Apple

iPhone 15 Event: 5 Things to Expect from Apple

Published

8 months ago

09/11/2023

Apple is gearing up to announce new products this fall and we want to outline what you can expect from the company’s upcoming iPhone 15 event.

The iPhone 15 launch event is confirmed for September 12th and it kicks off at 10AM Pacific, 1PM Eastern. It will be a pre-recorded show with an in-person element built-in.

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With that in mind, here’s what you can expect at the iPhone 15 event in September. From new iPhones, to new Apple Watches, the showcase will cover a lot of ground.

iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Pro

The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max will undoubtedly be the stars of the show.

Apple is reportedly making some pretty big changes to the iPhone in 2023 and highlights include a new titanium design with a new Action button, USB-C in place of Lightning, improvements to the camera including a periscope lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a new processor in the Pro models, and more storage.

The devices won’t take a quantum leap from last year’s iPhone 14 series, we could see much bigger changes come in 2024 on the iPhone 16 series, but the iPhone 15 series is shaping up as a solid replacement for last year’s flagship.

In addition to outlining/marketing all of the changes it’s made to the iPhone, you can expect Apple to confirm the iPhone 15 pre-order date, price, and release date.

As of right now, we expect all iPhone 15 models to go on sale in September.

Apple Watch 9

It looks like Apple will stick with a yearly upgrade cycle for the Apple Watch as well. The company is expected to announce two new versions of the Apple Watch and we’ll start with the Apple Watch Series 9.

Like the iPhone 15, we are expecting a fairly modest upgrade though the Apple Watch 9 should come with one change that may convince owners of older models like the Apple Watch 4 to upgrade.

Apple hasn’t upgraded the main processor inside the Apple Watch for three years running, but it looks like it will finally supply its smartwatch with a new processor.

The Apple Watch 9’s new processor will likely be based on the A15 chip the company first used in the iPhone 13. The improved chip should lead to better all-around performance in areas like speed and battery life.

We’re also expecting the new Watch models to come with some big software upgrades. watchOS 10, the operating system that will power the new devices, is a substantial upgrade and the Apple Watch 9 models should get exclusive features to help separate them from the Apple Watch 8 and older versions of the wearable.

Apple will confirm the Apple Watch 9 release date, price, and pre-order during the show. We expect it to go on sale shortly after the conclusion of the show.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The other Apple Watch on tap for Apple’s iPhone 15 event is a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, the company’s high-end model.

Like the Apple Watch 9 models, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will most likely be a refresh rather than a complete overhaul. It should include the same processor upgrade coming on board the Apple Watch 9.

We’ve also heard the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s design may be lighter than the original. The current version of the Apple Watch Ultra weighs a lot more, 61.3 grams vs. 32 grams, than the Apple Watch 8.

There’s also chatter about a new black titanium color.

iOS 17 & iPadOS 17

In addition to new hardware, you can expect Apple to confirm important information about its upcoming software.

We already mentioned watchOS 10, but the company is also hard at work on new software for the Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac.

During the iPhone 15 event, look for Apple to touch on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the new operating systems coming to iPhone and iPad.

Both are currently in beta and while they don’t project as huge upgrades, they both have some very exciting features on board.

The iOS 17/iPadOS 17 release date will land sometime between the iPhone 15 announcement and the iPhone 15 release date. So, with the event now confirmed for September 12th, you can expect the iOS 17 release date to land the week of September 18th.

macOS Sonoma

Apple’s also cooking up a new version of macOS for Mac dubbed macOS Sonoma.

It’s also on the lighter side, but the operating is set to bring new screen savers, widgets on the desktop, and improvements to video conferencing to Mac users.

We’ll get a macOS Sonoma release date/release window confirmed on stage during the iPhone event and the software will land in September or in October after iOS 17.

5 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 15 & 5 Reasons Not To

Wait for Design Changes

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Last year, Apple introduced a brand new pill-shaped notch the company calls Dynamic Island. Unfortunately, this change is only available on the company's high-end iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. That will likely change this year.

Analyst Ross Young believes Apple could bring Dynamic Island to the lower-end iPhone 15 models. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman does as well.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 15's proximity sensor will be integrated into Dynamic Island. The proximity sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro models is under the display outside of Dynamic Island. This could lead to Face ID improvements.

This might give some of you considering Apple's iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus a reason to hold out and wait for the new models.

On the flip side, Young doesn't think the standard iPhone 15 models will get 120Hz/LTPO like the iPhone 15 Pro models.

This has been backed up by another source who says the iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Plus won't get ProMotion and Always-On display capabilities.

We've heard the the iPhone 15 Max's design will be made out of titanium as opposed to stainless steel. The frame supposedly has a brushed finish.

In a tweet, a prominent leaker says the iPhone 15 Pro models will "have thinner bezels" with curved edges. The display is reportedly still flat, however.

ShrimpApplePro says additional sources now agree with the information and that the bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro models will indeed be thinner.

In a tweet, well-known leaker Ice Universe says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will break the record for thinnest bezels on a smartphone. The record is currently held by the Xiaomi 13.

In a follow up tweet, he's shown off what are evidently glass displays and third-party screen protectors for the iPhone 15 series.

Analyst Jeff Pu from Haitong International Securities also believes the company is working to deliver a new titanium design.

So does Gurman. In a report Gurman says the iPhone 15 Pro models could be about 10% lighter than their predecessors thanks to the new design.

We've also heard the iPhone 15 Pro will have a new mute button that replaces the switch. This "Action" button could work like it does on the Apple Watch Ultra in that it will allow users to map it to different functions.

This new addition has seemingly been confirmed by the iOS 17 beta.