➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: iPhone 14

• 🚀 Launch: iPhone 14 event likely Wednesday, September 7 at 1pm ET

• 🛍️ Pre-order: Order time is expected Friday, September 9 at 8am ET

• 📆 Shipments: In stores on Friday, September 16

• ⌚ What else? Apple Watch 8 is also expected in 3 models

• 🕵️‍♂️ Source: Reliable Apple leaks expert Mark Gurman

iPhone 14 date, according to Apple leaks expert

The Apple iPhone 14 launch event will take place on Wednesday, September 7, a week earlier than most people expected for the unveiling of the new iPhone. Apple Watch 8 rumors also peg the new smartwatch series in three models for this date.

The news hasn’t been confirmed by Apple yet – we’re probably one week out from knowing for sure via Apple event invites – but the iPhone 14 news comes from the reliable sources of Apple leaks expert Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. Expect an iPhone 14 launch event live stream on September 7 at 1pm ET.

I also suspected that the iPhone 14 announcement would be earlier, but was off by one day (most times, Apple picks a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday). This year, the month of September begins on a Thursday, and the last time that happened (in 2016), the iPhone launch event was a week earlier. Apple usually picks the second week in September, but the debate rages on: when a month begins on a Thursday, does that count as the full first week?

The actual iPhone 14 release date

The iPhone 14 launch event on September 7 would put the actual iPhone 14 release date at Friday, September 16 (it’s always the Friday a week-and-a-half later). People looking to place an iPhone 14 pre-order would be able to do so one week prior, on Friday, September 9. The dates are now lining up for Apple fans.

This is good news if you’re eager to upgrade your older iPhone to the new version, want to try out the Apple Watch 8, refreshed Apple Watch SE, the rumored rugged Apple Watch 8. If you’re not upgrading, you can still look forward to the final version of iOS 16, Apple’s new software for recent iPhones.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro expectations

The iPhone 14 Pro is set to receive the biggest upgrade year-over-year, with changes to the Face ID camera taking center stage. It’ll have a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display replacing the camera notch and a new A16 chipset.

The two non-Pro iPhone 14 phones are thought to keep the A15 chipset year-over-year and the notch, but there won’t be an iPhone 14 Mini this year. Instead, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max or iPhone 14 Plus (no one is sure what it’ll be called yet) is said to be offering a bigger screen size (matching the iPhone 14 Pro Max) without the bells and whistles. Despite the cry for smaller iPhones, people just didn’t buy the Mini in high enough numbers – they want big screens but smaller phones. As I point out in my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review, this paves the way for foldable phones.

Apple won’t be done with the iPhone 14 event on September 7. Gurman also suggests that multiple new Macs and new high-end and low-end iPads are also on the way, and that’s likely to happen at a separate October Apple launch event.