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Apple’s September 2023 iPhone 15 event: Date, time, and what will launch

Every year Apple holds an event in September where it usually announces a new set of iPhones. Here's what to expect including when the Apple event will start and what will launch.
Karen Haslam
By Karen Haslam
Editor, Macworld AUG 9, 2023 10:13 am PDT
Apple September Event
Image: Apple

Apple is expected to take the wraps off the new iPhone 15 range at an event in September 2023. At the same time, we will likely see new Apple Watches and possibly other new products as well. Here’s everything you need to know.

Update 08/09/23: The iPhone 15 event will likely be prerecorded.

When is Apple’s iPhone event?

In 2022 Apple’s September event was held on Wednesday, September 7. This is an earlier date than the annual iPhone event has been held in recent years—for example, in 2021 the event was held on Tuesday, September 14, and in 2020 it was even later, but 2020 was an unusual year due to Covid-19.

Apple hasn’t yet announced the event date, but we expect it to fall around the beginning of September, with September 12 or 13, 2023 looking most likely. September 6 and 7 are also feasible dates but we are hearing that the iPhone release might be delayed this year, so it seems unlikely that Apple will hold an event that early.

We are likely to find out the data in late August. In 2022 Invitations were sent out on August 24. In previous years we have learned that Apple Store workers have been warned of a “major new product release” on a specific date in September and not allowed to book time off.

According to 9to5Mac, several carriers are telling employees not to take off September 13 due to a major announcement. It makes sense as a date for the event, though preorders are typically not available until Friday (which would be September 15). Mark Gurman from Bloomberg also thinks the event will be held that week, though he says Apple is leaning toward Tuesday, September 12.

What time will the iPhone event start?

One thing we can be pretty sure about is that the Apple Event start time will be 10 a.m. in California. Here’s what that translates to in other countries around the world:

  • U.S.: 10 a.m. (PDT), 11 a.m. (MDT), 12 p.m. (CDT), 1 p.m. (EDT)
  • U.K.: 6 p.m. (BST)
  • Europe: 7 p.m. (CEST)
  • Canada: 10 a.m. (PDT), 11 a.m. (MDT), 12 p.m. (CDT), 1 p.m. (EDT), 2 p.m. (ADT)
  • India: 10.30 p.m. (IST)
  • Singapore and China: The following day at 1 a.m.
  • Australia: The following day at 1 a.m. (AWST), 2.30 a.m. (ACST), 3 a.m. (AEST)
  • New Zealand: The following day at 5 a.m. (NZST)

Apple’s September events usually last around an hour. If you want to watch the iPhone event live we explain how to watch the Apple Event in a separate article.

Will the iPhone event be live?

Apple hasn’t held a truly live event since September 2019. Instead, it shows a prerecorded video at the time a live event would be and often holds a small hands-on area to showcase the new products. Gurman predicts that will once again be the case, with members of the press gathering at Apple Park to watch the same video Apple will show to the rest of the world.

What will Apple launch at the September event?

We expect the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to be the stars of the event, closely followed by the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, but other new products are also likely on the way including the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. We may also see a new iPad mini and the long-rumored AirPods Lite. We may also see new Apple Earpods with USB-C replace the Lightning versions.

At the iPhone event, Apple is also likely to announce the date when it will release the new iOS 17 and watchOS 10 operating systems, most likely a few days after the event. We may also get a download date for iPadOS 17, which is usually released at the same time as iOS, but sometimes the iPadOS launches a little later. Apple is also likely to reveal when the next updates to tvOS and HomePod software will be available.

At the 2022 iPhone 14 event we saw Apple launch the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd gen), Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro (2nd gen). That was a lot of new products, we aren’t expecting quite so much new hardware this September.

Here’s everything we expect from Apple’s September event:

iPhone 15, Plus, Pro, and Max (or maybe Ultra)

It looks like we’ll be getting four new iPhones this year, a similar lineup to 2022, with a standard iPhone 15 and a larger Plus model and a more advanced iPhone 15 Pro and larger Max. There are rumors that the Max could become the Ultra. The rumors suggest the Pro models are the ones getting the majority of the new features, as usual, although it may be the case that the Max-sized model gets new features the Pro misses out on.

  • iPhone 15: same 6.1-inch display but with Dynamic Island, A16 processor, same 6GB RAM but may adopt the LPDDR5 RAM, U2 chip, USB-C instead of Lightning, mute switch to become solid-state button, new green, yellow, and pink finishes.
  • iPhone 15 Plus: same 6.7-inch display but with Dynamic Island, A16 processor, same 6GB RAM but may adopt the LPDDR5 RAM, U2 chip, USB-C instead of Lightning, mute switch to become solid-state button, new green, yellow, and pink finishes.
  • iPhone 15 Pro: same 6.1-inch display with ProMotion and Dynamic Island, slimmer bezels and rounded corners, A17 processor, 8GB RAM, U2 chip, USB-C instead of Lightning, mute switch to become solid-state button, new dark red finish.
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max (or Ultra): same 6.7-inch display with ProMotion and Dynamic Island, slimmer bezels and rounded corners, A17 processor, 8GB RAM, U2 chip, USB-C instead of Lightning, mute switch to become solid-state button, new dark red finish, periscope lens with 6x optical zoom, support for 8K video recording.

Read the latest news about the iPhone 15 series.

Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra

There’s more than one Apple Watch in the pipeline, it seems. An Apple Watch 9 and a new Apple Watch Ultra are coming with a new chip, but not much else.

  • Apple Watch 9: Same 41mm and 45mm size, S9 chip, better battery life.
  • Apple Watch Ultra: Same 49mm size, S9 chip, better battery life.

Read the latest news about the Apple Watch Series 9.

Apple Watch Ultra en la muñeca

Foundry

iPad mini

This isn’t as certain as the iPhones and Watches, but we could see a new iPad mini launch at the September event, if we do here’s what’s expected:

  • iPad mini (7th gen): A16 chip, increased storage (we hope).

Read the latest news about the iPad mini 7th gen.

AirPods

  • The AirPods Max needs an update.
  • There are rumors about AirPods Lite, said to be $99 earbuds from Apple.

We hope to see these at the September event.

Read the latest about the new AirPods.

Release dates

The following launch dates are likely if the iPhone 15 event is held on Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13:

  • Monday, September 18: Downloads begin for iOS 17. If you do want to update your iPhone and you are looking for advice on how to install it read: How to update iOS on your iPhone.
  • Friday, September 15: iPhone 15 and new Apple Watch preorders begin.
  • Friday, September 22: iPhone 15 and new Apple Watch models are available for purchase.

Even with all these potential launches Apple won’t be done for the year. There are rumors that Apple will launch a new M3 iMac and other Macs at an October event.

, Editor

Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago. 

Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.

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