Apple iPhone 13 – when will the iPhone 14 be presented?
David Phelan
Apple’s biggest special event of the year, at least most years, is when it unveils its new iPhone. And this year it looks like there will be four. But when exactly will they be announced, when will they go on sale, and what will they be called? Read on.
July 9 update below. This post was first published on July 6, 2022.
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Apple is a creature of habit, so we can glean a lot of information about what’s likely to happen this year from what’s happened before.
July 9 update. More reports about this year’s iPhone release schedule indicate that Apple is on track to have its most diverse iPhone lineup yet. More on that in a moment.
And more reports point to the date I suggested below. The analysis from 9to5Mac was refined on the same date, September 13. Leaker iHacktu tweeted about the “iPhone 14 launch on September 13, 2022.”
Additionally, iDropnews recently stated, “I understand Apple has something internally planned for ‘Week 37.’ The Cupertino-based company typically holds all of its events on Tuesdays.” Week 37 is the week beginning September 12, which narrows things down to exactly that date.
As always, two guesses don’t necessarily mean extra security, but this mention from LeaksApplePro, who has a decent track record, suggests there’s more information here. So that helps.
Meanwhile, Tom’s Guide today confirmed that it also thinks September 13 is the most likely date, drawing this from the same leaks and information – and the acknowledgment that Apple is a creature of habit, so it’s likely to fit in what it is rules in the past.
He also speculated on other details of the release schedule, specifically which iPhones will be canceled.
This assumes, and I agree, that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will be removed from sale when the new models are announced. So if you’re looking for a Pro, get it before September 13: Apple pulls phones from the market on the day of the announcement, not the day the new models are released.
Alternatively, if you want a Pro iPhone, you’re better off waiting until the iPhone 14 Pro goes on sale. Apple’s routine is interesting: The Pro and Pro Max are the most expensive iPhones, so you might expect a company to keep them around as long as possible, but Apple chooses to scrap them after just one year.
The oldest iPhone currently on sale, the iPhone 11, is also likely to hit the market in September. This is Apple’s usual routine, and it has the advantage this year that all iPhones with Face ID will have a uniform design language with a flat screen and straight edges instead of soft glass and a rounded antenna band. This softer finish will be limited to the iPhone SE only. Again, if you prefer the cozy hand feel that this design offers, move before September 13th.
Assuming these details are true, it would leave Apple with its most diverse lineup yet. There will be two iPhone 14 Pro models, the regular iPhone 14, all of which are as usual, and for the first time an iPhone 14 with a large screen.
But there will also be an iPhone 13 at a suitably discounted price, and certainly an iPhone 13 mini. Oh, and the affordable iPhone SE. In addition, two more options: iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. My guess is that the iPhone 12 will stick around, but the iPhone 12 mini may not. Not because it obviously hasn’t been that successful, but because it would have to come down to a price not much higher than the iPhone SE, which would just be confusing.
In other words, here’s what I expect to be announced on September 13 as the full iPhone lineup: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max (if that’s what it’s called), iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. After that, there will be iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE. Eight phones, as now, but with more variety than before, so it offers something for everyone.
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it’s september
September is Apple’s preferred month to release its flagship phones, with very few exceptions. The first iPhone was introduced in January 2007. The next three, the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4, appeared at WWDC in June 2008, 2009 and 2010. Then came the switch to a fall launch. In October 2011, the iPhone 4s appeared.
Since then, September has been the month of announcement and release. Well, there was one exception to this when Covid delayed the launch until October 2020. When the iPhone 13 was released in September, it meant the iPhone 12 Pro series was pulled from the market after 11 months, not 12 – a record-breaking of early cancellation.
Although Covid-19 is still with us, there is enough normalcy in the world and the production line to be confident that September will be the month of choice.
Announcing and releasing are different
Usually the release date of the phone is 11 days after the reveal, but sometimes not. While the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were revealed on the same day in September 2017, the iPhone X actually came out in November. Similarly, the following year, the iPhone XS and XR were announced on the same day, but the XR arrived a few weeks after the XS.
Will there be a delay for some models this year?
We don’t know at the moment. There are rumors that one model may be delayed, the iPhone 14 Max. But we’re far enough from release that things can change quite a bit.
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So which date exactly?
Apple favors Tuesday as the best day for special events, although Monday and Wednesday are not out of the question. One of the reasons for Tuesday is the need for members of the press to fly in from around the world.
Apple always chooses the first or second week of September rather than later in the month, giving us a choice of two dates, Tuesday September 6th and Tuesday September 13th. Since Monday, September 5th is Labor Day, this excludes September 6th.
Guess it’s a live event?
This is the crucial question. If it’s a virtual event, then both dates are possible, but my guess is that Apple will want either a full in-person event or a hybrid setup like the one used for WWDC: a glossy, high-production-value movie made in advance, but with an in-person screening from him. This has the advantage that if things take a turn for the worst, from a Covid perspective, the personal element can be canceled but there is still something to show the world.
I believe that Apple will pull out all the muscle to organize a private event, but prepare its Hollywood blockbuster record.
Which means?
If it’s virtual only, then any day in the first two weeks is possible, but I’m pretty sure it will be a hybrid event, so either Wednesday September 7th or Tuesday September 13th seems most likely to me. I am depositing my money on Tuesday, September 13th.
In turn, this means the phones will go on sale on Friday, September 23, 2022.
What time?
Well, I promised to be accurate. It will be, as always, at 10am local time, and since I’m sure it will be held in Cupertino, it’s 10am pacific time.
What will it be called?
There was some question last year about whether Apple would call its 2022 release the iPhone 12s or the iPhone 13. The fact that Apple went straight to the iPhone 13 tells me that the iPhone 14 is what we can expect this year. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are shoo-ins for the premium phone that leaves the fourth phone.
Until now, it was mostly called the iPhone 14 Max, as it was thought to have a 6.7-inch display like the iPhone 14 Pro Max is expected to have. But a recent report suggests that it could be called the iPhone 14 Plus instead. We will see.
I’m sure more details will be out in the run-up to September, so please check back.
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