When Will the iPhone 15 Arrive in Stores?

By now, we all know that Apple is holding a particular Wonderlust occasion subsequent Tuesday, September 12, the place it’ll virtually definitely announce this yr’s iPhone 15 lineup. What’s much less clear, although, is when these new iPhone fashions will truly go on sale in retail shops and land in keen prospects’ arms.

Technically talking, we don’t even know with full certainty that Apple will unveil its new iPhone lineup at subsequent week’s occasion. In spite of everything, it’s merely despatched out a obscure announcement that it’s holding an occasion — it hasn’t even actually hinted at what we will count on. We additionally don’t even know for positive that it is going to be referred to as the “iPhone 15.”

Nonetheless, when the solar comes up daily, you type of take it without any consideration. In 13 years of iPhone releases, Apple has at all times debuted its new iPhone lineup within the fall, and with solely two exceptions, that’s been executed at a September occasion. In actual fact, Apple is so predictable on this regard that you would be able to usually slender it right down to the precise date of the occasion lengthy earlier than Apple sends out the formal invitations.

Likewise, though Apple dabbled in off-year “S” fashions throughout a lot of the earlier decade, it appears to have lastly settled on a easy, sequentially-numbered naming conference for its new iPhone fashions within the 2020s. Therefore, it’s a really protected guess this yr’s lineup would be the iPhone 15, with the one actual wildcard being whether or not Apple will select to go together with the standard iPhone 15 Professional Max moniker for the biggest flagship mannequin or change issues up by adopting “iPhone 15 Extremely.”

Actually, the latter is much less of a mouthful. It additionally looks as if it might match comfortably alongside the similarly-sized iPhone 15 Plus, and if rumors are true, the premium 6.7-inch iPhone often is the just one to get a considerably improved periscope lens system. This might set it other than the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Professional in a approach that requires a extra distinctive title.

When Will the iPhone 15 Go on Sale?

In the identical approach that Apple’s fall iPhone occasions are predictable virtually to the day, we will make some very protected assumptions about when the brand new iPhone fashions will likely be launched to the general public.

For this yr’s iPhone 15 lineup, that’s prone to be Friday, September 22, per week after preorders open subsequent Friday, September 15.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply each new iPhone 15 mannequin will likely be accessible on these dates.

Whether or not Apple holds its occasion on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, it has practically at all times opened preorders on the Friday instantly following that occasion. The only real exception to this was in 2015 when it opted to shift preorders to a Saturday out of respect for September 11, which landed on a Friday that yr. This is among the explanation why Apple generally holds its iPhone occasions on Wednesdays; the opposite is to keep away from the Tuesday instantly following Labor Day.

Even when Apple held its iPhone occasion in October — the 2011 iPhone 4S and the 2020 iPhone 12 lineup — preorders or a minimum of some fashions opened on the next Friday. That mentioned, Apple doesn’t at all times open up preorders for all of its iPhone fashions on the identical time, and the iPhone 12 is among the greatest examples of that; the 2 6.1-inch fashions, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Professional, went up for preorder immediately whereas the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Professional Max had been delayed one other three weeks, pushing them into November. The identical occurred with the iPhone X in 2017 and the iPhone XR in 2019.

Nonetheless, Apple has at all times had some new iPhone fashions accessible for preorder on the Friday following its occasion. As soon as preorders open, in-store availability and shipments to prospects practically at all times exit to reach by the next Friday. As soon as once more, 2015 was the outlier right here: it took virtually two weeks (13 days) from the Saturday preorders earlier than the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s arrived.

Apple additionally did an uncommon factor with the iPhone 14 Plus final yr, which was its first 6.7-inch normal iPhone mannequin. Whereas preorders opened alongside the opposite iPhone 14 fashions, those that opted to purchase an iPhone 14 Plus needed to wait 4 weeks earlier than they may get their arms on one — it didn’t arrive in shops till October.

There’s a slight chance Apple might do one thing related this yr. Rumors have urged that the iPhone 15 Professional Max (iPhone 15 Extremely?) has been dealing with some manufacturing delays. These by no means appeared vital sufficient that Apple would delay opening preorders for the brand new mannequin, but it surely might have pushed availability again, much like final yr’s iPhone 14 Plus.

The excellent news is that newer experiences counsel these manufacturing issues have been resolved, and people fashions are again on observe — a minimum of with sufficient inventory ranges to deal with preliminary preorder demand with out making prospects really feel like they’re coming into a lottery. Nonetheless, provides should still be considerably constrained in these preliminary weeks, so should you actually desire a shiny new iPhone 15 Extremely, you could need to set your alarm for preorder day and get your bid in as quickly as doable.