We’re counting down the hours until Apple unveils its next-generation iPhone today in Cupertino, California. 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 a 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?
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.

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.

Meanwhile, with Apple apparently 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.

Still, you can never count Apple out. Despite decreasing profits, the headwinds of a US-China trade war and Apple executive attrition, the iPhone remains a premium product sold by a premium brand. Still, the company may yet surprise us on Sept. 10 with revolutionary features or distinctive aesthetics.

Do you want to watch this launch event live?
Apple is planning to stream its iPhone 11 event on YouTube Tuesday. It will mark the first time that Apple has ever streamed one of the company’s events on YouTube, and it will greatly expand the number of people able to view the stream. Last year Apple extended its iPhone event stream to Twitter, and the company has been gradually increasing the availability of its stream in recent years.

Be ready at 10:00am PDT – 1:00PM our time
https://youtu.be/996wliAI_y4