It's Glowtime: iPhone 16 Series, Apple Intelligence Event Set for Sept 9

Apple has announced an event on September 9, with an invitation that states "It's Glowtime". The event, which was till now widely rumoured to be scheduled for September 10, is when the company will undoubtedly launch its iPhone 16 series and will show off the Apple Intelligence features that will launch with them as part of iOS 18. Apple is also expected to refresh the Apple Watch series and another likely prospect this year would be new AirPods models.

As in previous years, the event will be held at Apple Park, the company's Cupertino, California headquarters. It will begin at 10am PT, which is 10:30pm IST on the same day. Fans can tune in to watch a live webcast on apple.com.

Many details of the iPhone 16 series have been leaked already, but it's possible that there will still be surprises in store, especially in terms of software functionality, which Apple is better able to conceal before its product launches. The most credible leaks and rumours suggest that there will be four models, with each of the iPhone 15 models getting an update.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are said to be the same sizes as their predecessors, and will notably have a vertical camera module on the rear rather than the diagonal arrangement that has become iconic for the brand over the past three generations. This was likely done to enable spatial video recording using both rear cameras simultaneously. The Apple Vision Pro headset can play spatial videos, but only Apple's Pro iPhone models have so far been able to record it. The two more affordable iPhones will also get an Action Button in place of a mute switch, like last year's Pro models. They are also expected to feature 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB, to better run Apple Intelligence features.

The more premium iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will both be physically larger than their predecessors, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screens, respectively. The latter will be the largest ever iPhone, and battery capacities should increase as well. Both models are likely to have the same 5X telephoto camera. A new A18 Pro SoC is expected to greatly improve on-device AI capabilities. This year's signature colour for the Pro models is expected to be a reddish-bronze, along with black, white, and natural titanium.

All four models are likely to feature a brand new "capture button" or "capture pad", which is a touch-sensitive strip on the lower right that will act as a camera shutter button when the phone is held in landscape. It is said to allow a half-press to launch the user's default camera app and lock focus, a full-press to capture shots, and also swipe gestures to zoom in and out or possibly trigger video recording.

Other than next-generation processors and more RAM, the iPhone 16 series is expected to support newer 5G and Wi-Fi standards, but other hardware changes are less likely. Battery capacities could be slightly tweaked, and charging speed (wired and wireless) could also improve. All four are also going to be manufactured in India, with increased localisation and availability at launch time.

Apple is expected to make bigger changes to the iPhone 17 lineup, with a purported new iPhone 17 Ultra model at the top of the range, and possibly a new extremely slim model. Apple could drop the Plus model to simplify its offerings.

However, surprises could be in store when iOS 18 is launched. While it has been in beta and publicly accessible for a few months now, some features exclusive to the iPhone 16 series could always be revealed in at the launch event. It is also likely that Apple will announce its plans to roll out Apple Intelligence features, which are not all expected to be available at launch time.

The Apple Watch series is also likely to be refreshed, with a new Series 10 (or Series X) getting more health monitoring features and better battery life. Apple might increase screen sizes and move to a new strap retention mechanism, but a previously rumoured complete design overhaul is not looking likely anymore. It is unlikely that the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE will be refreshed at the same event.

Apple could split its non-pro AirPods line with two new models – one with active noise cancelling and one without. These are expected to be relatively affordable and feature a new design with shorter stalks. They could also be made in India for the first time. Apple might also refresh its over-ear AirPods Max with new colours and USB Type-C connectivity, but a next-gen model is not expected.

Finally, Apple should confirm the release dates for all its major software platform updates. While new Macs with M4-generation processors are expected to be announced in 2024, they will not be part of this event.