The countdown has begun now that Apple has officially sent out invites for its September 9 event, where we’ll presumably get our first introduction to the entire iPhone 16 lineup among other devices. Apple invites are often scrutinized more than others, so while I have my own thoughts and ideas of what the company could announce, I ended up asking my little friend in my pocket — the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Lately I’ve been using Google Gemini for all sorts of things, which I’m increasingly finding to be a huge asset in many different ways. Gemini on board the Pixel is one of the many AI features that accompanies the new phones, which I explain in my Piel 9 Pro XL review, is one of the best phones around that showcases the depth and helpfulness of AI.
When the Apple event invite finally hit my inbox, however, I decided to ask my new AI friend to help me uncover what Apple could be expected to show off at its Glowtime event in two weeks' time. While Gemini doesn’t explicitly detail what devices we could be getting, I’m really surprised by what the AI assistant conjures up based on all the clues in the invite. Here’s everything it came up with.
Brighter, more vibrant screens
There’s something polarizing about the teaser image Apple uses for its invite, which shows the Apple logo in various neon hues on top of one another. Google Gemini interprets this as "brighter, more vibrant screens" that could perhaps be related to new materials and display technologies.
One of the biggest iPhone 16 rumors so far hint at larger screens for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, with each potentially moving up to 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays. While this upgrade is great, I think Google Gemini could be going in the right direction about brighter screens. That’s because the Pixel 9 Pro XL recently set the record in Tom’s Guide’s testing for having the brightest screen ever in a phone, with a whopping peak brightness of 2,469 nits.
Given how the iPhone 15 Pro Max previously topped out at 1,550 nits, it adds a lot more pressure for the iPhone 16 Pro Max to not fall short in this area.
New devices with always-on displays or ambient light features
This one’s interesting because this could apply to a broad range of devices. Google Gemini suggests that we could get "new devices with always-on displays or ambient light features." My best guess would be that the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus could finally be upgraded with always-on displays, much like what we’ve been getting with the Pro models. This could make the standard models more effective with StandBy Mode if they’re paired with one of the best MagSafe chargers.
Meanwhile, this could also pertain to the Apple Watch — specifically the rumored next-generation SE model. Rumors have been light so far for this budget friendly smartwatch, which will reportedly ditch the metal frame in favor of a plastic one. Naturally, this would be seen as a downgrade, but if the Apple Watch SE were to gain an always-on display, it could be a worthwhile trade-off.
Improvements in low-light photography or videography
The last thing Google Gemini suggests by analyzing the image in the invite is that we could see improvements in low-light photography or videography. This one’s a no-brainer considering how each iterative iPhone keeps on getting better cameras, and as a result, they frequently make it into our best camera phone list.
Rumors have previously hinted that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max would have a 1/1.14-inch main sensor, which would be bigger than the 1/1.28-inch sensor in the iPhone 15 Pro. With a larger sensor in place, this would allow for more light to hit the sensor — resulting in sharper images under low light conditions.
However, I’d be more excited about this working effectively with videography as Google Gemini suggests, seeing that it takes more than a larger sensor to improve the quality of video recordings.
Apple could follow Google’s lead in somehow offering its own version of Night Sight Video with the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s Video Boost mode, which relies on cloud processing to draw out details with low-light video.
There still could be more
I’m eager to see if Google Gemini’s predictions turn out accurate. But there’s still more to infer from the invite details that the AI-powered assistant doesn’t cough up. For example, last year’s Wonderlust event invite showed off the Apple logo appearing to be dusted like at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. The color of the Apple logo matches up to the new Titanium Blue colorway introduced by the new iPhone 16 Pro models, so this Glowtime teaser could also be showcasing new color options for the devices it introduces.
Additionally, the subtle outline glow of the teaser image reminds me of the new Siri animation with Apple Intelligence. Instead of a simple icon at the bottom of the screen to indicate Siri, there’s now this neat light up animation that goes around the entire display. Perhaps this new Siri with Apple Intelligence will be the halo feature that binds everything together?
Luckily it won’t be long before we know with certainty knowing that two weeks will be here in no time.
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