Apple is set to hold its first in-person product launch since before the pandemic, with the Far Out event taking place on September 7th in Cupertino, California.
The event is expected to bring new iPhones, the updated Apple Watch and potentially new AirPods Pro.
With the launch event taking place on Wednesday, it is expected that pre-orders for the new phones will open on September 9th, and could hit stores by the following week.
But what else could be coming for the iPhone 14?
New phone, similar design
The iPhone 14 is expected to follow a similar design to that of the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro. In other words, if you were hoping for a drastic redesign, you might be disappointed. That doesn’t mean that Apple won’t make some refinements, but industry watchers think the new device will be largely similar to the current iPhone 13 models, although we should get some new colours.
There could be two different chips
We are used to getting four different models of iPhone — the standard, Pro, Pro Max and Mini — but there are suggestions that this year’s iPhone launch will see Apple put a different chip in the standard iPhone and reserve the more powerful one for the Pro.
Either way, the A16 Bionic is expected to make an appearance in at least two of the iPhone 14 handsets.
The Mini may be dead
Speaking of the Mini, there may be news on that front too. The iPhone Mini has its fans, but rumours have been doing the rounds for some time that Apple is ditching it due to less than stellar sales. That could mean a new iPhone 14 Max is in the offing, said to be a 6.7 inch display, or it could be that Apple is simply calling time on the smaller format phone.
The notch may be gone — but only for the Pro
Some claim the display notch that has divided users for years is set to disappear, with Apple going for the punch-hole display that you already see on Samsung phones, and a pill shaped cut out for the Face ID camera. But this may only be on the 14 Pro, leaving the regular iPhone 14 stuck with the notch.
Always on?
The display on the iPhone could be going always-on, taking advantage of the new lock screen widgets in iOS 16. But that is more likely to be for the higher-spec iPhone 14 Pro, giving the more expensive phone another feature the standard iPhone lacks.
Better cameras, front and back
This is fairly standard for the iPhone, with every version of the iPhone getting a more powerful camera in some respect. The new iPhone could come with a front-facing camera that autofocuses, and an improved rear camera across the board.
The star-filled event announcement graphic could also be interpreted to mean that Apple is doing something on astrophotography.
