Technically, summer doesn't officially end until September 22. But fall may as well be here because Apple just announced its iPhone launch event will take place on September 15 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
In any normal year, Apple's big iPhone event would be held in person with media and influencers flying into the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park to get a first look at the new iPhones. But since it's still 2020 and we're still in a pandemic, this year's event is virtual (sigh).
See that squiggly Apple logo? There's more to meets the eye. It's also a hidden AR object. If you have iOS 14 (developer or public beta) installed, you can tap it and it'll reveal an AR version of the logo that morphs into "9.15" which is the date of the event. The feature doesn't work on iOS 13.
Or, it may be a hint at Apple Pencil support on iPhone? Could be!
New iPhones and what else? —
Apple will likely use the event to announce the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. It's unclear if the iPad Air 4 that leaked out a few weeks ago and the Apple Watch Series 6 will be announced alongside the iPhone 12. Apple's long-rumored AirTags are reportedly in production there's a good chance we'll hear about the item trackers, too. In past years, Apple has used its fall event to drop a blitz of new devices.
Later than usual —
Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said during the company's Q2 2020 earnings call "This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later."
How late is unclear. Rumors suggest the "iPhone 12" and "12 Pro" (as they're currently dubbed) will release in October and November, respectively. A little later than September, but just in time for the holidays. Trade publication DigiTimes, which has a mixed track record, said in its latest report that it believes Apple will ship the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and 12 Pro first, followed by the 5.4-inch 12 and 6.7-inch 12 Pro a few weeks afterwards.
The rumors so far —
All four iPhones this year are rumored to come with OLED displays, 5G, and redesigned bodies similar to the iPhone 4/5. Both regular "iPhone 12" are expected to come with dual cameras (main + ultra-wide) and the "iPhone 12 Pro" devices with triple cameras, a LiDAR scanner that may or may not be reserved only for the 12 Pro Max, and improved Face ID. Earlier rumors also hinted at the 120Hz refresh rate to match the latest Android phones like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus 8 Pro, but that may not happen.
Hopefully, we'll see some big upgrades to the cameras as well. In May, we spoke with some of the biggest YouTubers, photographers, and filmmakers to get their thoughts on what they want to see Apple improve in the iPhone 12's camera systems. The answers we pretty unanimous: more resolution, improved image quality, better Night mode, and more video recording settings.
We're also expecting at least one new color: midnight blue. The new shade will reportedly replace the iPhone 11 Pro's midnight green.
