Apple has confirmed September 12 as the date it will unveil what is expected to be the iPhone 15 line-up.
The Cupertino-based company sent out invitations for the “special event” – one of the most anticipated launches of its flagship smartphone – that will be streamed online at 10am Pacific time (9pm UAE time).
The invitation came with the usual one-line tag line and a touched-up Apple logo. This year's event will be titled “Wonderlust”, with the logo coming in shades of blue, silver and hints of metallic – the rumoured colours of the new iPhones.
The date for the launch was widely expected as Apple has traditionally held the event in the first or second week of September.
It is also worth noting that the IFA, Europe's biggest consumer electronics show, will be held in Berlin next week while Oracle's CloudWorld in Las Vegas will be held in the third week of September.
The new iPhones are expected to go on sale on September 22 as Apple typically begins selling them two Fridays after they are introduced.
The biggest change expected in this year's iPhone line-up is the switch to a USB-C port, which would mark the end of Apple's proprietary Lightning technology, which has been used since the release of the iPhone 5 a decade ago.
Talk of Apple switching to a USB-C port has been around for some years, and this gained steam after the EU pushed for a common charger for technology devices in September 2021.
Other reasons why Apple would be making the USB-C switch include faster transfer speeds and environmental concerns, apart from avoiding legal complications, particularly with the EU.
All of Apple's iPads now use USB-C, and there are even rumours that the next AirPods – which are also expected at the iPhone 15 launch – will switch to this port.
Four iPhone models are expected to be launched – the entry-level iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, and the premium iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Dynamic Island, the shape-shifting digital space that replaced the notch when the iPhone 14 Pro model was unveiled, is expected across the entire line-up.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are also expected to use the newest A17 Bionic chip, with the base models inheriting the A16 Bionic used in the iPhone 14 Pro variants.
Apple is also reportedly using the same bezel-slimming technology it used for the Apple Watch to give the iPhone 15 bezels that clock in at a record-setting 1.5mm.
It has also been rumoured that Apple is planning to replace the mute switch with a more versatile button, which can be configured according to a user’s preference, similar to what some Android phones have.
A periscope lens – which uses hardware to magnify an image in better quality without blurring as opposed to software-powered digital zoom – is also said to be in the cards and would be used exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to noted Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo.
The launch of the new iPhones is also expected to come with iOS 17, which come with a series of improved security features.
A new Apple Watch is also expected, which would feature token upgrades before a rumoured major refresh in 2024.