What to expect from Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ iPhone 16 event

What to expect from Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ iPhone 16 event

Apple’s iPhone 16 event invitation. | Image: Apple

Apple is getting ready to announce the iPhone 16, which will surely be its most powerful and best-camera-having phone yet (at least for the Pro models). It’s also expected to be the first iPhone to launch with Apple Intelligence across the board.

In addition to the iPhone 16 lineup and a slate of new watches and AirPods, Apple is expected to show more AI features, like the ability to understand what’s onscreen, along with features it introduced at WWDC in June, which include an upgraded Siri, image generation, AI rewrite, and call recording and transcription abilities.

The word “glowtime” is likely a reference to the glow effect that appears around the edges of the screen when Siri is activated in the latest developer betas of iOS 18. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, “glow” is also the internal name for macOS Sequoia, which will likely release after the event at around the same time as iOS 18.

Image: Apple

Siri in iOS 18 adds a glow effect around the screen when activated.

When and how to watch the iPhone 16 event

Apple’s iPhone 16 event will be live and in person in Cupertino, California, on September 9th at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, and The Verge will be there live blogging all the news. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube, Apple TV, and Apple’s website.

New processors for all that AI

Apple Intelligence will require powerful processors. Apple’s trend in the last couple of years was to give the previous generation’s top processor to the base-model iPhone and introduce a new, stronger chip for the Pro. The iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro processor is the only A-series chip right now that supports Apple Intelligence, but rumors suggest all iPhone 16 models will get a new A18 chip. Beyond that, we expect new Apple Watches and additions to the AirPods lineup.

iPhone 16 gets a new camera look

The main iPhone 16 models will come in new colors and look slightly different from the back this year. If leaked dummy units are to be believed, the camera module will now have two lenses stacked vertically, like the iPhone 12 and iPhone X, instead of the diagonal placement used since the iPhone 13.

Vertical lens placement would better support landscape spatial video capture for watching on the Vision Pro. There’s no indication we’ll see an update to the Vision Pro itself, but hopefully we’ll get something to keep customer interest in Apple’s mixed reality tech afloat.

The iPhone 16 lineup will also get better battery life, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max finally match up

The iPhone 16 Pro might finally have the same cameras as the Pro Max, one of several things Google dinged Apple on at the Pixel 9 event. Both models may get the 5x “tetraprism” telephoto lenses that are currently exclusive to the 15 Pro Max. Rumors suggest that the ultrawide camera in the new Pros will also have significant quality improvements thanks to a larger 48MP sensor.

For the Pro models, we’re expecting a new rose finish and a Zune-brown “bronze” titanium finish, and both the regular and Max models are expected to have slightly larger screens than their iPhone 15 counterparts. Gurman says the Pro’s display will go from 6.1 inches to 6.3 and that the Pro Max will jump from 6.7 to 6.9 inches.

The iPhone’s side buttons may change to new pressure-sensitive ones and could include a DSLR-like feature where you can focus with light pressure and take the picture by pressing harder. It’s a Pro feature that could also come to the regular 16.

Overall, the iPhone 16 models won’t be much of a design change. We’re already seeing rumors that the next model, the iPhone 17, will get a slimmer redesign.

Apple Watch, big and thin

The new Apple Watch Series 10 (or X?) may have a thinner and more refined case than the previous Series 9 model, but the real thing to look out for is a model with a bigger screen. Gurman believes the Series 10 will get an Apple Watch Ultra-sized 49mm screen option, plus a new chip.

Super athletes and outdoorsy people can also expect a new black color option for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and a plastic Apple Watch SE is also rumored to make an appearance.

AirPods on the double

The new headphone lineup is expected to include new entry and midtier AirPods and possibly a new USB-C version of the over-the-ear AirPods Max, which might also get new colors, adaptive audio, and better noise cancellation.

The new AirPods models will replace the second- and third-generation versions, according to Gurman, with two new models. The midtier model is rumored to have a Pro-style design with noise cancellation, plus speakers in the charging case for Find My support.

Apple’s third-gen AirPods reportedly haven’t sold as well as the second-generation models. The third generation’s higher price tag and an awkward combination of the AirPods Pro shape without removable ear tips might be to blame. The two new models still won’t get ear tips, but their USB-C charging cases will complete Apple’s transition from Lightning for iPhone accessories.

Maybe a new Mini

No, no, no, not the iPhone Mini. Sorry to my fellow one-hander smartphone users. (I still rock an iPhone 13 Mini and am waiting to see if Apple ever swings back). What Apple is planning, though, according to Gurman, is a new Mac Mini, one that is nearly as small as an Apple TV. The new Mac Mini is expected to ship to warehouses this month, and an M Pro chip version might come in October. Considering the short timeframe, there’s a possibility we could hear about the new Mac Mini at the iPhone event, but it could also get its own event, like the prime-time one Apple pulled last year for the colorful iMac M3 refresh.

Update, September 9th: Modified latest rumors for Apple Watch Ultra, iPhone 16, and AirPods Max.