It’s September, and that means there’s very likely a few new Apple products inbound. What are the rumours telling us?
If you’re thinking that right about now would be the right time to buy an iPhone or even an Apple Watch, we’ve got news: you might want to wait.
That reason is “September”, with the calendar month likely seeing a new phone and watch pair announced from Apple, and maybe something else, as well.
It wasn’t technically what happened last year, with an October announcement in 2020, but in prior years, September has certainly been the time to announce the iPhones, as it was in 2019, iPhones in 2018, and yes, Apple even used September for iPhones in 2017, too. A pattern is a pattern, and this year, we might even get back on said pattern, with the rumour mills churning for what we can expect.
So what can we expect?
iPhone 13 rumours
While we’re not expecting a major design change like we saw in last year’s iPhone 12 range, the suggestion this year is that Apple will treat the range like it’s an “s” year, back from when Apple didn’t change the model numbers yearly and used the “s” variant (think of the iPhone 4s or iPhone 5s) to improve some of the hardware in new ways.
That means that while the design will change, some of the features will potentially become more innovative and offer something else.
One of those could be the screen, with a rumour that the iPhone 13 will offer a smaller notch and shelf at the top, as Apple compacts that design just a little bit. We may not get it as good as the tiny hole punch camera Samsung uses in its Galaxy models from this year, the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but that notch will likely shrink a little this year, and may even be faster, sporting a 120Hz display rate making for smoother animations. It may even come with a new phone unlock camera.
Another rumour doing the rounds suggests a Face ID camera that doesn’t struggle with a mask, handy for the pandemic-laden world we’re living in, and may mean an easier unlock while we’re still, you know, masked.
And while we’re talking about cameras, Apple is very likely to upgrade these, with a possible roll-out of the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s sensor-shift technology across more models, as well as other improvements, including improved low-light, better glass, and the ability to capture astrophotography without blowing out the moon, while portrait mode may be extended to video.
Four models are also expected this year, much like it was the case last year, with a compact iPhone 13 Mini, the standard iPhone 13, and then the pro models likely being the iPhone 13 Pro at the same size of the iPhone 13, plus a bigger iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Watch Series 7 rumours
The iPhone isn’t the only rumour circulating, because often with an iPhone announcement is an Apple Watch announcement, as well.
This year, much of the talk is about the design, with Apple shifting the iPhone to the new flat-edge aesthetic seen in the iPad first, so we’re largely expecting that out of the Apple Watch now as well.
Apple Watch Series 7!
Exclusive first look! ?https://t.co/7KyFLmcWMZ
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 19, 2021
Following on from last year’s Series 6 Apple Watch, we’re expecting to see a flat Apple Watch Series 7, both in metal edges and in screen, a move that may increase the overall size of the display, bringing it from 40mm and 44mm, up to what will possibly be one millimetre larger at 41mm and 45mm. That’s an increase from the first models, which rocked up at 38mm and 42mm. My how time changes.
Health technology is at the core of what Apple uses the Apple Watch for, so we’re hearing about some possible changes there, too. One of these may end up being for blood glucose tracking, though at least one source thinks otherwise.
What we are hoping for is better battery life overall, because with a maximum of two days — and likely closer to needing a charge nightly — Apple’s Watch feels like it needs a little bit of work, despite still being one of the best watches overall.
Expected announcement timing
This year, these rumours are expected to culminate in a September announcement, and possibly one in mid-September.
Apple often times its announcements for a Tuesday, so we’re probably looking at September date for either 7, 14, 21, or 28.
If we had to guess, we’d say mid-September seems possible, especially given how must of Apple’s September iPhone announcements have been near the middle of the month. However, given everything is announced online these days, Apple could talk up an announcement as early as anytime it wants before September 7 if that was the date it chose to talk up the new models.
It basically means a Tuesday in September (in America; a Wednesday in Australia) is a likely day for us to see the new iPhone range, telling us if you have a plan to buy an iPhone in September, maybe just wait.
For now, that’s precisely what we’ll do ahead of when those announcements will be made, which you’ll hear all about as and when it happens.
