Apple is gearing up to unveil its latest flagship smartphones, the iPhone 16 lineup, at a special event on September 9th. The event, dubbed “It’s Glowtime,” will take place at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California.
Read: NASA’s stranded Starliner astronauts will come home thanks to SpaceX
While this year’s hardware changes may be more subdued compared to previous years, Apple is expected to focus on software advancements and AI-powered Apple Intelligence features. A new chipset is a given, ensuring compatibility with Apple Intelligence across the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
Screen sizes might see a slight increase, and the base iPhone 16 could feature a vertical camera array instead of the traditional square design. Apple is likely to upgrade the cameras on multiple models, and there are rumours of a new capture button with zoom gesture controls for easier photo and video shooting. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus may also abandon the mute switch in favour of the action button introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
Alongside the iPhone 16, Apple is expected to unveil new Apple Watch models. The Apple Watch Series 10 (or Series X) is rumoured to have a more powerful or energy-efficient chip and a larger screen. Additionally, Apple may introduce a new band system with redesigned connectors, potentially limiting compatibility with existing bands.
Software updates, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and other major operating system updates, are highly anticipated to be released shortly after the event. However, the much-hyped Apple Intelligence features may not be immediately available. These features are expected to be included in iOS 18.1, which is anticipated for release in October.
Finally, Apple might introduce updated AirPods models at the event. Rumours suggest the availability of both entry-level and mid-tier versions of the AirPods 4, with the latter supporting wireless charging for the case.
