iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11R and 11 Max: Price, specs and features we expect on Sept. 10

The 2020 iPhone sounds amazing. But what exactly are we going to see this Tuesday?

By
• Justin Jaffe

September 7, 2019 4:09 PM PDT

• 99+

Angela Lang/CNET

There's three days to go until Apple unveils its next-generation iPhone on Sept. 10 in Cupertino (exactly when we predicted it would). And Apple faces some real challenges in making what's expected -- a handful of modest changes -- sound like must-haves. Further ramping up the degree of difficulty is that the most exciting rumors about forthcoming Apple phones don't concern the iPhone 11. Instead, the really cool stuff -- including the 5G iPhone, the folding iPhone, the iPhone with the laser-guided 3D time-of-flight camera and in-display fingerprint sensor -- is slated for 2020 (or beyond). 

So, then, what exactly are we getting this year? 

Watch this: Apple iPhone 11: The top 5 rumors

3:47

According to a series of reports published over the past few months -- which range from authoritative sources like Bloomberg and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, to Twitter leakers and rumormongers on the fringe -- the iPhone 2019 will probably be a whole lot like the 2018 iPhone. Not exactly the same. But pretty similar.
Read more: Everything the iPhone 11 needs to be successful
Which means that on Sept. 10, Apple is going to try to get us excited about a lot of incremental upgrades: more advanced cameras, faster chips, the next version of the operating system (that's iOS 13) and perhaps new colors (including dark green). And yet, the flagship iPhone 11 is likely to cost just as much as the iPhone XS, with a starting price around $1,000. (Note that this is all conjecture; the company did not respond to our request for comment.)
Read more: 8 features I want real bad in the iPhone 11

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Meanwhile, with Apple playing it safe this year, Samsung, Google and Huawei continue to deliver eye-catching phones stocked with innovative features -- phones that are often considerably less expensive than the iPhone -- blazing the trail for the next generation of mobile technology. Sure, some of those efforts have been more successful than others. But Apple executives were undoubtedly paying attention when Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 10 on Aug. 7. (Perhaps they were heartened by the media's response, which mostly focused on the phone's lack of a headphone jack -- a shift Apple made years ago.)
Read more: iPhone 11 en Español

Watch this: The 2019 iPhone lineup may give you deja vu

7:16

Still, you can never count out Apple. Despite decreasing profits, the headwinds of a US-China trade war and executive attrition, the iPhone remains a premium product sold by a premium brand. The company may yet surprise us on Sept. 10 with revolutionary features or distinctive aesthetics. 
Read more: Apple aims for iPhone 11 services-fueled rebound even as current iPhone sales dip
As we count down the days until the iPhone 11 debut, we'll continue to collect the most credible and interesting rumors about the next models' specs, features and prices right here. So, check back often.

Confirmed: Apple to host launch event on Sept. 10

Apple

It's official. Apple will host an event on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. PT, at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. The company usually announces new phones in mid-September, and CNET predicted that the big day would fall on the 10th this year. There were hints, too: iHelpBR (via MacRumors) dug into the iOS 13 beta code and found a screenshot of the iPhone calendar showing that particular date, echoing a similar image found ahead of last year's launch date. 
Read more: Here's when Apple will announce the 2019 iPhones
According to our math, the Sept. 10 launch date suggests an in-store release and shipping date of Friday, Sept. 20, though it's possible that one or more of the phones could ship later. In 2018, Apple unveiled three phones on Thursday, Sept. 13 and released the first two, the iPhone XS and XS Max, on Friday, Sept. 21, with the iPhone XR shipping more than a month later, on Oct. 26.

Rumor: Three new models -- the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11R and iPhone 11 Max

Apple will introduce three new iPhone models this fall, according to the Wall Street Journal. They are expected to include a "budget" successor to the iPhone XR, a midrange flagship like the iPhone XS and a supersize model in the vein of the iPhone XS Max. 
The consensus is that Apple will call its next flagship the iPhone 11, and that part feels like a no-brainer. But as to the names of the particular models -- all bets are off. The company has traditionally reserved the "Pro" designation for its highest-end products: the MacBook Pro laptop, the iPad Pro tablet, the forthcoming $6,000 Mac Pro desktop and, perhaps starting in 2019, its most premium iPhone.