, reportedly a tri-fold device with a 10.2-inch unfolded display, a new Kirin processor and a battery above 6,000mAh. The Mate 90 series is also expected to bring new Kirin chips, tandem OLED displays and batteries of up to 7,000mAh.

Vivo’s X500 series is expected to focus heavily on photography, with the X500 Pro Max tipped to feature a Zeiss-backed camera system, improved dynamic range and 4K video recording at up to 240 frames per second. Oppo’s Find X10 series could feature dual 200-megapixel cameras and batteries of up to 8,000mAh in some variants.

Honor may unveil the Magic9 series toward the end of the month, reportedly with colour-science technology developed with cinema-camera maker ARRI and a silicon-carbon battery potentially reaching 9,000mAh.

Poco and iQOO are also expected to target performance-focused users. The Poco F9 Pro and F9 Ultra are tipped to include flagship Snapdragon chips, while the F9 Ultra could pack an 8,050mAh battery and 100W charging. iQOO’s 16 series is rumoured to feature a 2K flat display with a 165Hz refresh rate, a next-generation Qualcomm chipset and Bose-tuned audio.