Upcoming Smartphones To Look Out For In September 2024: iPhone 16 Series, Xiaomi Mix Flip And More

Once a period for other brands to try to steal the spotlight from Apple, September has now been largely reduced to being the ‘iPhone month’. After witnessing the latest crop of Samsung’s foldables and the Google Pixel flagships, the list of upcoming smartphones in September 2024 is rather short and uninspiring, save for the highly anticipated iPhone 16.

On 9 September, Apple is expected to take the cover off the iPhone 16 series alongside the next-generation Apple Watch. Although the lineup is rumoured to include four variants, it will be the Pro models that are bound to get the beefier chipset and all the latest in-house developments from Apple.

Most importantly, these iPhones will further the cause of the Apple Intelligence AI suite. We are also expecting Apple to get rid of physical buttons from these iPhones in favour of capacitive touch units.

Beyond the iPhones, we are eager to see the first mass-market foldables from Xiaomi take the market by storm. The Xiaomi Mix Flip is expected to make the idea of a flip smartphone with cutting-edge specifications accessible whereas the Mix Fold is expected to come later in the year to take on the big boys. Huawei, however, wants to do things differently with a tri-fold phone that folds its display into three individual sections.

It’s not going to be just flagships and foldables! Samsung and iQOO have plans to bring some potent midrange devices in a bid to rack up better sales figures ahead of the upcoming festive season, much like the August 2024 lineup.

Hence, buckle up as we take a look at the list of upcoming smartphones in September 2024 and find out which ones are worth the wait.

Upcoming smartphone launches in September 2024

iPhone 16

Launching on: 9 September

The iPhone 16 is going to set the trends for premium category smartphones in 2024 and 2025. With a new design that realigns the rear camera lenses and a next-gen 3nm A18 chip at its heart powering the Apple Intelligence suite of AI features, fans and enthusiasts expect a big jump in overall user experience.

A new Capture button for the camera is expected to position the iPhone as a photographer’s best mate (although iPhone cameras have set the benchmark in this regard already). The new iOS 18 update will also bring a customisation-friendly user experience that encourages users to alter the look of their homescreen. Sadly, the rumours say that Apple will still offer the iPhone 16 with a standard 60Hz OLED display and the Dynamic Island pill isn’t going to witness any reduction in its size.

iPhone 16 Pro

Launching on: 9 September

Apart from the vanilla variants, the It’s Glowtime event will introduce the pro models of the latest iPhone. The iPhone 16 Pro is once again expected to be the ultimate luxury smartphone that leaves no stone unturned to pamper its well-heeled customers. After making a case for Titanium and the first mobile 3nm chip on the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple now intends to remove the hardware power and volume keys, relying solely on capacitive touch patches. The new A18 Pro chip is expected to boost overall performance, especially with regard to Apple Intelligence.

A new ultrawide camera sensor could improve the overall imagery and the 5x optical zoom will be a standard feature across the compact and larger models. You can also expect to see more Pro-grade features to lure customers away from the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Motorola Razr 50

Launching in: September

After the uber-cool Razr 50 Ultra, Motorola intends to pamper the pockets of budget-conscious buyers with the Razr 50. Built on last year’s Razr 40 Ultra platform, the Razr 50 lets go of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip in favour of a midrange MediaTek Dimensity 7300X chip. It won’t be as fast as similarly priced slab smartphones but the Razr 50 has a cool trick up its sleeves – the larger cover display.

The 3.6-inch cover display is bigger than the one on Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Flip 6 and features a 90Hz 1,700 nits OLED panel. The 4,200mAh battery is supported by a combination of 30W wired and 15W wireless charging. Armed with Moto AI onboard, you can expect a fun Android experience laden with unique features to make the most out of the flip phone category. The vegan leather back panel in Motorola’s trendy Pantone colour tones makes it look pretty.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

Expected launch in: September

Our hopes of seeing the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE in the flesh are higher this month than ever – courtesy of the brand-new iPhones. But then again, the Galaxy S24 FE would take on the lower-priced iPhone 15 than the newer iPhone 16s for the foreseeable future.

Based on all the rumours we have heard, the Galaxy S24 FE will essentially be a watered-down version of the stock Galaxy S24 rather than the older Galaxy S23. It will make use of the same Exynos 2400 chip in a detuned underclocked state to prioritise battery life over raw performance. A bigger battery, a nicer OLED display with slimmer bezels and the same camera hardware could help the Galaxy S24 FE draw the attention of those who couldn’t afford the standard Galaxy S24.

Xiaomi Mix Flip

Expected launch in: September

Xiaomi loves to make a statement with some flashy launch days after the newest iPhones come in. This year, we expect the Chinese tech giant to bring its first flip phone to the global markets. The Xiaomi Mix Flip seems poised to take on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola’s Razr 50 Ultra.

Based on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 platform, the Mix Flip flaunts in 4-inch cover display with a 120Hz OLED panel – comparable to the Razr 50 Ultra. You get two 50-megapixel rear cameras, one of which has a telephoto lens with 2x optical magnification. The 4,780mAh battery is one of the largest we have seen on a flip smartphone and you get Xiaomi’s 67W wired charging solution out of the box.

What remains to be seen is whether Xiaomi goes aggressive with its pricing to undercut Samsung and Motorola to take an early lead in the segment.

iQOO Neo 9S Pro

Expected launch in: September

Rumours of the iQOO Neo 9S Pro+ launching in India are at an all-time high. The Neo 9S Pro is slated to come with the meaty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset in some regions, although iQOO could restrict itself to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 for India and global markets in a bid to keep the iQOO 12 relevant.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 isn’t likely to offer a notable performance advantage over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the regular iQOO Neo 9 Pro. There is a possibility of the iQOO falling back on MediaTek’s Diemsnity 9300+ chipset to justify the hike in price with its added performance capabilities. The rest of the phone is expected to retain the same set of specifications and the dual-colour rear panel.

Special mention: Huawei Mate XT

Releasing on: 10 September (China exclusive)

While most manufacturers are acing up their foldable game, Huawei has teased the next evolution for tablet-style foldable with their Huawei Mate XT. The Huawei triple-fold phone is rumoured to have two hinges that fold the main display into three sections. While we are yet to see an official teaser image, the tri-fold foldable could allow for greater versatility and may even negate the need to include a separate cover display. What remains to be seen is how Huawei makes use of this new form factor with the HarmonyOS software.

(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy @johnny_appleseed via Unsplash)