This year's most important Apple event preview: Saying goodbye to the iPhone 15, notch display, and Lightning port

On September 12th, at 10:00 am Pacific Time, Apple will kick off the annual "Wonderlust" product launch event at its California headquarters, marking the beginning of the upcoming holiday shopping season.

The consensus expectation is that the new products unveiled at this event will mainly focus on three categories: the iPhone 15 series, the 9th generation smartwatch, and the second-generation AirPods Pro wireless earphones with USB-C charging ports. In addition, several major operating systems will also receive updates.

Analysts believe that smartphones, smartwatches, and wireless earphones are the core of Apple's ecosystem, accounting for approximately 60% of the company's total revenue. This does not include the revenue generated from additional digital services such as Apple Music.

On Friday, September 8th, during the midday session of the US stock market, Apple rose by 1%, rebounding from a two-week low and ending a two-day decline that amounted to a total of 6.4%.

Wallstreetcn has summarized information from various media sources and provided the following preview of the key points of the new products:

iPhone 15 and Plus will eliminate the notch and upgrade the main camera sensor to the configuration of last year's high-end model

The camera upgrade will be one of the "most significant highlights" of the next generation iPhone 15 series. Apple is believed to hope that this will "influence the potential buyer base and the demand for upgrades from existing users."

This year, Apple is expected to release four models: the standard version of the iPhone 15 and Plus, as well as the high-end 15 Pro and Pro Max. There is still controversy in the industry regarding whether Pro Max will retain its original name or be renamed "Ultra," with the latter being more in line with Apple's naming trend for its highest-end devices.

The iPhone 15 and Plus are expected to adopt aluminum frames and glass backs, similar to the previous standard models. They will continue to feature 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, and will follow the trend set by the iPhone 14 Pro last year by eliminating the notch and using a "Dynamic Island" design, which can be considered a significant visual change for the standard models.

The camera performance of these two basic models will be significantly improved, with the main camera sensor being upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels, matching the resolution of the main camera of last year's iPhone 14 Pro high-end model.

According to TrendForce, a market research firm in the high-tech industry, both the standard version of the iPhone 15 and Plus will be equipped with stacked camera sensors provided by Sony, which can capture more light and improve the dynamic range of photos. At the same time, the color options for the iPhone 15 and Plus models are expected to include pink, black, white, blue, and yellow. The starting prices for the base models will remain the same as the previous generation, at $799 and $899 respectively.

Pro The high-end version features titanium alloy for weight reduction, removes the mute switch, and upgrades the chip to A17 . Max camera zoom capabilities greatly improved

For the higher-end iPhone Pro and Pro Max series, there will be more significant changes in terms of appearance.

For example, they will adopt a new design that replaces the stainless steel on the sides, which is prone to fingerprint marks, with titanium alloy. This departure from tradition, which has been in place since the 10th-anniversary model iPhone X, will make the phone more durable and reduce its weight by about 10%.

The screens of the latest high-end models will appear slightly larger, as the bezels around the screen will be reduced by about one-third. It is rumored that Apple has used a new manufacturing process called LIPO (Low Injection Pressure Overmolding) to create thinner bezels.

In addition, the high-end models are expected to retain the frosted glass back panel, which is the same as the previous generation, but the edges connecting the sides and the front may not be as sharp as before. The available colors for the phones are gray, black, deep blue, and white. Due to higher demand, Wall Street expects the high-end models to be priced $100 higher.

Unlike the iPhone 15 and Plus standard models, which will use the A16 chip from last year's Pro phones, this year's Pro version will have a performance advantage. It will feature a faster speed, improved battery life, and the latest 3-nanometer process-based A17 bionic chip, along with additional memory.

The back of the Pro high-end models will be equipped with three cameras, including a 48-megapixel sensor. The new telephoto and ultra-wide-angle lenses will have higher resolution than the sensors in last year's Pro series.

The biggest camera upgrade will be specifically for the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which will feature a periscope telephoto lens to enhance the device's optical zoom capabilities. Guo Mingchi, known as the "most accurate Apple analyst on the planet," previously stated that this lens will support optical zoom of up to 5x or 6x, while the current optical zoom limit for the iPhone 14 Pro model is 3x.

The Pro high-end models are also rumored to replace the mute switch button on the side of the phone, marking the first time this feature has been replaced since the launch of the first-generation iPhone in 2007. This switch will be transformed into an "operational button". The operation button of this feature is inspired by last year's Apple Watch Ultra. Users can customize it to handle various functions, including muting the phone, activating "Focus Mode," turning on the flashlight, launching the camera, starting recording, opening Siri shortcuts, accessing the magnifier, and opening accessibility settings.

It is reported that the Pro series models will also undergo a redesign to match the improved aluminum chassis of the base iPhone 14, making the phone easier to repair and providing support for Wi-Fi 6E.

All four new phones will switch from Lightning to USB-3 ports, the notch will disappear, and wireless charging will be faster

In addition to their respective updates, all four models of the iPhone 15 will be equipped with the "U2" ultra-wideband semiconductor, which is the latest Apple UWB chip since the introduction of the U1 in the iPhone 11 Pro in 2019. This chip will enhance the device's positioning and tracking capabilities, and Apple plans to add it to the next generation of all major products.

All four new phone models will switch from Lightning to USB-C ports for wired charging and data transfer. Last year marked the tenth anniversary of the Lightning port, but the higher USB 3.2 data transfer speed will only be available on the Pro models. The 15 and Plus standard versions will adopt the common specification of Android phones, which is USB 2.0 speed.

At the same time, all four new phone models will receive 35W faster wireless charging speed and replace the notch with a dynamic island. The dynamic island is an interactive area surrounding the front camera and Face ID "face recognition" sensor, displaying customized information such as system alerts and real-time activities. Apple will also stop producing phone cases and switch to more environmentally friendly materials.

There may not be significant changes in the appearance of the Apple Watch, the base model will upgrade its chip for the first time in three years, and the sports model screen will be upgraded to Micro LED

In the field of smartwatches, Apple is expected to simultaneously release the ninth-generation base model watch, the Apple Watch Series 9, and the second-generation extreme sports model, the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The ninth-generation base model watch will retain the previous sizes, available in 41mm and 45mm versions, while the second-generation Ultra will also maintain its 49mm size. The appearance of all watches will be the same as last year's models, with the base model having a design similar to the fourth-generation watch introduced in 2018.

However, Apple may emphasize the performance of the watch, especially the improvement in processing speed.

The basic model of the watch will be equipped with a new chip for the first time since the upgrade of the processor of the 6th generation watch in 2020. The new chip is based on the A15 chip and includes new health features such as heart rate monitoring and a Bluetooth database.

Both new generations of watches will be equipped with U2 ultra-wideband chips to improve the find and track functions. Their sensors and internal components will also be upgraded, focusing on speed, efficiency, and accuracy, and an Apple optical heart rate sensor will be added.

The more advanced second-generation Ultra watch may use a Micro LED display, with colors and clarity surpassing the current OLED screen. It may also use more recyclable metals and come with new color options, such as a full black titanium version.

There have been rumors that Apple is testing 3D-printed cases for Apple watches after 3D printing components for the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. The company may also abandon some leather straps and stainless steel straps since 2015.

Overall, the market does not have high hopes for the "major upgrade" of Apple's new generation of smartwatches. Apple is likely to save this surprise for the 10th anniversary version of the Apple Watch, "Watch X," which will be released next year. This may include a thinner case and a magnetic strap connection system.

Some tech media have admitted:

"The most obvious difference in this year's new watch is the faster processor and fresh color choices. In terms of new features, this can be considered the smallest upgrade in the history of the product. If you spent $799 on the Apple Watch Ultra last year, you probably won't have the desire to buy it again this year."

AirPods headphones may only update the USB-C charging case, add conversation awareness function, and regular software updates for multiple operating systems

As one of Apple's best-selling products, AirPods Pro 2 is expected to introduce a new USB-C charging port case, which is a major innovation for Apple's wireless headphone product line, as AirPods have been using the Lightning port since their debut. The company also plans to provide USB-C charging for its low-end AirPods and AirPods Max as early as next year.

The wireless headphones to be released this year are not expected to receive any other major hardware upgrades. Software updates will bring improved automatic device switching, the ability to mute and unmute through the AirPods themselves, and a new feature called "conversation awareness" that automatically mutes the current media when someone starts talking to the wearer of the headphones. According to reports, Apple is still developing new health features for the AirPods product line, including temperature sensing and a new hearing test system, but these enhanced features may not be released this fall. Next year's wireless headphones may also be equipped with the H2 chip.

In addition, Apple is expected to announce software updates for mainstream products next week, including iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 13, watchOS 10, and tvOS 16.

Mac computers, iPad tablets, and other hardware devices may not make an appearance at the fall event, but there are rumors that the iPad Mini will soon be updated with a new design, narrower bezels, and a USB-C port, and it may also receive an upgraded processor chip.

Of course, those who are interested in Apple are eager to learn more about the mixed reality headset Vision Pro, which was launched in June this year and will be officially released next year. There is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of content and especially gaming. Some speculate that Apple may use the fall event to create momentum for Vision Pro and provide more opportunities for close observation.