Apple event live blog: iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch Series 9 and everything else announced

Welcome to our 2023 Apple event blog! Like every September, we've already heard a ton of rumours about what to expect. And it wouldn't be an Apple event without brilliant bingo cards doing the rounds on Twitter (sorry, X) summing them up.

There's always one iPhone rumour that's more persistent than the rest every year. Last year it concerned the removal of the infamous 'notch', which Apple ended up replacing with the Dynamic Island. This year, all signs point to Apple finally ditching Lightning in favour of USB-C. Indeed, at this point it's such an open secret that even Google is making public jokes about it.

Another of the most persistent rumours suggests the iPhone 15 Pro will be the first iPhone ever to feature a titanium body, which could be both stronger and lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro's stainless steel. Apple event invites always offer subtle hints in their logo design, and eagle-eyed fans are convinced the 'dust' we're seeing this time could represent titanium powder.

And what about the iPhone Ultra? I hear you ask. There was much debate about whether that titanium body we mentioned below would be for the iPhone Pro or a new higher-end iPhone Ultra, following on the heels of the rugged Apple Watch Ultra last year. Back in February, some even took a casual comment by Tim Cook as confirmation of the iPhone Ultra's existence. 

Alas, it seems that we probably won't be seeing the much-rumoured phone at tomorrow's Apple event. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had reported that Apple was considering adopting the Ultra branding to replace the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but he has since said that the Pro Max name will be continued for at least another year. However, he says we may get an iPhone 16 Ultra next year.

That said, while it seems we won't be getting an iPhone 15 Ultra, the latest rumours suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be more differentiated from the iPhone 15 Pro. In previous years, the Pro Max has simply been a bigger version of the Pro, but it's been suggested that this year the iPhone 15 Pro Max alone will get an upgraded telephoto lens with up to 6x optical zoom (the iPhone 14 Pro has 3x), a customisable Action button, thinner bezels, Wi-Fi 6E support and a faster A17 Bionic chip.

If all of that's true, it makes the Pro Max sound like quite a different phone. But that would make it surprising that Apple decided against the name change, so we suspect that at least some of the rumoured specs may be for next time round. Of course, these new specs would entail a price bump. It's been rumoured that Apple was aiming to justify higher prices for top-end phones, and it's been suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost around $100 / £100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which means it would start at $1,199 in the US.

Of course tomorrow's 'Wonderlust' Apple Event won't all be about the iPhone 15. While the latest smartphone is always the most obvious expectation from the September event, and the one that draws most speculation, Apple doesn't hold events to announce a single product. 

Apple events in September in previous years have also featured the launch of new Apple Watches, iPads and AirPods, and at least some of those are likely to feature this year. A new Apple Watch launch in September has now become almost as predictable as the iPhone, so we expect Apple to announce Apple Watch Series 9.

But, strangely, there haven't been many rumours about this year's addition to the Watch lineup, so we're really not sure what improvement it might make on last year's Apple Watch Series 8. It's possible that it might inherit a few features from the pricier Apple Watch Ultra, which was launched at last year's event, and there have been vague rumours about Apple working on blood sugar and blood pressure sensors. An Apple Watch Ultra 2 doesn't seem to be coming this year.

As for iPads, last year was a little strange. Apple used to hold separate events for them a little later in the year, so we weren't surprised that there was no mention of tablets at the event last September. But then, a month later in October, it quietly dropped the iPad 10 and new iPad Pros on its online store with barely a word on the matter and no launch event. 

There have been rumours that new iPads are in development, but little solid suggestion of which will be the next release. The iPad mini is the member of the family that's most due an update since the iPad mini 6 was announced with the iPhone 13 back in 2021, so there is a chance that it might announce an iPad mini 7 if it's decided to stick with its smallest iPad. We're big fans of the mini, so we'll be happy if it does.

Apple doesn't tend to announce new Macs alongside the iPhone, so that leaves its AirPods are the other most likely candidate for a mention. We've not heard any rumours about a full new generation of either the standard AirPods or AirPods Pro, the latter of which was updated just last year with the Air Pods Pro 2.

The AirPods Max are currently the oldest member of the family, but the most likely AirPods news could be an update to existing models to replace the Lightning connectors on the charging cases with USB-C, something it's going to have to do eventually to comply with a new law on mandatory USB-C in Europe.

That's pretty much it in terms of the rumours for tomorrow's Apple Event. We're taking a break from the blog for now, but we'll be back here tomorrow, reporting live on every announcement from the Wonderlust event. I hope you can join us for it.

We couldn't resist popping back with this Watch rumour (don't get too excited though). So, the Series 9 is expected and unfortunately there's no wild new feature to report on (yet). The most we've heard is from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who says he expects to see some changes to "various sensor and internal component upgrades". Sexy stuff, right? 

Fitness fans will be pleased because he does also put his money on a new version of the optical heart sensor. I can't possibly imagine what it might do, though. 

Can't wait for new features? Did you know about this Apple Watch iPhone Camera remote that's one of our new favourite things to play with? 

Good morning Apple fans! The day is finally here. And whether or not you expect big shocks (does that even happen anymore?), if you want to know everything there is to know about the big news from Cupertino, you'll want to follow along with us today. 

You'll find the embedded video at the top when the event starts at 6pm BST/10AM PST, and we'll be offering our expert commentary, too. What more could you ask for?

If you're hoping for a new iPad launch today, prepare for disappointment – Apple hasn't recently had form when it comes to launching tablets alongside the iPhone. But in the last few years it has revealed new iPads in the Autumn, so we might finally get that OLED iPad Pro before the year is out.

Get ready for grids. Lots of grids. Apple has been using this infographic design to show off tons of information about its new products for the last few years, and we're not expecting 2023 to be any different.

While we'll be watching like everyone else at 6pm, we can't help but ask – does Apple have an iPhone event problem? With rumours and leaks increasingly spoiling every surprise, and the pre-recorded format now somewhat formulaic, it does feel a little harder to get excited about an Apple event in 2023.

One Again, there's a custom Like animation available on Twitter (sorry, X) when Liking any post with the #AppleEvent hashtag.

While the rumour mill is always busy, 2023 feels like a record year for iPhone rumours. From the addition of USB-C to a titanium body and smaller bezels, we have a pretty comprehensive idea of what to expect from the iPhone 15 Pro – take a look at our roundup of every iPhone 15 rumour we've heard.

While hardly as exciting as specs or new designs, it's always interesting to see what colours Apple chooses to release its new iPhones in. We've heard all sorts of rumours about the iPhone 15 line up, with everything from 'Crimson Red' to 'Titanium Grey' said to be on the way. In 3 hours we'll find out...

Tim's up early.

Apple's first major new product announcement in years, the Vision Pro launch made waves during WWDC back in June. While Apple probably won't dedicate a ton of time to the new device, it'll probably want to remind viewers about its VR headset, and might reveal some new details along the way. At $3,499, Vision Pro is almost ludicrously expensive, but with two displays, each the size of a postage stamp, and featuring 23 million pixels ("more than a 4K TV for each eye"), the sheer specs of the thing do sound impressive. 

With only hours to go until they disappear to the great concept art graveyard in the sky, let's take a look at some of the most interesting iPhone 15 concepts we've seen over the past 12 months, starting with this delightful Apple Watch Ultra-inspired design, complete with bright orange Action Button.

We've also seen a whole bunch of iPhone 15 Pro concepts featuring four camera lenses, bringing us ever closer to those memes in which the entire back of the iPhone is made of lenses. As far as we know, all rumours point to a standard three-lens setup once again this time around.

Here's another brilliant Apple Event bingo card, this time courtesy of Basic Apple Guy. 

Less than an hour to go! Don't forget you can watch the entire event at the top of this page.

The iPhone camera bump has been getting ludicrously large for years now, and rumour has it it'll be getting even bigger this year. We'll know very soon, but fingers crossed it isn't too gargantuan... 

We've heard some pretty wild rumours concerning a major redesign for the Apple Watch Series 10, but intel suggests we're in for a fairly incremental update with the Apple Watch Series 9, with the same design as the 8. 

30 minutes to go.

Apple offers plenty of options for viewing its events, including right on its homepage or via its YouTube page. But of course you can watch it right here, via the video above.

Cross it off the bingo card! We're starting with an Apple favourite – the montage of people whose lives have been saved by the Apple Watch.

There we go, Tim says we're focussing on "two products" – the Apple Watch and iPhone. No iPads or Macs this year, then.

The rumours were true – say hello to the Apple Watch Series 9, the firs to come in pink. And it's powered by a brand new S9 chip.

Now this is cool. Apple Watch Series 9 features Double Tap, which lets you activate certain features just by tapping your fingers, thanks to the S9 chip.

Leather is out. As part of the company's commitment to the environment, it's being replaced with a new, fabric-based Watch strap called 'FineWoven'.

Here's the new Apple Watch Ultra 2, with a brighter new display and the ultra wideband S9 chip.

Attention, grid fans! 

It's official – Dynamic Island is on the standard iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15 features a new contoured edge, and comes in 5 bright colours.

And there we have it – the worst-kept secret of the year is true. The iPhone 15 features USB-C. 

And the second-worst kept secret of the year is true too – the iPhone 15 Pro is made of titanium.

And here's the final spec sheet of the day – everything there is to know about the iPhone 15 Pro.