The day is finally fast approaching: Just two days away, Apple will unveil its new lineup of iPhone 16 models at its iPhone event on Monday, September 9. The live stream will begin at 1 PM ET. If you’re planning on picking up a new device after the event, we’re here to save you some time, as the new iPhones aren’t available to buy yet.
Apple has been pretty consistent when it comes to releasing new products, and we don’t expect that to change this year. We’ll let you know when Apple plans to release the iPhone 16 after the event, as well as when you’ll be able to download Apple’s latest software, iOS 18, onto your current iPhone.
Pricing for the iPhone 16 series is still unknown. Currently, prices for the iPhone 15 models start at $799 and go all the way up to $1,599 for the 15 Pro with 1TB of storage. It will be interesting to see if Apple keeps prices steady or plays around with storage capacities and price points as it sometimes does.
Want to follow along with us during Apple’s big event? Here’s how you can watch the iPhone 16 announcement. (We’ll post a link to our live blog closer to the event’s start time.)
When can you buy the new iPhone 16?
We won’t know for sure when the iPhone 16 will launch until Monday’s iPhone event, but we can still predict a date based on Apple’s past consistency. Here’s what we think:
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Monday, September 9th: Apple’s official event (confirmed)
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Friday, September 13th: Reservations begin
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Week of September 16th: iOS 18 available for download
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Friday, September 20: New iPhones and other devices hit store shelves
Again, unless a launch event is confirmed, these dates are just guesses based on Apple’s previous iPhone release history. For example, Apple typically opens preorders on the Friday following the iPhone event. So, if Apple follows its previous schedule, you’ll be able to preorder the iPhone 16 on Friday, September 13. Similarly, if Apple keeps to the same schedule as before, the iPhone 16 will be officially available for purchase on Friday, September 20.
What about the new Apple Watch and AirPods that are expected to be announced alongside the new iPhone 16 series? These are typically announced around the same time, but have seen delays in the past. It’s entirely possible that one or more of these anticipated products will hit store shelves a few weeks later, perhaps in late October.
When will the new iOS 18 be available for download?
If you’re not planning on buying the new iPhone 16, you still have the option to make your older iPhone the same as the new model, provided that your iPhone supports iOS 18 (which nearly all models introduced in the past six years do).
Apple won’t announce when it will release iOS 18 to the public until the event, but past experience suggests that the latest software will be available the week after the event, which could be as early as Monday, September 16, but it might not be available until mid-week.
We’ll update you on official launch dates for the new hardware and software once Apple makes its announcements on Monday.
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