In the early hours of September 10, 2026, a thread was live-blogging Apple’s new iPhone launch event. Right from the start, word spread that “there’s apparently no plain iPhone 18,” but the conversation quickly drifted away from the new hardware itself and toward comments that “this isn’t as exciting as last time.” Posters said they could barely detect any major leap in camera or audio performance, and reflected on how it’s already been a year since the eSIM-only switch — while opinions on whether a foldable iPhone is even necessary were split, even among people who’d actually used one.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 10, 2026 01:56
Anipan
2AnonymousSep 10, 2026 01:58
There's no plain iPhone 18, right?
12AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:07
Re: #2
Apparently not.
3AnonymousSep 10, 2026 01:59
Let's see just how good Apple can make a foldable look
11AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:06
Guess Apple events just don't get this much attention anymore
18AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:09
Re: #11
Because nothing ever really changes.
13AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:07
This thread's dead as hell
16AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:09
Re: #13
Honestly there's basically nobody excited this time…
Maybe just people who want the foldable.
14AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:08
300,000 yen for a phone — who's actually buying that
19AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:09
They're just gonna drone on about "AI this, AI that," aren't they?
20AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:09
Some video popped up so I put it on as English listening practice without knowing what it was — oh, it's the new iPhone.
That red color looks nice.
23AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:11
Seriously it's just AI and AI and occasionally "cloud," lol (草 = laughing, like "lol")
24AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:11
Been a year already since they announced eSIM-only, huh
25AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:11
Nothing's really evolved.
And Japanese people don't have the money for it anyway.
26AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:12
This has way less hype than a Nintendo Direct.
What happened?
28AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:13
Re: #26
Because it's just confirming what already leaked.
27AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:12
Is switching from iPhone to a Galaxy a good move?
29AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:13
Is that garbage Dynamic Island still not gone yet?
30AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:13
Ooooh, you can put a clock behind a person [in a photo]
Who cares
32AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:14
Well, at this point there's nothing particularly new to say about camera performance or audio quality
33AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:14
It's less an iPhone thing and more that smartphones have hit a structural limit
Ever since Jobs died, humanity's tech has been stuck unable to move forward
36AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:15
Performance gains are fine, just make it cheaper
38AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:15
What phones is everyone using? 📱
https://youtube.com/shorts/ewsq4lTqMBs?si=zNu_T2LIcVR60ENq
I figured only gyaru types (a fashion subculture) or Pro Max users would even bother replying, guess not
39AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:17
What are you even gonna do with an A20 Pro?
Just release the budget version already
41AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:18
As an iPhone XR user, I'll be the one to witness this 😎
42AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:18
What's the point of pushing iPhone performance that far anyway?
43AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:18
Realistically, ever since Jobs put the iPhone together, neither other companies nor Apple itself have made anything but improved iPhones
They're still going on about gaming and stuff — just make something fundamentally new already
46AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:20
Re: #43
Guess it just proves the world can't move forward without a genius who can actually create something from zero
60AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:26
There's no official announcement of an end time, but in past years it usually wraps up in about 1 to 1.5 hours (typically around 3:00–3:30 AM).
68AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:29
Re: #60
Damn that's long lol, what else is even left to talk about
81AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:32
Ah right, it's Apple, so it's not just the iPhone. Not really interested in audio gear though.
83AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:33
Re: #81
There's probably still the watch to come too
The foldable's probably gonna be last
88AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:36
Does it even need to fold in the first place 🤥?
94AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:37
Re: #88
Nope
I had one as a secondary phone before but ended up not using it
95AnonymousSep 10, 2026 02:37
Re: #88
You'd get it if you actually used one
Background and Talking Points
Apple’s keynotes tend, year after year, to have most of their content already revealed by pre-event leaks, so live commentary on the day often has the flavor of “checking the answers” rather than genuine surprise. In this thread too, rather than excitement over new information, comments focused on the lack of meaningful differences from past models and on price. Opinions on the foldable iPhone were split even among people who’d actually used similarly shaped devices — some said “I ended up not using it,” others said “you’d get it if you tried it” — suggesting users’ opinions were already fairly set before the event even began. It’s worth noting that the price figures and adoption numbers mentioned in the thread are based on 5ch users’ personal impressions and hearsay, not on any official Apple announcement or public statistics.
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