Apple’s 2024 September Announcement: What to Expect

Apple's fall event is just around the corner! Set your calendars for September 9 and ready yourself for the iPhone 16, the Apple Watch 10, and more. Here's everything we know about Apple's upcoming ‘It’s Glowtime’ event.

When Is Apple's 2024 Fall Event?

Apple typically holds its event in September to announce new smartphones, with only a few exceptions over the years. This year is no different, with Apple announcing an event to be held on September 9 at 10 a.m. PT. It will be held both in person and online, so those of us at home can watch along. To keep up with Apple's exciting releases, check out our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

How to Watch the September 2024 "It's Glowtime" Event

Apple's fall event will include in-person events, but the keynote will be streamed so anyone who wants to can watch it live. Here is how you can watch Apple's September event:

On Mac:

• On the day of the keynote event, open the stock Apple TV app to watch the livestream.
• Visit Apple’s Event page on Safari and play the video live once it is streamed, or watch the replay later on.
• Visit Apple's official YouTube channel and check on the top of its page for the event video.

On PC:

• Apple recommends using the Edge browser by Microsoft for Windows 11 users. On the day of the Keynote, visit Apple’s Event page or the official YouTube channel and live stream the Keynote event. It’s possible that some devices may be able to stream the event using a recent version of Chrome or Firefox instead of Edge.

On Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad:

• The Apple TV app is a stock app that will stream it live on the day of the keynote.
• You can also open the App Store and download the Apple Developer app. Navigate to the Apple Event tab in the app to watch the live stream.
• You can also watch the event on Apple's Event Page using the Safari browser.

What Will Be Announced at Apple's September Event?

We can almost guarantee the new iPhone line will be announced at Apple's September event, but what else might we see? Let's take a look.

iPhone 16 Lineup

Apple has released a new iPhone line every fall since 2011, and almost all of the announcements have taken place in September. Therefore, we can be almost certain we'll see the iPhone 16 line announced before the end of next month. What do we know about the iPhone 16 so far? There are plenty of rumors circulating, so here's what people are saying.

Four New iPhones

The iPhone 16 line will likely keep up with the iPhone 15 line in terms of what the line includes. We'll likely see an iPhone 16, an iPhone 16 Plus, an iPhone 16 Pro, and an iPhone 16 Pro Max. No rumors have pointed to Apple adding or dropping any iPhone types, so we can feel fairly confident we'll get a similar lineup to last year.

Most rumors suggest that while the base model iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be the same size as the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, the 16 Pro and Pro Max look to be increasing in size slightly. This means that the iPhone 16 Pro will measure 6.3 inches, making it 0.2 inches larger than the iPhone 15 Pro’s 6.1 inches. The iPhone 16 Pro Max looks to be closer to 6.9 inches in comparison to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch screen. For all the latest coverage on all things Apple and iPhone, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Same Chips, More RAM

9to5Mac reported that analyst Jeff Pu believes that the new iPhone 16 lineup will have 2 extra GB of RAM, giving it a total of 8 GB rather than 6 GB. Other than a boosted RAM, code shared by X user Nicolás Alvarez suggests that the new phones will still have the A18 chip that we see in Apple’s current lineup. The extra RAM is notable because Apple Intelligence requires more processing power, which is why it won’t work on older iPhone models.

An Improved Ultra Wide Lens

Almost every new iPhone lineup comes with camera improvements, but the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max had such a big boost that it may be hard to top. A leaker on Weibo believes that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max cameras will have the same sensors as last year, but with an upgrade to the Ultra Wide lens 48-megapixels from 12-megapixels. Plus, if  Majin Bu’s tweet is correct, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus cameras will be stacked on top of one another in a brand-new configuration.

A Brand New Button

It seems like for some years, Apple has been removing buttons, like the Home Button. But then last year, we saw the Ring/Mute switch get replaced with the Action Button, which offered users new ways to customize their iPhones. Mac Rumors believes that there will be a new button under the power button. We aren't sure if it will be mechanical like the other buttons, or capacitive, meaning it relies on pressure applied and doesn't actually physically move when pushed. 

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman's best guess is that this button will be used as a shutter button for videos, while others believe that it will be a regular shutter button used to focus on and then snap a photo. A Mac Rumors report suggests that it will be used as a zoom 'swipe' button and will only work while you are using the Camera app.

iPhone 16 Pricing & Release Date

We won’t find out the exact release dates until Apple’s announcement on September 9th. Pre-orders for the new iPhone 16 should then open on the following Friday, which means the iPhone 16 release date will likely be around mid-September or the end of September at the latest.

The cost of the iPhone 16 lineup will likely be similar to last year's iPhone 15s. We expect the base model phone to start at $799. The plus model should be $100 more at $899, and the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will likely start at $999 and $1199, respectively. Read our full iPhone 16 rumor roundup.

Apple Watch Series 10 or X

Apple Watch's 10-year anniversary is coming up! But we’re not sure if it will be this year or next. The confusion about whether or not this celebration will happen this year or next is that while the first Apple Watch model was announced ten years ago, it didn't actually come out until 2015. Apple then released two watches in the same year, the Original Apple Watch in the spring and the Series 1 in the fall. Since Apple isn't known for its predictability, they might give us a 10 this year and then an X next year.

Three New Apple Watches?

In addition to a new Apple Watch 10 (or X), we expect to see a new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and potentially an Apple Watch SE (3rd generation). While we haven't seen too many Apple Watch Ultra 3 rumors, MobileSyrup did discover a patent by Apple for a new smaller image-sensing Digital Crown. However, this might not happen until the fall of 2025.

As for the third-generation Apple Watch SE, Gurman talked about Apple considering using a 3D-printed chassis that will be more eco-friendly, cheaper, more colorful, and will speed up the process. Since the recently-announced Apple Intelligence is not coming to the latest Apple Watch, we don’t expect too many changes when it comes to the chips used or how much RAM they will have.

New Apple Watch Release Date, Pricing & Size

If Apple announces the new watch(es) on September 9, we can expect pre-orders to open the following Friday. We expect these watches to have similar costs to last year's lineup, hopefully with a cheaper Apple Watch SE (3rd generation) for as little as $199 if the 3D-printed parts really make it cheaper. Otherwise, it will probably be closer to the current price of $249+. 

As for the Apple Watch X, we can expect the smaller 41 mm to cost $399+ and $429+ for the larger 45 mm model. Don’t forget that cellular connectivity is usually an extra $100. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported on Medium that the Apple Watch X might start at 45 mm for the smaller size and 49 mm for the larger size. Despite the bigger display sizes, they are predicted to be smaller than the current Apple Watch Ultra & Ultra 2. Speaking of Apple Watch Ultras, if there is a new Ultra 3, it will likely cost $799+. Read our full Apple Watch X rumor roundup.

Other Devices: AirPods Pro 3 & HomePod with Screen

We aren’t sure if ‘It’s Glowtime’ will announce anything other than new iPhone and Apple Watch models. If anything, we could see a third generation of the AirPods Pro, presumably with a more compact design. There are also rumors about a new HomePod with a screen, but Mark Gurman has mentioned the possibility of an Apple TV-HomePod hybrid since 2021 and who knows, 2024 could be the year!