It’s a done deal. We finally know the date on which Apple will reveal its newest lineup of iPhones, Apple Watches, and other products after months and months of anticipation. For its most recent event, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Apple sent out press invitations on August 29. The top of the event invitation features the Apple logo stylised with what appear to be sand grains in shades of gray, blue, and silvery-white. This is very probably a reference to the iPhone 15 Pro, which is rumored to be released this year in the hues black, silver, gray, and dark blue. “Wonderlust” is written in lettering with a similar color scheme below the Apple logo.
The iPhone 15 lineup will undoubtedly be the highlight of this most recent Apple presentation, according to our predictions. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro are slated to be this year’s iPhone models. We also anticipate the iPhone 15 Pro Max, albeit it may go by the name iPhone 15 Ultra. This year’s major updates are probably going to be USB-C connectors for all four phones, a new Action button to replace the mute switch, and the inclusion of the Dynamic Island in all four models.
We’re anticipating more than just iPhones, though. The Apple Watch Series 9 should be unveiled during this event on September 12 along with the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
In 2017, just in time for the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, Apple revealed the iPhone X alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. While the iPhone 8 series retained the Home button, the iPhone X was the first iPhone to get rid of the classic button altogether and introduce Face ID to replace Touch ID.
But along with it came the notch at the top of the display, which housed the selfie camera and Face ID sensor. My initial thought upon seeing the notch for the first time was, “Wow, that’s ugly.” I didn’t even buy the iPhone X at the time, instead opting for the iPhone 8.
It’s now been five generations of iPhone since the iPhone X, and last year, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max eliminated the notch in favor of the Dynamic Island. In the notch’s place, we now have an elongated, pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display, and it can change to show you various things like timers, music/podcasts that are playing, and more. We should expect the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro to be announced sometime in September 2023, as long as Apple follows its usual iPhone launch schedule. According to the latest report on 9to5Mac, we may see Apple hold an iPhone 15 event on Wednesday, September 13.
Typically in the past, Apple’s events have been on Tuesdays, but last year’s iPhone 14 event was held on September 7, which was a Wednesday. So if Apple is going to do something similar this year, September 13 would be it. With a September 13 announcement, that means preorders go up on September 15, with the public release of the new phones on September 22. This schedule would be very close to last year, when iPhone 14 preorders started on September 9 and a full release on September 16.
A recent report from Chinese outlet Economic Daily News is suggesting that the entire iPhone 15 lineup could be getting a price increase from 10% to 20%. For the standard iPhone 15, this would mean that it starts at $899 instead of $799, though considering the upgrades it may be getting this year, that price jump wouldn’t be too bad. However, for the iPhone 15 Pro models, that means instead of starting at $999, it could start at $1,100 or $1,200 for the base storage model. And the iPhone 15 Pro Max could start at $1,300, with the 1TB option costing as much as $1,800. The reason for the price jump may be due to increased manufacturing costs and inflation.
It’s worth pointing out that there were some very convincing-looking rumors last year that the iPhone 14 Pro would be getting a $100 price increase, and that ultimately proved to be false. That’s all to say that it’s certainly possible that the iPhone 15 lineup, specifically the Pro models, could be seeing an increase, but take that rumor with a dose of skepticism.
With the possibility of higher prices for the iPhone 15 across the board, you may be wondering whether you should buy an iPhone 14 model instead of an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro. If that’s the case, you should check out our guide that compares each existing iPhone 14 model with what we’re expecting for each iPhone 15 model. It’s not like the iPhone 14 lineup is bad — it’s still very good! If you don’t mind having a device that is one generation behind, consider an iPhone 14 instead and save some dough.
