Apple’s iPhone-focused fall 2023 event is scheduled to begin in a few days. We’ve been hearing rumors about what we can expect to see for months, so we have a good idea of what’s to come.
This guide highlights everything we expect to see debut from Apple at its “Wonderlust” event on September 12.
Apple will continue its four-inch iPhone lineup in 2023, and the standard iPhone 15 models will be available in 6.1- and 6.7-inch sizes, similar to last year. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will look almost identical to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, with one major exception — the USB-C port.
Instead of a Lightning port, the iPhone 15 models will adopt USB-C, which will allow iPhone, iPad, and Mac to share the charger and charging cable. Apple is making this change due to regulatory changes in Europe that require electronics to have a unified charging port, but USB-C technology will be implemented worldwide.
Last year’s iPhones continued to make some progress, but that was phased out with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Instead, the new iPhones will adopt the Dynamic Island that Apple first used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, providing more display space.
Although the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will get Dynamic Island, other display technologies like the ProMotion refresh rate and always-on display will still be limited to the Pro models. Another small design change concerns the rear glass. Frosted glass has historically been a feature of the Pro iPhone lineup, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to have a frosted glass back instead of a glossy glass back.
Apple is planning new colors for the iPhone 15 lineup, and rumors so far suggest we’ll see blue, a coral shade that’s a cross between orange and pink, a light teal, white, and black. We can see braided and color-matched USB-C cables to match every new iPhone.
Camera technology will see a major update with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus that relies on a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.6 aperture for higher-resolution photos and improved quality in low-light situations. There will also be a 12MP ultra-wide camera, but this is the same camera found on the iPhone 14 models without the updates.
A new Qualcomm 5G modem chipset is expected and we could see improved signal, lower latency, and better power efficiency. Apple is developing a new A17 chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models, but standard iPhone 15 models will get the A16 chip currently found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
We haven’t yet heard any rumors of improvements in battery life, WiFi speeds, or RAM for the standard iPhone 15 models, and pricing is expected to remain the same.
More on what to expect from the iPhone 15 can be found in our iPhone 15 report.
Most of the exciting new changes and feature additions this year are coming to the iPhone Pro models instead of the standard iPhone 15 models. As with last year, we’re expecting two iPhone Pro devices, the iPhone 15 Pro 6.1-inch and iPhone 15 Pro Max 6.7-inch.
The iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to feature some minor design updates, with Apple introducing significantly slimmer curved edges and a new titanium body material. Instead of stainless steel, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will feature titanium in colors including silver, titanium gray, black, and navy blue. Titanium will have a more matte finish than stainless steel, plus the iPhone 15 Pro models can be up to 10 percent lighter because titanium weighs less than steel.
Although there were rumors of changes to the volume button that Apple was experimenting with, the volume button update didn’t work and there won’t be any change there. However, Apple is expected to swap the mute switch for a mute button which will have multiple functions much like the action button on the Apple Watch Ultra.
Code in iOS 17 indicates that the button will be able to switch to silent mode, activate the camera, turn on the flashlight, activate a shortcut, turn on focus mode, launch the translation app, start a voice memo, and more.
Like the iPhone 15 models, the iPhone 15 Pro models will have USB-C, but the Pro models are rumored to support faster transfer speeds via USB 3.2 (20Gb/s) or Thunderbolt (40Gb/s). Some iPhone 15 models (likely Pro models) are rumored to support charging speeds of up to 35W.
Apple is making minor improvements to the wide-angle and telephoto cameras in both Pro models to boost low-light performance, but the 48MP main camera is not expected to see any improvements. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will get the biggest new camera feature, which is a periscope zoom function for the telephoto lens. Optical zoom is currently limited to 3x, but with periscope technology, Apple is expected to bring that to 5x or 6x.
While the standard iPhone 15 models will use the A16 chip, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be equipped with the A17 chip, which is built on a new 3-nanometer process. This will be the first tranche in several years to be built on a new node, and it should bring significant improvements in performance and efficiency. An increase in battery life is expected.
Apple will use the same 5G Qualcomm chip across the entire iPhone 15 lineup, and there are also rumors of a new Ultra Wideband “U2” chip that will integrate with the Vision Pro headset coming next year. Pro models will get Wi-Fi 6E, the newer, faster Wi-Fi protocol that works with the 6GHz band. Up to 2TB of storage may be available, and the Pro models will have 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in last year’s Pro models.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have a rich feature set, and rumors suggest that it will lead to a price increase. Multiple sources said that Apple is planning to raise prices, but it is not yet clear by how much. The new models can be $100 more expensive, with the iPhone 15 Pro starting at $1,099 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max starting at $1,199.
More information on what to expect from the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can be found in our roundup.
There’s a new Apple Watch coming this year, but there’s not much to look forward to with this iterative update. We don’t expect any new design changes or new health-related features.
In fact, the update will focus on the internal parts, especially the new processor. There will be a new S9 chip based on the A15 technology, and it will be the first notable update to the Apple Watch chip since the Apple Watch Series 6.
Performance will be improved on the Apple Watch Series 9, and we could also see an increase in battery life. The Apple Watch Series 9 is also expected to include an updated optical heart rate sensor and a new “U2” ultra-wideband chip that will provide better location accuracy.
There may be a new pink color for the aluminum version of the Series 9, and Apple may be planning to introduce a new type of band with woven fabric and a magnetic buckle. There have also been rumors that leather laces will be phased out in favor of more eco-friendly options.
More about the Series 9 and what to expect can be found in our Apple Watch Series 9 guide.
The Apple Watch Ultra is expected to be updated in 2023, but we don’t expect new functionality. The device will get the same S9 chip that comes to the Apple Watch Series 9, an updated Ultra Wideband chip, and a new heart rate sensor, but if any other features are planned, we don’t know about them.
One leaker suggested that the second generation Apple Watch Ultra may be lighter than the first generation, but it’s not yet clear if this is accurate. One change could be a new color option, with rumors pointing to a titanium black shade.
For more information, see our Apple Watch Ultra guide.
AirPods with USB-C port
The AirPods Pro 2 are expected to be updated with a USB-C charging case to replace the current Lightning case, a change that will coincide with the iPhone 15 adopting a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.
No other hardware changes will be involved, so rely on the same AirPods Pro 2 as before but with an updated charging port.
New iPhone cases
According to multiple sources, Apple is not planning to manufacture leather cases for the iPhone 15 lineup, and will instead adopt a more environmentally friendly material.
There is a rumor that the new material will be made of a woven material and will be called ‘FineWoven’, but it is not yet clear if that is accurate.
Other possibilities
With some fall events, there are alternative products that may or may not be updated in September, but this year, there isn’t much to expect other than the iPhone and Apple Watch.
iPad eleventh generation
There have been no rumors of a new low-cost iPad, but Apple has historically updated the tablet on an annual basis. It is possible that we will see the 11th generation iPad, but this is not guaranteed.
It will likely come later this year
The iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 models may not be the last products we see in 2023. The first M3 Macs could be released before the end of the year, with rumors that Apple plans to introduce the 13-inch MacBook Air M3, the 13-inch M3 MacBook Pro inches, and the Mac mini M3. BloombergApple’s Mark Gurman says M3 Macs are coming this year, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says M3 Macs won’t be revealed until 2024, so it’s unclear what might happen.
If new Macs are coming in 2023, Apple could hold an event in October or it could release M3 Macs via press release later in the year.
BloombergMark Gurman also believes that there is a possibility of a new iPad Air being released in 2023. And if that’s the case, maybe we could see it in October.
Not yet come
With the exception of the iPad eleventh generation, no other iPads will be updated in 2023. The iPad Pro and iPad mini will be updated, but not until 2024.
How to watch
Apple’s “Wonderlust” event will start at 10:00 AM PT on Tuesday, September 12th. Broadcast the event live on their website And on YouTubeIn addition, live streaming will be available through the Apple TV app on supported devices.
For those who are unable to watch the live broadcast, MacRumors will provide full coverage of the event on MacRumors.com and MacRumorsLive Twitter accountPlus, we’ll be taking a deeper look at all the announcements later in the week.
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