What to expect from the ‘iPhone XS’

The time has come: Summer’s over and Apple is holding a bonanza of a launch event to announce new products, headlined by what will likely be three new iPhones.

After months of rumors and speculation, Tim Cook and company will make Apple’s fall product lineup official on Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, CA.

Ready or not, here’s everything we expect Apple to announce in just a few days.

From new iPhones, to new Apple Watches, to new accessories, there’s gonna be a lot to ingest and probably something for everyone.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max/Plus?

Apple cornered itself into a naming conundrum with the iPhone X (pronounced “ten” but most people call it “ex”) and it’s sure gonna be interesting to see what they call this year’s high-end iPhones. 

Will the refreshed 5.8-inch OLED iPhone be called the iPhone XS (cue the “tennis” and “excess” jokes) as rumored? What about the bigger 6.5-inch iPhone? XS Plus or, ugh, XS Max?

Whatever the names are, these two iPhones will likely be virtually identical with the exception of display size. We aren’t expecting any major external changes. They should have the same stainless steel frame, same glass sandwich design, same notch, same dual camera setup on the rear, and same stereo speakers.

The insides will be all new — probably a new A12 processor, up to 256GB of internal storage, maybe larger batteries (for sure on the bigger model), and improved camera performance for hopefully both the front and rear cameras. And maybe Apple Pencil support?

An alleged press image also suggests these two OLED iPhones might come in a new polished gold color.

The current iPhone X costs $999 for the 64GB and $1,149 for the 256GB. Apple could drop the price of the updated 5.8-inch iPhone to under $999 (maybe $899 or $949) and slot the new 6.5-inch at the $999 or $1,149 price.

iPhone 9?

The two iPhone XS models will be the top-of-the-line iPhones and cost a pretty penny. But Apple’s expected to announce another iPhone that’s more affordable.

This “iPhone 9” or “iPhone XR” or “iPhone XC” (honestly, nobody but Apple really knows what it’ll be called) is expected to have a 6.1-inch all-screen display with a notch. The key difference between this iPhone and the iPhone XS will be the screen technology — instead of OLED, the display will be an LCD. 

Compared to OLED displays, LCD screens are cheaper to produce, which should mean the 6.1-inch iPhone will cost less than the 5.8-inch iPhone XS. Analysts predict this iPhone could cost somewhere between $700-800.

This new entry-level iPhone is rumored to come in a variety of different colors (rumored shades are gray, white, blue, red, and orange) and have a single rear camera with a rather sizable bump.

It’s also expected to have an aluminum frame instead of the stainless steel on the high-end iPhones. Wireless charging is practically a given since the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus both have it.

Rumor has it this iPhone might not come with 3D Touch, though. And you can bet money the headphone jack won’t make a return.

For the more detailed run-down on all the rumors and leaks we’ve seen on the 6.1-inch iPhone, check out our roundup here.

Apple Watch Series 4

Apple’s smartwatch is due for an upgrade and all the rumors point to a noticeable overhaul.

Thanks to an alleged image published by 9to5Mac, it’s strongly believed the Apple Watch Series 4 will be released the same two 38mm and 42mm sizes.

The OLED displays, however, will be larger and the bezels around it will smaller so that there’s more room to display content.

The watch case itself might also be thinner. And if the image is genuine, it appears the side button will be longer than previous generation Apple Watches and will be haptic-based instead of mechanical.

It also looks like the large red dot on the Digital Crown will be replaced with a more subtle red ring.

Like the Series 3, Apple will likely offer the new Apple Watches in both Bluetooth and cellular models. And there will probably be new colors and bands to match.

iOS 12, watchOS 5, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12 release date

Apple announced iOS 12, watchOS 5, macOS Mojave, and tvOS 12 at WWDC with a vague “fall” release. 

Well, fall is here (technically not till Sept. 21, but the fall season really begins after Labor Day), and that means all of the new software is ready to drop. For iOS 12, Apple might release it on Sept. 18. The last two iOS releases launched the following Tuesday after the Apple event. However, in 2015, iOS 9 came out the following Wednesday.

WatchOS and tvOS usually come out on the same day as the new version of iOS. 

MacOS is a different story and usually comes out the week after iOS. High Sierra came out on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 and before that Sierra came out on Tuesday, Sept. 20. If Apple follows the same timeline, we expect macOS Mojave to come out either on Sept. 24 or 25.

AirPower and AirPods

Can we get a finally? After announcing its 3-in-1 wireless charger for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at last year’s iPhone event, Apple is expected to start shipping it soon. The big question still is: How much will it cost? 

As for AirPods — we’d love to see an update to them. The current generation AirPods came out at the end of 2016 and a Bloomberg report says Apple might update the true wireless earbuds with the ability to use a “Hey Siri” voice command to summon the digital assistant instead of needing to tap on one of the buds. It might also come with a new W2 chip.

If AirPower finally makes its real-world debut, Apple will almost certainly release the wireless charging case for AirPods, which also never shipped, as well.

Wild cards

With all of the above, it’s gonna be a jam-packed event. However, we wouldn’t put it past Apple to surprise with “one more thing.”

Will we see refreshed iPads with slimmer bezels and Face ID? How about that rumored 13-inch MacBook that’ll replace the aging MacBook Air? 

A price drop on the HomePod sure would be nice. Might we see a HomePod mini or a Siri-powered Beats Bluetooth speaker? New Beats headphones with longer battery life and a new W2 chip?

Anything’s possible, but all of the stuff we’ve listed above are almost certain. All will be clear on Sept. 12. Mashable will be bringing you live coverage from the event. Stay tuned!