iPhone 11 launch: Apple confirms event date and time for release date

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, speaks during an Apple event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on September 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Apple has announced when it will unveil the iPhone 11 to the world.

The company's next major launch event will take place on 10 September in California, the company said in invitations sent to the press.

During that event, Apple is expected to show off three new phones: the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The outside of those phones is thought to be largely similar to the current iPhone line-up, but they will have improved cameras and other internal hardware.

The invitation appears to offer what might be a clue about the new phone. It features a colourful Apple logo, which recalls the old design of Apple's classic iMacs – and Apple has already been rumoured to be offering a nostalgic, rainbow-themed version of the iPhone this year.

The phones will almost certainly arrive around a week and a half after the event. Previous release schedules suggest the phones could arrive around 20 September – and, for the first time, Apple is expected to release all three of them at once.

As well as the iPhones, Apple could also reveal new Apple Watches, MacBooks, iPads and other products. While a host of other products have been rumoured to be launching, nothing has been confirmed – and Apple occasionally pushes such other launches to another event in October, to ensure that the iPhone gets sufficient attention.

Apple should also reveal the release date of iOS 13, its new operating system for iPhones and iPads. That software appears to have run into some problems, with the company seemingly pushing some of its main features into later in the year – and the event will presumably serve as an opportunity for the company to explain that strange release schedule.

The event will be held in Apple's Steve Jobs Theater, which was built as part of its vast new California campus, specifically for events of this kind. It was first used to introduce the iPhone X and 8 in 2017, and has played host to a number of press events since.