Apple is all but certain to unveil the iPhone 15 line in just a few weeks’ time, with the company having now revealed the official date for its September 2023 Apple event.
Cryptically dubbed ‘Wonderlust’, we’re expecting this event to play host to the launch of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (which may end up being called the iPhone 15 Ultra).
Below, we’ve made our best guess at the actual iPhone 15 release date, using rumors and Apple’s existing track record of iPhone releases to inform our prediction.
When will the iPhone 15 be released?
Apple will announce the release date for the iPhone 15 at its annual iPhone launch event, which is due to be held on Tuesday, September 12 this year. iPhone 15 pre-orders will likely begin a few days later on Friday, September 15, with shipping dates following another week later on Friday, September 22.
Official poster for Apple’s ‘Wonderlust’ September 2023 event (Image credit: Apple)
How did we get those dates, you ask? Well, Apple itself confirmed the date of its upcoming September event on Tuesday, August 29, having sent out invites to potential attendees via email.
That said, we’ve long expected that September 12 would be the date of the iPhone 15 launch. Apple generally picks the first or second week of September for its annual iPhone launches, and usually opts for a Tuesday, though occasionally the company goes for a Wednesday in weeks that coincide with Labor Day Monday in the United States.
The 2022 (read: iPhone 14) edition of Apple’s September event, for instance, fell on Wednesday, September 7, with three of the four iPhone 14 models announced at the time going on sale just over a week later, on September 16 (the iPhone 14 Plus became available on October 7).
The iPhone 15 is expected to borrow design features from the iPhone 14 Pro (above) (Image credit: Future / Apple)
Labor Day is happening on Monday, September 4 this year, so it figures that Apple has decided to host its next event on Tuesday, September 12.
Going by Apple’s previous iPhone launch strategies, the iPhone 15 line will therefore likely become available to pre-order on Friday, September 15, with shipping dates following another week later on Friday, September 22.
For context, these were the on-sale dates for Apple’s previous five iPhones:
iPhone 14 – September 16, 2022iPhone 13 – September 24, 2021iPhone 12 – October 23, 2020iPhone 11 – September 20, 2019iPhone XS – September 21, 2018
As you can see, an on-sale date of Friday, September 22 for the iPhone 15 line would be in keeping with the general trend of previous iPhone launches (notwithstanding the iPhone 12 series, which suffered pandemic-induced delays).
It’s worth noting, however, that nothing is set in stone just yet. Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan – who correctly predicted that the iPhone 12 would be delayed in 2020 – recently suggested that the entire iPhone 15 line could be delayed until late October, owing to production hiccups regarding iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max displays, so we’d still take any iPhone 15 release date rumors with a pinch of salt.
More recent rumors have also hinted that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could face worrying delays due to camera sensor shortages, with analysts predicting that this particular device could ship “three to four weeks later” than other models in the iPhone 15 lineup. If accurate, the iPhone 15 Pro Max would begin shipping sometime between Friday, October 13 and Friday, October 20.
Apple has delayed specific iPhone models in new iPhone lineups before. As recently as last year, the iPhone 14 Plus shipped almost a month later than the rest of the iPhone 14 family, and in 2020, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max arrived a few weeks after the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
However, such a significant shipping delay for any model in the iPhone 15 series would seriously scramble the company’s Q3 financials (an October release would come in Q4), so we expect Apple to stay the course for a September launch this year.
Might Apple debut the iPhone 15 Ultra in 2023? (Image credit: Future | Apple)
It’s also worth reiterating here that, although the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro are shoo-ins for this year’s event, the iPhone 15 Pro Max may yet arrive as the iPhone 15 Ultra.
Most leakers now claim that Apple is saving its first Ultra-level iPhone for 2024 – meaning the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the company’s most premium 2023 device – though there remains a chance that the iPhone 15 Ultra could still release this year.
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