1. iPhone Duo — US$1,999, October 16 pre-order, October 23 ship; Taiwan in the first wave

Apple CEO John Ternus used his first major event as chief executive to signal where the company is headed after officially succeeding Tim Cook in September 2026. Speaking at the annual showcase, he framed the iPhone as the personal computing hub for the AI era and suggested Apple is not rushing to replace it.

For years, smartphone processors have competed through a familiar formula: faster CPUs, stronger graphics, and increasingly smaller process nodes. Apple's newly unveiled A20 Pro suggests that formula is beginning to change.

Apple's expected first foldable iPhone is set to channel a significant share of its component value to South Korean suppliers, with Samsung Display (SDC), LG Innotek, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco), Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix securing positions across displays, cameras, substrates, passive components, and memory.

Huawei's September 7 product launch was more than a Mate XT 2 and Kirin 9050 Pro refresh. HarmonyOS 7 and an upgraded Celia reveal a broader strategy: make the operating system the control layer connecting on-device AI, applications, user data, and multiple devices.