It’s that time of year again—Apple is gearing up to unveil its latest iPhone 16 lineup at its upcoming event next Monday, Sept. 9. But if you’re planning to upgrade right away, don’t rush to the Apple Store as soon as the event wraps up, because the new iPhones won’t be available for purchase just yet.
Apple is known for being consistent with its product release timelines, and this year is expected to follow the same pattern. We’ll share when we anticipate the iPhone 16 will go on sale after the event, as well as when you can expect to download iOS 18—the latest software update—for your current iPhone.
As for pricing, the exact cost of the iPhone 16 models is still unknown. For reference, the iPhone 15 lineup starts at $799 and goes up to $1,599 for the 15 Pro with 1TB of storage. It’ll be interesting to see if Apple sticks to similar price points or introduces new configurations at different price tiers, as they have done in the past.
Want to stay tuned during Apple’s big reveal? Here’s how you can watch the iPhone 16 announcement. (We’ll share our live blog link closer to the event.)
When can I buy the new iPhone 16? Although we won’t have an official release date for the iPhone 16 until the event on Monday, we can make an educated guess based on Apple’s typical schedule. Here’s our expected timeline:
- Monday, Sept. 9: Apple’s official event (confirmed)
- Friday, Sept. 13: Preorders begin
- Week of Sept. 16: iOS 18 available for download
- Friday, Sept. 20: iPhone 16 and other new devices hit stores
These dates are speculative, aside from the confirmed event. Apple usually opens preorders the Friday following the event, so preorders for the iPhone 16 will likely begin on Friday, Sept. 13. If Apple sticks to its usual timing, the iPhone 16 should be available for purchase in stores starting Friday, Sept. 20.
What about the new Apple Watch and AirPods that are expected to be announced alongside the iPhone 16? Historically, these products have followed the same release timeline, though there have been occasional delays. It’s possible one or more of these could launch a bit later—potentially even in October.
When can I download iOS 18? If you’re not planning to buy the iPhone 16, you can still give your older device a fresh feel by upgrading to iOS 18 (assuming your model is eligible, which includes most iPhones released in the past six years). While the exact release date for iOS 18 won’t be confirmed until the event, it’s likely to become available the week after, possibly as early as Monday, Sept. 16, or mid-week.
We’ll update with official dates for the new hardware and software once Apple makes its announcements on Monday.