When Apple Will Announce Its Newest iPhones & What They'll (Probably) Be Called

Now is not the time to buy a new iPhone. So long as your current model can survive the summer, you're better off waiting until September: That's when Apple is expected to announce its promising 2018 iPhone lineup, including some less expensive models.

Last year, Apple made its big iPhone X reveal, a phone the company said would usher in a new iPhone era. This means you can expect the new 2018 models to share many attributes with that flagship version, as well as some exciting advances.

Ahead, a look at all the rumors swirling in the notch-filled universe right now. While none of this will be confirmed until Apple's big event come September, we do know what software each will run: In June, Apple unveiled everything packed into iOS 12, from Group FaceTime to Memoji.

Apple sent out an email inviting guests to "gather round" for a "special event" at the glass Steve Jobs Theater (named after the iPhone visionary) on September 12. This is the second year the event will take place at the the theater, following the opening of Apple Park, the company's new corporate headquarters, in 2017. The invite features a bronze — or is it rose gold? — circle evoking the shape of the campus's main building.

In 2017, Apple released three new iPhones — iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. In 2018, it's rumored to launch another three, all of which will look similar to the iPhone X with an edge-to-edge display (i.e. no Touch ID fingerprint sensor) and a notch at the top with Face ID.

According to 9to5Mac there will be two new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones that follow in X's footsteps, this time called the iPhone XS. Although Apple pronounces iPhone X as iPhone "ten", the play on words with XS (get it, "excess"?) seems impossible to ignore. Both of those are predicted to have OLED displays, which the iPhone X currently has. There are also rumors of a third, 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD display, which would be a more affordable, mid-range option.

If the rumors are true, the new iPhones could come in the largest range of colors yet. 9to5Mac reports that both iPhone XS models will come in gold, a color that suits the XS name. But it's the 6.1-inch LCD model that sounds the most interesting: Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says it could come in red, orange, and blue, in addition to gray and white.

Red isn't unheard of: In April 2017, Apple released red version of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus; this year, it released red version of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The special edition models were part of the company (PRODUCT)RED line, in partnership with the organization that fights AIDS.

Orange and blue are less expected on the iPhone color wheel, but we're not holding our breath yet: The iPhone 7 was reportedly going to come in blue, a rumor that never came to fruition.

One of the most talked-about features of the iPhone X was the price tag. The new flagship phone set loyal Apple users back $999 — more than any iPhone before it.

Costs for the models rolling out in 2018 may be lower: According to Kuo, the 6.5-inch iPhone XS will likely fall in the $900 to $1000 range, while the 5.8-inch iPhone XS will cost $800 to $900, and the LCD iPhone will be the most cost-effective of the bunch at $649 to $749.

Most speculations about the second generation iPhone X and new iPhone XS say the phones will have two rear-facing cameras (a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens), while the LCD iPhone will come with a single rear-facing camera.

However, a report from Forbes claims the iPhone XS will not just be bigger in terms of physical size: There will also be a third camera, possibly there to improve low-light photography. In other words, dark restaurants and poor nighttime lighting will have nothing on the XS.