4 New Apple Products That Might Be Coming Sooner Than You Think

It's not every year Apple enters a new product category. Most recently, the company dipped its toes into the mixed reality world with Apple Vision Pro in 2023. However, before that, Apple joined the item tracker field with AirTag in 2021, as well as the wireless earbuds market in 2016 with the AirPods.

Apple is typically very careful about entering a new market and creating a whole ecosystem with new products. While one could also mention the HomePod release in 2018, the truth is that none of these devices (besides AirPods) have been life changing like the iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac.

That said, the company might change that in 2026, as it's expected to expand into three different categories with four new products. Apple could unveil its long-rumored smart home hub, a smart doorbell, a foldable iPhone, and its first augmented reality glasses to compete with Meta and several other brands. With over 20 products expected to be released this year, it seems 2026 won't be anything like other years: Apple is going all in with several new products, alongside its ever-growing service offerings, such as the new Apple Creator Studio.

According to rumors, Apple has delayed the introduction of this upcoming smart home hub, which some reports call it the "HomePad." This mix of a HomePod-like speaker with an iPad tablet was expected to be released March last year, but the device has been postponed due to its reliance on the all-new Siri, which was also expected to launch with iOS 18.4, but was delayed.

With its new version, powered by Google's Gemini models, expected to be release this year. More precisely, with iOS 26.4, we could possibly see the launch of the HomePad in the next few weeks. According to DigiTimes, this device will have a 6-inch or 7-inch square display, as well as making use of Apple's A18 chip. 

Powered by Apple Intelligence, it will heavily rely on the company's App Intents API that lets this product control apps and features seamlessly. This device is expected to offer similar functionality to other smart home hubs; so you can easily control other smart devices in your place, play music, ask questions about a recipe, and even call your family and friends on FaceTime. Apple is also rumored to be working on a more premium version, described as a tabletop robot with a mechanic arm, which should be unveiled by 2027 with a premium price.

To follow Apple's smart home hub, Bloomberg also reports Apple is working on a smart doorbell. This device is expected to be one of several smart home products Apple has been planning to launch in the coming years. What would make this device accessory different than the others is that Apple would likely tout a better integration between the smart home hub and the rest of its ecosystem. Besides that, this smart doorbell could have the same technology unveiled by Aqara at CES 2026, which offers the ability to unlock the door without taking the iPhone from the pocket thanks to its ultra-wide band chip inside.

Since Apple uses a proprietary Secure Enclave system when storing sensitive data, this could be one of the main features of this doorbell. Not a lot else is known about this product, and it's still unclear how Apple's new smart home strategy will play out, but this product will likely join the new Apple TV and HomePod releases as well.

Almost seven years since Samsung revealed its first foldable, Apple might finally be ready to unveil its first iteration of a similar foldable device. After years of rumors, the company is expected to enter the foldable category later this year during the iPhone event. Unlike past iPhone events, the company is said to postpone the release of the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 for early 2027 to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable device in September 2026.

Expected to have a 5.3-inch outer display and a 7.7-inch inner screen, Apple will offer a crease-free experience thanks to a new technology supplied by Samsung. With a dual-camera system and one front-facing camera, the company is also expected to bring back Touch ID instead of Face ID recognition.

Other rumors add that the iPhone Fold will reportedly look like two iPhone Airs glued together, but it's unclear if this device will be able to create an all-new category of Apple devices, or if it could end up cannibalizing the iPhone 18 Pro devices. The issue, per the rumors, is that Apple is going to charge more for the iPhone Fold, but it won't have all the best features like the iPhone 18 Pro devices.

Rumors have suggested that Apple's mixed reality efforts where just an important step towards its ultimate goal of introducing AR glasses. Expected to be Tim Cook's greatest legacy, it seems the company has changed what it wants this device to be in the first generation in an effort to better compete with Meta Ray-Bans.

According to Bloomberg, Apple's first-generation AR glasses will be similar to what other companies offer. The glasses are expected to have speakers for music playback (Apple will probably tout Spatial Audio in some capacity), cameras for capturing images, and voice control with the all new Siri. However, in-lens displays for true AR content are not expected for the first generation.

While Apple might be planning to add some health sensors to this device, it's unclear what the company will be able to unveil. At CES 2026, smart glasses company L'Atitude unveiled a prototype of runner glasses with built-in health sensors that sit on the nose. Apple could follow a similar path, or combine the sensors already present on the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3. Even though we still need to learn more about these glasses, Apple might reveal them later this year, but only start selling them by 2027.