The iPhone 14 release date is likely to be sooner than expected

We knew the iPhone 14 was imminent, but now it appears to be even more imminent-er: the iPhone 14 launch date is now expected to be Wednesday 7 September, a week earlier than most pundits had predicted. That's the day after Labor Day in the US, and it means Apple will get to notch up an extra week of pre-orders during September compared to previous years.

According to Bloomberg the event will be online, but Apple is likely to show it at its Apple Park campus for invited guests and press, much like it did for WWDC 2022 earlier this year. Pre-orders will open after the keynote event, with the iPhone 14 arriving in stores and shipping to pre-order customers a week later.

Another reason for the earlier iPhone launch date is to make room for a second event in October, where Apple will unveil new iPads and MacBook Pros.

What to expect from the iPhone 14 launch and October's Apple event

On 7 September we can expect the iPhone 14, the iPhone 14 Max, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Although some rumours predict we'll also see an iPhone 14 mini that seems spectacularly unlikely, but we may see an older iPhone model replace the current entry level phone, which is the iPhone 11.

The iPhone 14 launch will also be the Apple Watch Series 8 launch, and we should also get iOS 16 and watchOS 9 on that date – but not iPadOS 16 or macOS Ventura. They're coming a month later, most likely with an M2 iPad Pro and a USB-C entry-level iPad. We might also see M2-based Mac mini, Mac Pro and MacBook Pro models, although it's possible they might come shortly afterwards.

If the reported timescales are correct, Apple should start sending the launch invites for the iPhone 14 even to its media contacts next week.