Now it’s official: Apple will hold a press event on September 7th in San Francisco, where the consensus is that the American tech giant will unveil the iPhone 7 and the next Apple Watch. Previous reports suggest that the iPhone 7 will hit stores on September 16.

The announcement will coincide with Sony’s PlayStation press conference in New York two hours later, which will see the debut of the PS4 Slim and a more powerful console codenamed “Neo” that is capable of pushing 4K graphics. So yeah, we’re in for a launch event stand-off that could be hell for the tech media. And for either Apple or Sony once the dust settles.

Apple iPhone 7 event invite

Just like last year, the iPhone 7 is heavily rumored to come in two variants: a 4.7-inch standard version and a 5.5-incher for those who want more viewing space. Both are said to feature the same dimensions and design language as last year’s models, but with a few key differences here and there. Chief of which is the absence of a headphone jack on either model.

But if Apple’s iPhone upgrade history has taught us anything, it’s that the most notable improvements are more than skin deep. In any case, we’ll find out soon enough if Apple can pull ahead of the competition this year. The current iPhones have a lot of catching up to do.

As for the second-gen Apple Watch, sources claim the new models will look the same but pack a GPS radio and better internals that should boost battery life. A location-savvy Watch would mean a more attractive wearable option for tracking activities such as running and cycling.

We will be liveblogging the event as it happens so stay tuned for that, and keep your eyes glued to the site next week for all the news and analysis from the iPhone 7 launch.

Image credit: Martin Hajek