As we are rolling into 2024, people are getting ecstatic to get their hands on new products, technologies, innovations, and features especially from Apple. Apple has impressed the masses over the years with its humongous lineup of products ranging from powerful iPhones to elegantly designed iPad Pros to MacBook Air and Pros that could drive the world crazy to name a few. We did a check on what’s cooking behind the doors at Cupertino and found out there are simply too many products and features en-route their debut in 2024. Here’s the entire Apple 2024 roadmap that should get you up to speed.
What Apple released in 2023?
For Apple, 2023 was a year full of new products and features announced left and right. As the year 2024 is rolling in, we are gearing up to receive new and improved products from the Cupertino-based giant.
However, before we could dive into the list of upcoming Apple products in 2024, let’s check out what 2023 looked like for Apple.
- iPhone 15 Series – 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
- Apple Vision Pro (slated to arrive in March 2024 we will get to it in a bit)
- M2 Mac mini
- Mac mini with M2 Pro
- 15-inch MacBook Air
- 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro
- 2023 Apple Watch Series 9
- 2023 Apple Watch Ultra 2
- M3 iMac
- A full-sized HomePod
- A Mac Pro with M2 Ultra
- A new Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra (variants)
- 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max
- iOS 17, macOS 14 Sonoma, watchOS 10
What new Apple products are coming in 2024?
Each year, Apple grabs the opportunity to showcase its innovative lineup of new products. It rolled out better iMacs and MacBooks with faster chipsets in 2023 followed by the latest iPhone 15 series and beyond. Let’s have a look at what Apple’s roadmap in 2024 looks like. Note that the tentative launch windows mentioned below might change as there are no confirmed dates available just yet.
Apple Vision Pro Headset: A Glimpse Into the Future of AR/VR
When: February/March 2024
If you saw WWDC 2023, I doubt you must be waiting for Apple Vision Pro, the Cupertino-based giant’s mixed reality (MR) headset set to make its debut in February 2024 or say, something in 2025 as there’s still some degree of debate left.
The $3,499 headset was announced at WWDC 2023 as a high-performance AR/VR headset made up of a custom aluminum alloy frame and Light Seal made to fit the user’s head making it the most ‘wearable’ headset out there. It uses two UHD displays boasting 23 million pixels to showcase the sharpest of images on-screen that stand at 100 ft wide.
Apple Vision Pro headsets are a powerhouse with a built-in M2 SoC paired with an R1 chip that handles an array of five sensors, six mics, and 12 cameras, each tasked with various functions that lets you enjoy AR/VR on board. The headsets have sophisticated eye-tracking feature that uses LEDs and other elements to track eye movements helping you control the user interface
Apple Vision Pro is compatible with ultra wideband powered iPhones which includes the iPhone 15 series. The phones recently got an iOS 17.2 update that had spatial recording capability using Vision Pro.
New iPads
iPad Mini 7 2024
When: March 2024 (Speculated)
Time and again, we have been hearing about the iPad Mini and the various rumors around the next-gen slate. As Apple is strengthening its iPad lineup by distinguishing the Airs from Pros, the iPad Mini 7 is in the pipeline too as an entry-level offering.
Slated to launch sometime in the second half of 2024, the iPad Mini 7 is expected to arrive with the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic chip (at least). It could get a “new processor” although tipster Ming-chi Kuo didn’t explicitly mention any specific chipset which leaves us with A16 as the top contender since the current-gen iPad mini has A15.
The current-gen uses a 12MP rear plus 12MP ultrawide front camera and we are expecting an upgraded camera array for the Mini 7.
Moving on, we expect new colors to be added apart from Purple, Pink, Starlight, and Space Gray. We aren’t expecting any major redesign so it might look exactly like the 2021 iPad mini. There’s speculation doing the rounds according to which iPad Mini 7 will pack in Bluetooth v5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E for better connectivity.
iPad Air
When: March 2024
Currently, there’s little differentiation between the entire iPad series as it ranges from 7.9” to 12.9”. However, 2024 is the year when Apple will make a clear distinction between the various models.
The iPad Air will be a low-powered sibling to the iPad Pro. Two models are expected to be a part of the 2024 lineup in March. It is a 10.9” and 12.9” model powered by an Apple M2 chip, microLED panels with an oxide backplane, and no 120Hz ProMotion feature onboard. The slates will still have significant improvement over the predecessors.
Bigger iPad Pro
When: Late Q1 2024 to Q2 2024
Coming to the iPad Pro, there are at least three screen sizes in the works i.e. 11”, 13”, and 14.1”, each with thin bezels for a better user experience. Note that the initial two models will feature OLED panels with 120Hz ProMotion and powered by M3 SoC. The latter i.e. 14.1” will use a microLED panel instead to save on costs. The iPad Pros 2024 will use 8GB RAM, 12-core GPU, iPadOS 17 out-of-the-box among others.
New iPhones: Refreshed Design, Better Processor, Capture Button & Bigger Screen Sizes
Of course, with a new year, Apple launches new and powerful iPhones and 2024 won’t be any different.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
When: Fall 2024
A lot is being said about the entire iPhone 16 series. The latest that we heard is Apple will use the same A18 chipset across all four models. Of course, the A18 SoC will offer better performance than the A16 or A17 Pro as it is made of TSMC’s 2nd-gen N3E process, however, it remains to be seen if all four models pick up the same chipset.
We are hoping iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (non-Pro duo) will get an A18 SoC while the remaining Pro duo will go for an A18 Pro with overclocked CPU/GPU for better performance.
Recently, we saw some renders showing possible designs for the upcoming series. One of the designs that caught our attention was an iPhone X-inspired design with a vertically stacked camera set up inside a vertical pill-shaped camera island. Note that Apple moved to a squaricle camera bump a few years ago and moving to an iPhone X-ish design would either make the designs outdated or give it something of a refresh.
Moving further, the iPhone 16 series will be using an OLED panel with micro-lens technology for the displays that promises reduced power consumption and improved brightness. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg pointed out how Apple could finally switch to solid-state buttons in 2024 with stronger haptic feedback. We have already seen rumors around the inclusion of the Action and Capture buttons, both likely to be solid-state while power and volume rockers remain the same.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
When: Fall 2024
On top of what we mentioned in the “iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus” section, the Pro models will have some major upgrades combined.
Unless you are living under a rock, there’s a lot of buzz that iPhone 16 Pro models will take on a larger screen size. Here, the iPhone 16 Pro is likely to grow from 6.1” to 6.3” while the Pro Max enlarges from 6.7” to 6.9” all while keeping the thickness and weight almost the same. There’s no surprise if Apple decides to go through with it or forgo it given the fact that we are still way too early to get a confirmation on the same.
On the optics front, iPhone 16 Pro models adopt two 48MP sensors (primary plus ultrawide) instead of one on the iPhone 15 Pro. The third is a 12MP telescope camera completing the triple-cam setup. Apple could also switch to using Sony sensors for the main camera. iPhone 16 Pro series will feature a 5x zoom tetraprism camera that was rolled out exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro Max last year.
It’s interesting given the fact that there’s a lot of buzz around an all-48MP camera setup that we might see in 2025 with the iPhone 17 Pro series in the works.
The batteries on the Pro could see a jump as well from 3,274mAh (15 Pro) to 3,355mAh (16 Pro). We are hoping the same upgrade resonates across the entire iPhone 16 lineup meaning all four models could receive larger batteries.
For instance, Wi-Fi 7 is on the way to Pro models capable of delivering 30Gbps of speeds with theoretical speeds of up to 40Gbps. It is estimated to be 2.4x faster than Wi-Fi 6 and promises to offer lower latency, maximum transfer speeds, and a more reliable connection.
iPhone 16 Pro series will both support 5G as usual using a Snapdragon X75 modem under the hood. The chipset carries AI and ML enhancements for better 5G reception. The Pro models dub the feature as “5G Advanced” although the extent of this feature remains unknown at the moment.
iPhone SE 4
When: Spring 2024 or 2025
There’s no denying that iPhone SE models have been widely appreciated for keeping the iPhone’s original design. However, things might spice up with the fourth-gen iPhone SE (or iPhone SE4).
There have been many speculations suggesting that the iPhone SE4 is no more while other reports suggest it is in the works. Design-wise, contrary to older speculations, the iPhone SE4 is likely to reprise iPhone 14’s design along with Face ID (yes, there won’t be any Touch ID). Moving on, we heard about Apple’s 5G modem and iPhone SE4 being the first taker, however, recent reports signal Apple has reportedly scrapped the plan to develop 5G modems. If true, no iPhones would get it let alone iPhone SE4, however, we haven’t received any official update yet.
Next up, the iPhone SE4 is speculated to come up with a larger 6.1” screen with an OLED panel instead of LCD on SE3. It would also welcome USB-C port ditching the age-old lightning port to confer to EU’s regulations on universal connectors. Lastly, we have heard iPhone SE4 will get the iPhone 15’s 48MP as its single camera setup that could elevate its photography chops compared to the 2022 predecessor.
However, the iPhone SE4 release date is highly speculative. It was earlier planned for 2023, however, it got postponed to 2024 and now, we might see it only in 2025 although let’s keep our fingers crossed and wait till more information isn’t available.
New Macs
MacBook Air with M3
When: Spring Event or WWDC 2024
The next-gen MacBook Air is in the making. We got an M2-powered MacBook Air in July 2022 followed by a 15” MacBook Air with M2 in June 2023. With that being said, we are waiting for more offerings.
13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air are in the making with M3 chipset under the hood. It is more powerful than the 5nm M2 chipset thanks to the smaller size that packs in better battery efficiency and more power. These laptops are likely to be teased at the spring or WWDC 2024 event in June possibly sharing the stage with Apple Vision Pro.
Moving further, we have been told (by various reports), that the upcoming MacBook Air will bring a 3nm M3 chipset onboard. The latter supports 8-24GB of RAM that will be a part of Apple’s unified memory system integrated with the processor as usual. The M3 MacBook Pro is likely to host a Liquid Retina display at 13” and 15” based on the model that should light up to 600 nits from the previous gen 500 nits.
iMac Pro with M3 Pro
When: Late 2024 or 2025 (Speculated)
The rumors mills are churning intel about an iMac Pro with either a 27-inch or a larger 32-inch display. These are expected to have the same designs as M1 iMac. The largest at 32″ will use Pro XDR Display just as its current-gen. Apple will include insane CPU and GPU cores with the iMac Pro because the M3 Pro supports an upper limit of 11/12-core GPU and 14/18 cores GPU exceeding the M2 Pro by two additional cores.
There’s an ongoing debate about the iMac Pro with M3 Pro release date. Gurman from Bloomberg targets late 2024 or 2025 while Kuo was spotted saying we will have to wait till 2025 to get our hands on the larger iMac Pro. There’s also a M3-powered iMac in the works possibly making its launch in early 2024 although there’s no confirmation just yet.
Mac Mini with M3 and M3 Pro
When: Early 2024 (Speculated)
There are two Mac Mini versions in the works. The M3 version packs in 8 GPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and up to 24GB of unified memory. There’s a M3 Pro version too speculated to have 12 to 14 CPU cores, 18 to 20 GPU cores, and up to 36GB of unified memory. Both variants will have more unified memory than their predecessors.
M3-powered Mac Mini is likely to be around the same dimensions as the predecessor at 7.75×7.75×1.41” and of course, with a M3 or M3 Pro chipset under the hood. When it comes to the ports, the usual setup includes an HDMI, a gigabit ethernet port, two USB-A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
New Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series X
When: Fall 2024
Apple Watch enters its tenth anniversary with the Apple Watch Series X (or Series 10) scheduled for September 2024. There’s a lot of buzz around Series X including a magnetic band attachment system which is likely to disrupt retrocompatibility. It means you won’t be able to use bands from previous generations on the Series X.
The Apple Watch Series X might get the S10 chipset which is a successor to the 2023 S9 chipset we saw with Series 9. The usual setup includes crash detection, fall detection, high-g accelerator, 2nd-gen UWB sensor, irregular heart rhythm detection as well as temperature sensing.
Two of the technologies in the works with Series X are hypertension and sleep apnea detection. The latter uses sleeping and breathing patterns to detect apnea. The hypertension detection will roll out in phases with the first iteration detecting estimated blood pressure while the future iterations will help with exact numbers and further diagnosis.
There’s a blood glucose sensor in the works too that will use a contraption of short-wave infrared absorption spectroscopy to detect blood glucose. According to the reports, the technique works by shining lasers through the skin toward the interstitial fluid between blood vessels and cells. Based on the intensity of light reflected in the sensor, the Apple watch should be able to find glucose concentration in the bloodstream.
The upcoming Apple Watch Series X is advertised to offer the same battery life of up to 18 hours even after adding a bunch of new features as mentioned above. As usual, the Apple Watch Series X along with Ultra 3 will use the next-gen watchOS 11 under the hood that brings a revamped control center, and smart stack widget among other features.
Apple Watch Ultra 3
When: Fall 2024
Apple Watch Ultra 2 made its debut in September 2023 and it took people less time to realize it is almost comparable to the original Apple Watch Ultra. With that being said, Apple Watch Ultra 3 may or may not be happening in 2024 as tipster Ming-Chi Kuo says no work is being done on the next Ultra. If that’s true, we could miss out on the next Ultra but there’s always a possibility the Cupertino-based giant will come up with something to share room with Apple Watch Series X.
For now, what we know about Ultra 3 is the fact that Apple is working on advanced health management features as well as their manufacturability for the Ultra 3. There are also issues with microLED and thus, the tech giant could switch to OLED panels on the Ultra 3.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 arrived with the Apple S9 chipset (also on Series 9) and going by the series, we could say the Ultra 3 will get the S10 chipset that will be a part of the Apple Watch Series X as well. Ultra 2 also brought 72 hours of low-power mode, 64GB of storage, and an LTPO OLED panel that lights up at 3,000 nits.
New AirPods
AirPods 4 (2024)
When: March 2024 (Likely)
Talking about the fourth-generation AirPods or AirPods 4, these are likely to arrive in two versions aiming at entry-level and expensive price tags. This information comes from tipster Mark Gurman on his Power On newsletter according to which, the AirPods 4 will have two models – lower priced with ample features plus an upper-priced model with features such as active noise cancellation (ANC).
The fourth-gen AirPods will have updated designs, possibly a hybrid between AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro. You can expect a USB-C port on the charging cases which is currently available on the AirPods Pro only.
AirPods Max 2
When: Late 2024 to Early 2025
There’s a lot of buzz around the various AirPods as well. The successor to the original $549 AirPods Max, the uber-luxury AirPods Max 2 is expected to make its debut in late 2024 or early 2025 alongside a cheaper $100 ‘AirPods Lite’ that won’t have many features compared to AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro 2.
Talking about AirPods Max 2, it is expected to get new colorways, a USB-C port, and ANC for noise cancellation, among others. There’s also Optical Audio Transmission Technology or Apple’s ability to play lossless audio on the AirPods. When it comes to the pricing, AirPods Max 2 is speculated to target pricing in similar lines with AirPods Max and thus, we could say it will be priced at $549.
AirPods Pro 3
When: Early 2025
AirPods Pro 2 made its debut in September 2022 followed by the USB-C version in September 2023. Cut to now, we are hoping that the successor AirPods Pro 3 is likely to make it on Apple’s docket sometime in 2025 if not 2024.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported AirPods Pro 3 will have a refreshed design along with new features. There’s ANC with further improvement along with better audio quality. There’s lossless audio support and AirPods Pro 2 are already Vision Pro compatible meaning future Pros will only get better. It is reported that AirPods Pro 3 will use an H3 chip (Pro 2 had an H2 chip) powering the various functions onboard including health-related features.
One of the revolutionary features that are in the works is body temperature sensing using the AirPods Pros. Turns out that temperature sensing from inside the ear is more accurate than wrist temperature sensing. Finally, we should see some major hearing health improvements with the upcoming AirPods Pro.
AirPods Lite
When: Late 2024 to Early 2025
If you find AirPods to be expensive, AirPods Lite could be your to-go TWS earbuds once they arrive. Reportedly priced at $100 (or under), this is reportedly a ‘lite’ version of AirPods speculated to arrive sometime later next year or early 2025 presumably with only basic and no high-end features. Apple does sell cheaper earbuds but they aren’t AirPods which means ‘Lite’ can be truly something to look out for in case it materializes.
Apple Magic Keyboard
When: March 2024 (Speculated)
Looks like Apple is en-route to make the next-gen Magic Keyboard a bit more sturdier using aluminum instead of malleable polyurethane material. This would give keyboard a premium look and feel and a bit more resemblance to using a MacBook when you attach the keyboard with the keyboard. Additionally, the keyboard will have a larger trackpad with the overall idea is to refine the user experience akin to using a Mac.
The current-gen Magic Keyboard priced at $299 and since the next-gen keyboard will use premium materials, the prices are expected to inflate as well. You can choose from the usual two colorways – Black and White. Talking about the launch, we are expecting it to arrive with iPads in March 2024.
Apple Pencil (3rd-gen)
When: March 2024 (Speculated)
Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) got an upgrade to USB-C in November 2023 making it he third model in the Pencil lineup. Cut to now, we are expecting an actual ‘3rd-gen Apple Pencil’ to debut alongside iPads and Apple Magic Keyboard sometime in March 2024. I mean there have been rumors about it for a while now which might materialize if at all true.
It includes two color options – white and black. According to the tipster Majin Bu, the upcoming Pencil could have interchangeable magnetic tips to use for different use cases such as sketching, painting, drawing, etc.
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