Five Realistic Predictions For Apple's iPhone Event 2022

September is right around the corner and with it will almost certainly come an announcement of new iPhone 14 models. The iPhone event is an important one for Apple as the product represents a significant portion of revenue for the company and is still an influence on its competition. While the iPhone is the primary reason to tune into the event, it won't be the only product announced.

Most likely we'll see a new Apple Watch in some shape or form. We might get a long-awaited update for an audio product that is long in the tooth. Apple has also used these times to promote its Apple TV Plus shows and movies so there's reason to see what the company is showing off as soon as September 7. The speculation below is based on analyst information, investor calls, supply chain leaks and other reports. From it, there are five solid things that are realistically possible to happen at the event.

1) More Differentation Between iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro Models

From several different accounts, it seems that the upcoming iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro lines will diverge more than they have in the past. For the last few years, the choice between whether to get a Pro iPhone or not has really come down to the camera system and screen size—with a few technical details mixed in for good measure. If you wanted the biggest screen possible you had to buy the Pro Max iPhone. If you didn't think you needed a third camera, you might be able to save some money with the non-Pro model.

Apple's latest A-series processors, and thus most of the speed and battery life performance, have been nearly equal between Pro and non-Pro iPhones. That trend may stop this year and the regular iPhone 14 may continue to use the same A15 Bionic chip as the iPhone 13 while the Pro model gets a new processor. There could be supply chain constraints behind the scenes leading to this decision or it could be strictly for more differentiation—a Pro phone should theoretically be faster than a non-Pro one.

Along with the processor, there's a good chance that the iPhone Pro line will get an always-on-display feature. Code in iOS 16 beta software suggests you'll be able to see widgets on the lock screen continually, even when the display is "off." The Pro phones are rumored to get rid of the notch and be replaced with a display that has a "hole punch" look, similar to what a lot of Android phones have.

And of course, there will most likely be differences in at least one of the cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro. The indication is that an iPhone this year will ship with a 48 MP sensor, up from the previous 12 MP one.

2) Higher iPhone Prices

Plan on seeing higher prices for at least some of the iPhones announced this year. One analyst estimates we could see a 15-percent increase in the average selling price of iPhones 14. Inflation? Maybe. Increased manufacturing costs? Maybe. More profits from Apple's most popular product? Certainly.

Apple has managed to raise prices on its products occasionally without taking a major publicity hit. This year, it's likely to do that by offering an iPhone 14 with a larger screen. The iPhone 14 Max, as it may be called, would be cheaper than needing to buy an iPhone 14 Pro Max for consumers, but still increases the average selling price of Apple's phones.

There's also speculation that the base model of the Pro line of phones will receive a price increase as well. Whether that comes with more storage or other perks is unknown, but anyone considering the advanced phone should get used to the idea of spending more for the device than they did last time.

3) New Apple Watch Models

By all accounts, there will continue to be at least one new Apple Watch like there have been the previous years. This year, however, indications are strong that Apple is working on a larger model that may be a Pro version of the wearable device.

What makes a professional watch? The rumors revolve around a larger screen and body size that would allow for a physically bigger battery to fit inside. The casing may be made out of a stronger, premium material to protect it if used for extreme sports. Samsung recently announced its Galaxy Watch5 Pro which pitches similar features for a premium price.

At some point, it's expected that the Apple Watch will gain a temperature sensor. There are reports that it has been tested internally for some time so this could be the year it's added to the line of Series 8 watches. It's more uncertain whether we'll see a new Apple Watch SE model this September, but that's a possibility, considering the new watchOS announced in June will no longer run on the Series 3 watch—that's still being sold as of August 2022.

4) AirPods Pro 2nd Generation

AirPods Pro debuted in 2019. Following the progression of the standard AirPods, it would be likely that new higher-end earbuds are going to be released soon. The biggest question is not when, however, but what? What will the new AirPods Pro offer?

Here, it's easy to get the basics from looking at the third-generation AirPods. We can surmise that a new generation of AirPods Pro will get a slight redesign to accommodate better acoustics, better ear detection and differentiation from the older model. A few different reports also indicate that the charging case is likely to get a speaker to be able to play a sound when searching for lost earbuds through the Find My app. Beyond that, the specifics remain a mystery. AirPods Pro could possibly get fitness-focused features, but reports about that have been contradictory thus far.

5) A Fifty-Fifty Shot at New iPads in September

There appear to be new iPads on the way, both a regular one and iPad Pros, but will either of them debut at this iPhone-focused event in September? For the last several quarters, Apple has noted to investors that it has allocated some iPad resources towards making sure the iPhone had the components it needed. The company may simply need more time to build a stock of its tablets.

Apple hedges release times by saying its new operating systems will come out in the fall. But now it looks like iPadOS will be delayed a month longer than iOS, and come out in October. That's one indication that new iPads aren't quite ready yet. Does it make more sense for Apple to hold new iPads for an event in October that could also bring new Macs? It's a toss-up that could go either way as we sit a couple of weeks out from the iPhone event.