Live blog on Apple’s “Glowtime” event – ​​iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, AirPods 4 and more

iPhone 16 prices – there could be an increase

Apple will likely keep iPhone 16 pricing largely unchanged this year, but there could be an exception. We expect the iPhone 16 to start at $799 and the iPhone 16 Plus at $899.

And what about the iPhone 16 Pro? We hear that Apple might raise the price from $999 to $1,099. The reasoning: It could start with 256GB of storage, up from 128GB on the iPhone 15 Pro. And the iPhone 16 Pro will likely have the same 5x tetraprism lens as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely cost the same $1,199 as the 15 Pro Max, which already had 256GB.

iPhone 16 colors: Here are the rumors

If you're excited to see what colors Apple will release for the iPhone 16, we understand — the different shades Apple uses for each year are the first thing people see when they look at the phone, and you want a color that suits your taste. If you'd rather be surprised by the color announcements, then look away, because we're about to share the latest rumors with you.

No less than Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims The iPhone 16 Pro models will be available in Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium and Gold Titanium. The first three colors are holdovers from the current iPhone 15 Pro lineup; the last is a new addition, pushing the Titanium Blue option out of the lineup. From what we've seen from leaked renders of the Gold Titanium option, it seems to have a more caramel tone.

As for the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the colors rumored to be available are blue, green, pink, and yellow, with the latter option replacing the white iPhone. The status of black as the iPhone's base color is still uncertain, but we'd be surprised if it weren't anymore.

An Apple Watch SE surprise?

It is not too much to say that there will be new Apple Watch models at the Glowtime event. The Apple Watch 10 will almost certainly appear and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will probably appear as well. But there were fewer Apple Watch Series 3 Rumors that raise doubts as to whether Apple is working on a new version of its entry-level watch.

The timing is certainly right for a new SE model. The first Apple Watch SE came out in 2020, followed by a sequel in 2022. If that means a two-year cycle for new models, then the Apple Watch SE 3 would be right on schedule.

The question is, what would Apple do with such a watch? There is talk that the company could switch to plastic for the casing to reduce the cost of the SE. It could also get an S9 processor, which could improve battery life.

Not everyone is convinced that an Apple Watch SE 3 will be released this year, but our wearables expert Dan Bracaglia is excited about the prospect of a new entry-level model.

Get ready for iOS 18

At Apple's fall events, we don't just hear about hardware news. Apple also announces release dates for the software updates it first unveiled at WWDC. In this case, that's iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia.

This news is not always announced during the presentation itself. Often, Apple simply announces the dates when the software will be available via a press release.

We expect iOS18, iPadOS 18 And watchOS 11 arrive at the same time. In recent years, Apple has waited to introduce its macOS update, although that may change this year as macOS Sequoia includes Apple Intelligence features that will also be available on the iPhone and iPad. However, since Apple Intelligence is not expected until a later software update, Apple could continue to delay the release of its macOS update until downloads of the other operating systems are available.

As for timing, you would expect the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and watchOS 10 updates to arrive just before the new hardware that Apple releases. If we assume a September 20 launch date for the new devices, we would expect the software to come out the same week, either on a Monday or a Tuesday.

iPhone 16 Pro Zoom upgrade is coming

A persistent rumor about the iPhone 16 Pro is that the lower-cost version of Apple's Pro phones would follow in the footsteps of last year's iPhone 15 Pro Max by adding a tetraprism telephoto lens that supports 5x optical zoom. Currently, the iPhone 15 Pro reaches a maximum of 3x zoom and relies on digital zoom beyond that.

The extent to which the shorter zoom length limits the iPhone 15 Pro’s cameras is clearly visible when you compare it to other camera phones that can zoom out further. That’s exactly what I found with my Camera comparison between Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro. The two phones are actually pretty evenly matched when it comes to cameras, which is encouraging for Apple. But one area where the Pixel is clearly better is zoom shots, where everything is sharper and more detailed on the Pixel 9 Pro. (Google's Super Res Zoom feature also plays a role in this, as does the higher megapixel rating of the Pixel's 48MP telephoto sensor.)

So yes, the tetraprism-style telephoto lens may be an old feature. But the iPhone 16 Pro desperately needs it.

Glowtime – get ready for the new Siri

The “It's Glowtime” in Apple's invitation is a direct reference to the new animation for Siri in iOS 18, which will be a hallmark of the new iPhone 16 series. Yes, the new Siri will also work with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but this is the first series of iPhones that will be built from the ground up to process Apple intelligence.

The new Siri is designed to be conversational and has better contextual intelligence, so you don't have to be as specific with follow-up questions. And you don't have to worry about stumbling over your words; you should be able to correct yourself mid-sentence and the new Siri should be able to understand you.

However, I wasn't that impressed with the new Siri when I tried out the iOS 18 public beta. And certain features may not be available until later in the year or even next year, such as ChatGPT integration and the ability to control various apps using voice commands. We just reported that some Apple Intelligence features could be delayed.

We'll see if Siri makes a good impression in live demos. No pressure!

A major redesign for the Apple Watch 10

The Apple Watch 10 is expected to be a major upgrade for Apple, according to various reports. After all, it is the 10-year anniversary of Apple's wearable, so another iterative upgrade won't be enough.

For one, we expect larger sizes for the Apple Watch 10, going up to 49mm. The Apple Watch 8 comes in 41mm and 45mm. You can also expect a flatter display.

Additionally, the Apple Watch 10 is said to offer health improvements, including a new ECG sensor and the ability to detect sleep apnea. But it looks like blood pressure measurement isn't possible, at least for now.

Here come the AirPods 4 – two of them?

We're pretty confident that new AirPods will be among the products unveiled at Glowtime, with the AirPods 4 getting some stage time at the event. It's more of a debate as to how many AirPods there will be, as one rumor speculates that Apple releases two versions of the AirPods 4.

Some of the expected changes are pretty obvious. Apple will release a USB-C charging case with the new AirPods, because USB is the direction Apple is currently heading in. According to a report, they could also take on the look of the AirPods Pro.

But that's not the only thing that at least one set of AirPods will adopt. The higher-end version of the AirPods 4 appears to be getting an active noise-cancellation feature, available for the first time outside of the Pro version of the earbuds. The other AirdPods will be an entry-level model that's more like the AirPods 2, which Apple will likely discontinue along with the AirPods 3.

iPhone 16 release date: When will it ship?

At the end of the event, we will learn two important dates – when iPhone 16 pre-orders will start and when the phones will arrive in stores. However, a little background on how Apple handles things can help us make educated guesses about when the iPhone 16 release date will be.

Typically, Apple starts taking pre-orders on the Friday after the iPhone launch event. That would give us Friday, September 13th as the date if Apple sticks to that pattern. The iPhones themselves usually go on sale a week later, so we're assuming September 20th is the big day.

One source denies this claim – a leaker who assumes that Apple postpones everything by one day because this year's opening event is taking place on a Monday and not on Tuesday as usual. We cannot follow this argument. In addition, Apple opens one of its retail stores in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 20, so you might think the company wants to open the store in time for the release of the iPhone 16.

Last-minute rumors about the iPhone 16

Even though we're just a few hours away from the start of the Glowtime event, last-minute details about the iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, or whatever else is on the agenda today are still going to leak out. Of course, we'll be publishing any last-minute rumors we hear, especially when it comes to the price Apple plans to charge for its new hardware (a classic last-minute leak).

If you want to stay up to date with the latest rumors surrounding Apple’s phones, read our roundup of Last-minute rumors about the iPhone 16.