Apple’s next online-only launch set for Oct. 13, 5G iPhone 12 expected

This story is part of Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple headquarters.

Apple has set the date for its latest iPhone’s debut. The new device, which is expected to include super-fast 5G wireless connectivity and a new, iPad-inspired design, will be unveiled on Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PT. Like Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and its September Apple Watch and iPad announcements, the iPhone event will be held entirely online amid continued concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Apple’s event will be streamed via its website.

Apple’s fall product launch this year is expected to touch off a wave of upgrade purchases, analysts say, with fans eyeing the iPhone’s rumored new 5G capabilities and boxier look, similar to that of the iPad Pro. A “staggering” 53% of respondents plan to buy this year’s iPhone, according to a survey by electronics reseller Decluttr. Flashier rivals — such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 2 5G, with its foldable display, or Microsoft’s Surface Duo, with two screens sandwiched together — offer new spins on the standard metal-and-glass smartphone construction. But most consumers will be gravitating toward what they know.

And even if the new iPhone only offers a few new bells and whistles beyond a different outer design, it’ll draw the lion’s share of attention.

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Apple’s invite, which often has some clues, this time has an Apple logo inside circles with different colored hues of blue, orange and red. And there’s the pun, “Hi, Speed.”

This year, Apple’s expected to again announce three new models of its iPhone, replacing the $799 iPhone 11, $999 iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, which started at $1,099 when it launched in 2019. The prices are expected to largely remain the same, but Apple’s expected to upgrade the devices’ features, including better cameras, faster chips and the company’s newest software, iOS 14.

Apple holding its event over the internet isn’t the only thing that sets its iPhone announcements apart from previous years. The device is also arriving later in the year than it typically does, with analysts expecting either a late October or early November launch for Apple’s newest handsets. That’s about a month later than typical iPhone launches, something Apple warned about in July when it acknowledged the new smartphones would arrive “a few weeks” later than normal.

Apple still held its typical September event, though, using it to announce new iPads, a new Apple Watch and its new Apple One subscription service. The service combines its $4.99-a-month Apple TV Plus, $9.99-a-month Apple Music, $9.99-a-month Apple News Plus and $4.99-a-month Apple Arcade gaming efforts.

Aside from its new iPhones, Apple’s event may be the first time it shows off its newest computer, powered by microprocessing chips the company calls Apple Silicon.

Apple hasn’t shared many details about its newest computers, which will replace the Intel processors Apple’s relied on for 14 years with chips similar to the ones powering its iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs. Apple said it’ll continue to sell Intel-powered computers for now, but the company said the performance improvements, battery life and easier connections with the iPhone and iPad are driving the change.

“Hardware and software is fundamental to everything we do,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said when announcing the effort this summer. “It will take Mac to the next level.”