iPhone 16 Series launch: Recently, Google launched its Pixel 9 series smartphones at its Made by Google event, and now another tech giant, Apple, has announced the date for its upcoming major tech event: Apple's iPhone 16 event. This highly anticipated event is scheduled to take place on September 9 at 1 PM ET (10.30 PM IST) at the Steve Jobs Theater, located at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. The announcement has ended all the speculations about the iPhone 16 Series launch date and provided much-needed clarity to Apple fans.
Apple has chosen the tagline "It's Glowtime" for the event invite sent to the media. As usual, there are numerous rumours circulating about the iPhone 16 lineup. While hardware changes may be minimal this year, Apple is expected to emphasise software improvements and AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
What to expect from the iPhone 16 Series launch event?
One significant hardware update will be the upgrade of the iPhone's chipset, a move necessary to ensure all current smartphones support Apple Intelligence. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have the required processing power.
Apple may also slightly increase screen sizes for the new models and redesign the camera array on the base iPhone 16, opting for a vertical orientation instead of the current square layout.
Camera upgrades are also expected across several models, with a potential addition of a capture button featuring zoom gesture controls. It remains unclear whether this feature will be available on the entire lineup or exclusively on the Pro models.
Furthermore, it's rumoured that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will replace the mute switch with the action button seen on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
Notably, while iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and other major operating system updates are expected to be released shortly after the event, users eager to try out the Apple Intelligence features will likely have to wait until the public rollout of iOS 18.1, scheduled for October.
In addition to new iPhones, Apple traditionally unveils new Apple Watch models at its iPhone events. The upcoming Apple Watch Series 10 (or Series X) is anticipated to feature a new chip for improved performance or power efficiency.
Speculations also suggest a larger screen, the discontinuation of the 41mm variant in favour of a 49mm option, and a redesigned band system with new connectors, potentially making existing bands incompatible with the Series X.
Rumours also point to the launch of updated AirPods at the event, including both entry-level and mid-tier versions of the AirPods 4. The latter is expected to support wireless charging for the case.
ALSO READ: iPhone 16 series price leaked ahead of its September launch, top model to cost more than 1.5 lakh
