New iPhone 2018 launch date and live stream: put 12 September in your diary

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Less than a month to go until Apple announces the successor to the iPhone X

Apple's new 2018 iPhones are set to be announced at a US event which will take place on 12 September 2018.

That's what John McCann, UK Phones Editor at TechRadar, has deduced from looking back at the dates of previous iPhone launches.

New iPhone X (2018) leaks and rumours
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Every year there's always a huge amount of hype around the annual launch of new iPhones, and 2018 is going to be no different.

The big day is almost upon us and the rumours are coming thick and fast: we're hearing there are likely to be three new iPhone X phones in the 2018 line-up, and maybe even a new iPhone SE too (though that seems less likely).

Most if not all of these new devices are set to use Apple's new 7nm A12 chip so will offer significantly enhanced performance over last year's models.

To make sure you're right up to date with everything we've heard about the successors to the iPhone X – a set of phones which all signs indicate will still be called the iPhone X for now – we've collected together all the gossip and tittle-tattle about the 2018 iPhones right here on this page.

Make sure you check back regularly for the latest news, as we piece together the puzzle of the next batch of iPhones.

Samsung Note 9 vs new iPhone XL: Apple's big play head-to-head against the latest Galaxy

At long last the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is official, which means we can start poring over its specs and design. We can also start comparing it against other phones, even if those phones aren't out yet – which in this particular case means the 2018 iPhone XL.

The Note 9 borrows heavily from the design language of the last few years of Galaxy phones – it looks a lot like the Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy S9 Plus, with a few refinements here and there. The screen size is a generous 6.4 inches.

If we can believe the rumours about what's coming with the 2018 iPhone XL, Apple's biggest phone for this year will beat the size of the Note with a 6.5-inch display. The design will remain similar to the iPhone X, with slim bezels and a display notch.

Both Samsung and Apple make some very well-designed phones, and it's going to be hard to separate these two devices on looks alone – unless you have a particular fondness for or dislike of the display notch up at the top.




According to the rumour mill, Apple is going to launch three iPhones in September, each with a different screen size and price. At the top of the pile will be the iPhone XL (if that is indeed its name), a 6.5-inch beast of a phone designed to go head-to-head with the Note 9.


Since the iPhone 5 was announced back in 2012, Apple has held its iPhone launches in the second week of September, so we have past form to point us to the next iPhone launch taking place in the week commencing 10 September 2018.

With that in mind, it's unlikely that Apple will announce the new iPhones on Monday 10. Why? Well, it hasn't launched an iPhone on a Monday since the iPhone 4 back in 2010. That's most likely because, as John points out, an event of the scale of an iPhone launch requires a lot of last-minute planning, so launching later in the week provides at least one working day ahead of the event for logistics such as flying in event staff and guests.

Tuesday 11 September also looks to be an unlikely date: that's Patriot Day, when the US observes the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.


So that leaves 12 September 2018 as the most likely launch date for the new 2018 iPhones.

As with last year, we're expecting the iPhone launch event to take place at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's new campus. We expect it follow the same starting time as last year, too, which means that it will kick off at 10am San Francisco time (that's 1pm in New York and 6pm in London).

There will be a live stream of the 2018 iPhone launch, which we're expecting to be accessible from the official Apple Events page.

Here are the previous iPhone launch dates which TechRadar compiled:

Tue 12 Sep 2017: iPhone X/8/8 Plus

Wed 7 Sept 2016: iPhone 7/7 Plus

Wed 9 Sept 2015: iPhone 6S/6S Plus

Tues 9 Sept 2014: iPhone 6/6 Plus

Tues 10 Sept 2013: iPhone 5S/5C

Wed 12 Sept, 2012: iPhone 5

Tues 4 Oct 2011: iPhone 4S

Mon 7 June 2010: iPhone 4

Mon 8 June 2009: iPhone 3GS

Mon 9 June 2008: iPhone 3G

Tues 9 Jan 2007: iPhone

As for what phones we can expect at event, we've sifted through the leaks and rumours and here's our current best guess at Apple's range of 2018 iPhones. We'll know for sure in less than a month.
 
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