Apple’s iPhone-centric Fall 2023 event is just a few days away. We’ve been hearing rumors of what we might see for months, so we have a good idea of what’s coming.
This guide highlights everything Apple can expect to unveil at its “Wonderlust” event on September 12.
Apple will continue with its four iPhone lineup in 2023, and the standard iPhone 15 models will be available in 6.1 and 6.7-inch sizes, just like last year. The iPhone 15′ and iPhone 15′ Plus are almost identical to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, with one major exception – a USB-C port.
Rather than a Lightning port, the iPhone 15′ models will adopt USB-C, which will allow iPhones, iPads and Macs to share a charger and charging cable. Apple is making this change due to regulatory changes in Europe that require electronics to have a standardized charging port, but USB-C technology will be implemented worldwide.
Last year’s iPhones continued to have a peak, but that was erased by the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. Instead, the new iPhones will adopt the Dynamic Island that Apple first used for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, freeing up more display space.
While the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get the Dynamic Island, other display tech like Promotional Refresh Rate and Always On Display are exclusive to the Pro models. There is another minor design change, and it has to do with the glass back. Frosted glass has historically been a feature of the Pro iPhone lineup, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to feature frosted glass instead of glossy glass.
Apple is planning new colors for the ‘iPhone 15’ lineup, and rumors suggest we’ll see blue, a coral shade between orange and pink, pale greenish yellow, white and black. We can find color-matched braided USB-C cables to pair with each new iPhone.
Camera technology will see a significant update with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, adding a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.6 aperture for high-resolution images and improved quality in low-light situations. There will also be a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, but it’s the same camera that the iPhone 14 models lacked updates to.
New Qualcomm 5G modem chips are expected and will see improved signal, lower latency and better energy efficiency. Apple is developing a new A17 chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models, but the standard iPhone 15 models will get the A16 chip currently found in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
We haven’t heard any rumors of improvements in battery life, Wi-Fi speed or RAM to the standard iPhone 15 models yet, and the price is expected to stay the same.
Find out more about what to expect from the iPhone 15 in our iPhone 15 roundup.
The most exciting new changes and feature additions this year are coming to the Pro iPhone models rather than the standard iPhone 15 models. Just like last year, we’re expecting two Pro iPhones, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to feature some minor design updates, with Apple introducing noticeably thinner, curved bezels and a new titanium material for the chassis. Instead of stainless steel, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will have titanium in colors including silver, titanium grey, black and dark blue. Titanium has a more matte finish than stainless steel, and iPhone 15 Pro models are 10 percent lighter because titanium weighs less than steel.
Despite rumors of volume button changes that Apple has been testing, the volume button update isn’t out and there won’t be any changes to it. However, Apple is expected to replace the mute switch with a multi-functional mute button similar to the action button on the Watch Ultra.
The code in iOS 17 suggests that the button can switch to silent mode, launch the camera, turn on the flashlight, launch a shortcut, enable focus mode, launch a translate app, launch voice memo, and more.
Like the iPhone 15 models, the iPhone 15 Pro models will also get USB-C, but the Pro models are rumored to support faster USB 3.2 (20 Gb/s) or Thunderbolt (40 Gb/s) transfer speeds. Some iPhone 15′ models (probably the Pro models) are rumored to support charging speeds up to 35W.
Apple is making minor improvements to the wide-angle and telephoto cameras on both Pro models to boost low-light performance, but expect no improvements to the main 48-megapixel camera. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will get the biggest new camera feature, a periscope zoom function for the telephoto lens. Optical zoom is only 3x now, but with Periscope technology, Apple is expected to bring it to 5x or 6x zoom.
While the standard iPhone 15 models use the A16 chip, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have an A17 chip built on the new 3-nanometer process. It’s the first chip in several years to be built on a new node, and it should bring significant performance and performance improvements. Battery life is expected to increase.
Apple will use the same 5G Qualcomm chip across its entire iPhone 15 lineup, and there are also rumors of a new “U2” ultra-wideband chip that will integrate with next year’s Vision Pro headset. Pro models will get Wi-Fi 6E, a new and faster Wi-Fi protocol that works with the 6GHz band. Up to 2TB of storage may be available, and Pro models will have 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in last year’s Pro models.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have an impressive feature set, and rumors suggest that this will bring a price hike. Multiple sources have reported that Apple is planning a price hike, but it’s not yet clear by how much. The new models may cost $100 more, starting at $1,099 for the iPhone 15 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Find out more about what to expect from the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in our roundup.
A new Apple Watch is coming this year, but there’s not much to look forward to with this update. We don’t expect any new design changes or new health-related features.
In fact, the update will focus on the interiors, mainly a new app. There’s going to be a new S9 chip built on A15 technology, and it’s the first significant update to the Apple Watch chip since the Apple Watch Series 6.
Apple Watch Series 9 will see improved performance and battery life. The ‘Apple Watch Series 9’ is expected to include an improved optical heart rate sensor and a new “U2” ultra wideband chip that provides 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 are rumors that leather straps are being phased out in favor of more eco-friendly options.
You can find out more about the Series 9 and what we can expect 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 as 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.
A leaker has suggested that the second-generation ‘Apple Watch Ultra’ might be lighter than the first generation, but it’s still unclear if this is accurate. One change could be a new color option, with rumors pointing towards a black titanium shade.
For more information, check out our Apple Watch Ultra guide.
USB-C AirPods
The AirPods Pro 2 is expected to be updated with a USB-C charging case instead of the current Lightning case, which is in line with the iPhone 15’s adoption of a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.
No other hardware changes will be included, so count 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 make leather cases for the iPhone 15 series and will instead adopt an eco-friendly material.
There is a rumor that the new material will be made of woven material and will be called “Fine Woven”, but it is not yet clear if that is accurate.
Other possibilities
Along with some fall events, there are wildcard products that may or may not be updated in September, but this year, we’re not expecting much beyond the iPhone and Apple Watch.
11th generation iPod
There are no rumors of a new low-cost iPad, but Apple has historically updated the tablet annually. We’re going to see an 11th-generation iPad, but that’s not guaranteed.
Coming later this year
The ‘iPhone 15’ models and ‘Apple Watch Series 9’ won’t be the last products we see in 2023. The first M3 Macs could be introduced by the end of this year, with Apple rumored to be planning to introduce the M3 13-inch MacBook Air. M3 13-inch MacBook Pro and M3 Mac Mini. BloombergMark Gurman says the M3 Macs will arrive this year, but Apple analyst Ming-Ci Kuo says the M3 Macs won’t be released until 2024, so it’s unclear what will happen.
If new Macs are coming in 2023, Apple could hold an October event or unveil the M3 Max via a press release later that year.
BloombergMark Gurman believes that a new iPad Air is likely to be released in 2023. If so, we’ll see it in October.
still has not come
Apart from the 11th generation iPad, no other iPads are getting an update in 2023. The iPad Pro and iPad mini will be updated, but not until 2024.
How to see
Apple’s “Wonderlust” event begins Tuesday, September 12 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple The event is live on its website And On YouTubeAnd the livestream is available through the Apple TV app on supported devices.
For those unable to watch the livestream, MacRumors will provide full event coverage on MacRumors.com. MacRumorsLive Twitter accountAnd we’ll take an in-depth look at all the announcements later in the week.
