Updated: iPhone 7 release date: when can you get it?

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (plus maybe even the iPhone 7 Pro) announcement is so close we're seeing visions of it every time we close our eyes.

But it will become a reality later today, September 7, when Apple will take to the stage in San Francisco at 10AM local time (that's 6PM in the UK / 3AM on September 8 in Sydney) to show off its new phones.

But you probably won't be able to buy the phones or even pre-order them today, so we've taken a look at the rumors to work out the most likely pre-order and the actual release date of the iPhone 7.

Check out everything you need to know about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

iPhone 7 pre-order date

Pre-orders for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to open on Friday September 9. That's two days after the phones are announced.

That date was put forward by famed leaker @evleaks, who has a solid track record, so is worth listening to. And he's so confident of the date that he claims it's "confirmed".

Of course, as far as the rest of the world outside Apple is concerned the date isn't confirmed, but September 9 seems very likely, both because of @evleaks confidence and because it lines up with previous Apple launch schedules.

The iPhone 6S for example was announced on Wednesday September 9 2015 and pre-orders opened – you guessed it – two days later on Friday September 11.

@evleaks September 9 claim also came out before we knew that the phones would be announced on September 7, so he can't have just been extrapolating from there.

iPhone 7 release date

You shouldn't have long to wait to get your order in for one of Apple's brand new phones, but when will you actually be able to have one in your hand? Well, we have a good idea of that too, though there is slightly more of a question mark hanging over this date.

@evleaks once again gave his view, claiming that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would go on sale on Friday September 16 – one week after the pre-order date.

That seems believable, as not only is he a reputable source but the iPhone 6 release date was one week after the pre-order date.

iPhone 7 launch date leak

But more recently a leaked document, seemingly from US carrier AT&T, suggested that the iPhone 7 release date would be the following Friday on September 23 – so two weeks after, pre-orders are believed to be starting.

That too makes sense as a date, as the iPhone 6S hit stores two weeks after pre-orders opened and as this is a more recent leak it could be more accurate, though it's possible that the September 23 date only refers to carriers and not to SIM-free handsets.

We'll know the truth very soon, but for now it seems as though the iPhone 7 release date will be either one and a half or two and a half weeks away, and either way you should be able to put your order in by the end of this week.