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The new iPhones are literally on their way, as Apple just booked a bunch of air freight from China

Published Aug 22nd, 2018 3:24PM EDT
New iPhone 2018 Release Date
Image: YouTube

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The 2018 iPhones are coming, and we’ve got plenty of evidence to believe that September 12th is the iPhone keynote date. Preorders should then start two days later, and deliveries and in-store launches are scheduled for September 21st. All we need now is Apple’s official confirmation, the event invitation that should go out to media members in the coming weeks.

Even if those dates aren’t accurate, the new iPhone X models are still coming in September — well, most of them anyway. And we’ve got more clues that Apple is already making preparations to launch the handset.

According to a Redditor, Apple has hired almost all the available air transport out of China for a few weeks, and the iPhone can be the only explanation:

My mom is an import/export broker and told me they were notified that Apple has reserved almost all air freight going from China -> USA for the upcoming weeks. And the note was “Product Launch” so either they’re placing iPhones in the states, or there is something else happening.

Of course, “A Redditor’s mom” is about the least reliable source I can imagine, but that sounds familiar, that’s because Apple has done it before. Back in 2014, which is when Apple first launched iPhones with bigger screens, a flurry of reports revealed that Apple was renting out every air freight going out of China, as it was expecting huge iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus demand.

That doesn’t mean we’re about to witness a monster cycle this year, but the 2018 iPhones are going to be a lot more exciting than last year’s versions, and they should be more affordable too.

An all-screen iPhone with Face ID could cost as low as $699, even if the phone will only have an LCD and single-lens camera on the back. Joining it, we’ll have a cheaper iPhone X successor and a Plus version that might have an entry cost of $999, like the original iPhone.

However, reports say that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone might not launch until October.

Also, let’s not forget that Apple is also rumored to launch a bunch of new devices, including a new MacBook Air, a Mac Mini, new AirPods, and the Apple Watch Series 4, so there’s plenty of new products to ship from China to the US. But even so, it’s probably mostly new iPhones those plans will ferry over to America in the coming weeks.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2007. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he closely follows the events in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming new movies and TV shows, or training to run his next marathon.