These days I’ve been keeping a close eye on all the news related to Apple’s September event. Some are true, some are mere speculation, and some are outright false. With that in mind, I’ve spent a month gathering all the information my sources had on the Keynote, and I’m going to tell you all about it.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
The iPhone is Apple’s flagship product. No one doubts that, and this year it’s coming with some pretty interesting upgrades. Let’s start with the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Their size will be 6.1 and 6.7 inches. They will be visually identical except for the display, which will adopt the Dynamic Island that we already saw on the iPhone 14 Pro. Of course, do not expect ProMotion or Always-On, that will remain exclusive to the Pro models.
They will feature the same A16 Bionic chip as the iPhone 14 Pro, so the A17 is once again exclusive to the Pro models. Storage-wise, the configurations will be the same as always: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Colors are always a bit harder to leak. Apple works with dozens of different prototypes every year, and only one or two end up being released. Most likely this time, there will be at least five different colors: Midnight, Starlight, Pink, Product RED, and Blue. These iPhones will come with a USB-C port, although it will be limited to a speed similar to Lightning.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will come in the same sizes as always: 6.1 and 6.7 inches. In terms of design, there won’t be many changes, but the manufacturing material will be titanium, which will make them lighter and more resistant. In addition, the bezels will be slightly thinner, although it is not so noticeable when you spend some time using them, according to one of my sources.
Unlike the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature an A17 Bionic chip manufactured in a 3-nanometer process, which makes the system quite snappy and allows for substantial battery savings. In fact, this will undoubtedly be one of the strengths of the iPhone this year, and Apple will most likely highlight it during the Keynote. Its storage will start at 256GB, and while it is true that there are prototypes with 2TB of memory, I can’t guarantee that they will end up shipping (although I can’t guarantee the opposite either). I wouldn’t expect haptic buttons as some media report, although I would expect an Action Button similar to the one on the Apple Watch Ultra.
As for pricing, I don’t expect any change in either the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus. In fact, I would be much less surprised if they went down than if they went up. Apple considered this possibility at the time, but it doesn’t seem to have caught on with the Board, although it could be. However, I do expect a hike of at least $100 on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models, unfortunately.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2
If I had to describe the Apple Watch this year, I would use the word boring. Really boring. Sure, the Series 9 will bring a new faster chip, but little else is going to change. Two exclusive watch faces according to my sources and that’s it. The real changes this year were in watchOS 10. The Apple Watch Series 9 will come in the usual sizes and colors. They may add a light pink but it’s not clear. I expect more of the same with the Apple Watch Ultra. No changes at design level, a faster chip, and perhaps a dark tone similar to what we will find in the iPhone 15 Pro, but that’s it. It seems that it will bring a new exclusive face, but that’s no reason to upgrade if you already have the current model.
iPad mini
There is a very real possibility that Apple decides to launch a new iPad mini during the event. The design will be exactly the same, and internally I don’t expect many changes. The price will still be $499 and it will come with an A-series chip, so the M2 option is ruled out according to my sources.
I don’t expect Apple to launch any Macs during this event, as they will most likely be on hold until October. New AirPods are being tossed around in the media, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least as of today. It’s been less than 48 hours since they started recording the event at the Apple Park, and they’re scheduled to continue to do so for the next two weeks, so it’s still possible to change things. Anyway, this is how I expect the Keynote to be as of today. If there are any changes or updates, I’ll let you know via Twitter at @leaksapplepro.
