The tagline on Apple’s invite says, ‘It’s Glowtime,’ which likely refers to the redesigned Siri that takes over the edges of an iPhone’s screen with a colorful, glowing effect.
The iPhone 16 is ready for primetime.
Apple has sent invitations for a «special event» that is likely to include the launch of its next-gen iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. It’s scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9, at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino; things kick off at 10 a.m. PT.
That’s a day earlier than initially expected, notes Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who had tipped a Sept. 10 event. Typically, Apple’s events are held on Tuesdays. That was the case for the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 13, though the iPhone 14 switched things up with a Wednesday event, so Apple clearly likes to keep us guessing.
As for what to expect, the tagline on Apple’s invite says «It’s Glowtime» below a glowing, multi-colored logo. That could be a reference to the redesigned Siri, which takes over the edges of an iPhone’s screen in iOS 18 with a similar color-changing effect. But with Apple, it could mean anything.
Apple will livestream the event on its website, Apple TV, and its YouTube channel (embedded above).
We scoured the web for the most reliable and up-to-date rumors to give you the best idea of what to expect at the iPhone 16 announcement. Here’s what’s likely to be on tap.When Does the iPhone 16 Come Out?
With an event on Sept. 9, we’ll probably see the iPhones launch the following week. Gurman tweeted that Apple «scheduled an unusual and mandatory meeting for employees at all Apple retail stores for the evening of Sept. 12 or morning of Sept. 13.ahead of the iPhone 16 release a week later.» If Apple follows its typical pattern, preorders for the new devices will begin on Sept. 13, with an on-sale date a week later on Sept. 20. Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence was the star of the show at WWDC, but we’ve since heard that it won’t launch with iOS 18 in September and will instead arrive as a software update in October with iOS 18.1. Siri Apple Intelligence features aren’t expected until 2025.
When it does arrive, you’ll need at least an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. Presumably, it will work across the iPhone 16 lineup, but we’ll need to wait for confirmation from Apple on that.New A18 Chip to Power Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence will need a boost in processing power to run smoothly. Apple looks to power the entire iPhone 16 lineup with an A18 processor and at least 8GB of RAM, 9to5Mac reports. In the current lineup, the non-Pro iPhone 15 models have 6GB of RAM while the two Pro models have 8GB.
The iPhone 15 series also uses different chips; the A17 Pro for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the A16 Bionic for the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. But according to back-end code found by Nicolás Alvarez, all iPhone 16 models will have the same A-series chip, MacRumors reports. Since Apple has relied on different chips to differentiate between the Pro and non-Pro iPhones for the last few years, it will be interesting to see if it differentiates them in another way.
