With Google’s Pixel 9 event in the rear view mirror, it’s time to look ahead to the industry’s next big showcase. Apple’s iPhone 16 event, arguably the biggest date on the tech world’s fall calendar, will take place on September 9 at 1PM ET.
Apple is using the tagline “It’s Glowtime” on an invite it sent to the media. As usual, the event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s headquarters, Apple Park, in Cupertino, California.
As always, rumors about the iPhone 16 lineup have been flying around in the run up to the event. However, it’s likely to be a more muted year in terms of hardware changes, with Apple perhaps placing more onus on the software side and AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
Apple will certainly upgrade the chipset that the iPhone runs on, in large part because it will want to make sure all of its current smartphones support Apple Intelligence. As things stand, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have enough oomph to do so. Plus, a new chipset is a bare minimum upgrade.
Apple may slightly increase screen sizes this year. The camera array could get a new look on the base iPhone 16, with Apple ditching the square and switching to a vertical orientation. Apple is likely to upgrade the cameras on several models too.
There may be a more significant change on the camera front as Apple is expected to add a capture button that includes zoom gesture controls. The idea is to make it easier to take photos and shoot videos in landscape mode. It’s unclear whether the button will be available on the entire lineup or just the Pro models. However, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are expected to lose the mute switch in favor of the action button that debuted on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
It’s all but certain that iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11 and Apple’s other major operating system updates will go live very soon after the event. However, the much-hyped Apple Intelligence features won’t be available right away. Since those are in the iOS 18.1 beta, most people will have to wait for the public rollout of that version (and equivalent OS versions on other compatible devices) to try out Apple Intelligence. It’s expected that Apple will release iOS 18.1 in October.
Meanwhile, Apple typically debuts new Apple Watch models at its iPhone events. The Apple Watch Series 10 (or Series X, perhaps) is expected to have a new chip that will either make the device more powerful or power efficient. The screen could be much bigger, with reports suggesting that Apple plans to ditch the 41mm variant and introduce a 49mm one. Rumors also suggest Apple is redesigning the band system with new connectors. This could, unfortunately, prevent you from using your existing bands on the Series X.
Word on the street also suggests that we’ll get some updated AirPods at the event. We may see both entry-level and mid-tier versions of the AirPods 4 in a couple of weeks, with only the latter supporting wireless charging for the case.