iPhone 16 release date might have been accidentally leaked by Apple itself

Apple is opening a new store in Sweden and the store's website says the opening date is 20 September.

That is when the iPhone 16 is expected to be made available to buy if it is announced on 9 September, so surely it can't be a coincidence?

Consumer electronics show IFA is still in full swing in Berlin, but the press days and many of the announcements are now over. That means all eyes are switching over to Apple.

The company has its next event scheduled for 9 September , which is the first time the iPhone launch will be held on a Monday, and exactly 10 years since the Apple Watch was revealed as the "one more thing".

The Glowtime event is expected to see the launch of the iPhone 16 models , new Apple Watch models and a refresh for some AirPod variants. The rumours have suggested we will see an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, along with the Apple Watch Series X , Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3 , alongside two models of the Apple AirPods (4th generation) .

That's just it though, they are only rumours for now. Until Apple announces the products on stage in Cupertino, there is no official word on what the next iPhones will offer, or the next Apple Watch models, nor when they will be made available to buy. We can make an educated guess based on what Apple has done in the past, but there's also been some extra evidence to back up the release date of the iPhone 16 this year.

Apple Mall of Scandinavia is set to open in Sweden soon and according to the store page , spotted by iMore : "Our brand new Stockholm store here in the Mall of Scandinavia will open its doors soon. We look forward to welcoming you and helping your ideas grow and thrive."

Its opening date is set for 20 September however, which is the interesting part.

With the Glowtime event taking place on 9 September, it is expected the iPhone 16 models – or at least some of them – will be available to pre-order from 13 September and then available to buy from 20 September, tying in with the opening date of the Apple Mall of Scandinavia.

Of course, there's nothing in the Apple Mall of Scandinavia details that mentions the iPhone 16 or new Apple Watch models, but Apple is typically quite intentional with what it does and the dates it chooses so it would be a surprise if the two didn't correlate. At least it's only a few days till we find out for sure though so watch this space.