Apple recently concluded an event at its Cupertino, California headquarters, where it announced the next editions of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone.
At Apple’s “Glowtime” event on September 9, 2024, four new iPhone 16 models, the Apple Watch Series 10, the AirPods 4 headphones, and an unexpectedly small list of new AI features were unveiled. The new iOS 18, which will soon be available for all iPhones that can now run iOS 17, was also revealed by the company.
The sleep apnoea detection on the most recent Apple Watches and the noise-cancelling capabilities on the more expensive AirPods 4 appeared to be the most popular new features among Apple consumers, though there were many more enhancements unveiled on Monday. Discover all the major developments from yesterday’s event by reading on.
However, the iPhone does get some eye-catching new colours: ultramarine, brilliant pastel green, bright pink, and bright blue. The Apple Watch’s sleep apnoea tracking and alerts feature also appears to be very popular.
The significant new software capabilities powered by Apple’s recently developed Apple Intelligence won’t be released simultaneously or even with the hardware.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are available in vibrant new colours.
The first iPhones “built from the ground up” for Apple Intelligence were the 16-models, which were covered in great detail. Regarding the battery, nothing more than its increased size and optimised features were mentioned.
Teal, pink, and ultramarine are the new hues. It is often more robust and resistant to dust and water. The brightness of the screen can be adjusted from 1 nit to 2,000 nits. They now include a distinct touch-control Camera Control button in addition to the customisable Action button. Later this year, the Camera Control—dubbed Visual Intelligence—will let you to execute a click-for-information search about whatever the camera is looking at, akin to Google Lens.
The primary camera, which has 48 megapixels, can now take 24 megapixel pictures with pixel binning and 2x telephoto shots with sensor cropping. A new ultrawide camera, measuring 12 megapixels and 13 mm, features improved light sensitivity, autofocus, and macro functionality. It is now possible to take and record 3D images and videos with the new side-by-side camera setup.
It has the A18 chip inside, which leverages second-generation 3-nanometer technology to cram in a 16-core neural engine, a five-core GPU, two P and four E cores in the CPU, and additional memory bandwidth. Apple claims that overall power usage is lower. Next month, AI features will go live in beta. A new mobile game called Honour of Kings World is scheduled for release in the upcoming year, along with enhanced thermal design and support for ray tracing in games.
They are currently available for preorder and have starting prices of $799 (£799, AU$1,399) and $899 (£899, AU$1,599).
Expanding pro video on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
With a new texture and a larger screen size of 6.3 inches for the Pro and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max, the titanium-made new flagship iPhones are more robust than the aluminium iPhone 16. Additionally, there are additional hues: rose-goldy pink, brighter silver, darker black, and silver. It has a bigger battery, improved power optimisation, and better heat dissipation.
These devices, which are powered by a new A18 Pro chip that unlocks functionality exclusive to these iPhones, build upon the features seen on the cheaper models. In addition to the technology found in the A18, it boasts larger caches and a new, sophisticated display engine for quicker encode and decode times. For features like exposure lock, the camera control for these adds a two-stage shutter.
Their 48-megapixel camera has been upgraded to a speedier sensor readout. A 5x, 12-megapixel telephoto lens with on-pixel focus is also included. In terms of video, there’s now configurable speed preview playback, camera control button grid framing, more expert colour grading control and HDR editing, and 4K 120fps slow motion.
Improved capture quality and spatial audio capture are features of new quad microphones. Audio Mix allows you to layer individual vocals apart from other sounds.
Naturally, the camera control button and Qi 2 are supported by Apple’s own MagSafe cases. It charges more quickly wirelessly.
The price of the iPhone 16 Pro is $999 (£999, AU$1,799), while the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1,199 (£1,199, AU$2,149).On Friday, preorders open.
Only one of the watches—the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 10—gets a facelift.
The Watch has undergone a complete overhaul, sporting a larger display and a slimmer (7mm) profile. Compared to the Ultra’s, it is larger and can hold one more line of text. A wider aspect ratio, rounded corners, and an OLED display with a wider angle; it can update once every second for a second hand and is brighter when viewed from an angle. It also uses less power. The new watch face, Flux, is made for larger displays. Rose gold, silver, and jet black are some of the new colours.
There is a smaller speaker system. It charges more quickly (80% battery charge in 30 minutes) and is more water resistant.
Titanium replaces stainless steel in the lineup as the new carbon neutral mode. It is lighter, available in slate grey, gold, and natural, and comes with a band and face that match.
A four-core neural chiplet included into the new S10 chip speeds up all AI-powered functions, including fall detection and sound augmentation, real-time translation, and health features. The latter has a new sensor called sleep apnoea tracking, which keeps track of sleep disruptions and sends out alerts. The US Food and Drug Administration’s clearance is pending and should happen “very soon.” There will also be notifications for Series 9 and Ultra 2. There are also updates pertaining to snorkelling, and Hermes and Nike will be releasing new bands.
Preorders open today, and it delivers on September 20. It starts at $399 (£399, AU$649), or $499 with cellular.
In addition to receiving the standard WatchOS updates, the Ultra now comes in Satin Black with matching titanium bands that are resistant to corrosion. The Watch is more robust and impervious to scratches. Starting today, preorders will ship on September 20.
Better sound and more with the Apple AirPods 4, Max, and Pro 2.
Refined spatial audio support and a new acoustic architecture are features of the design. The H2 chip is also introduced. Head gestures are supported. There is a USB-C port on the new charging case. They also have active noise suppression thanks to upgraded microphones, computational audio, and other features. The case can be charged wirelessly.
The base model starts at $129 (£129, AU$219), while the ones with noise cancellation start at $179 (£179, AU$299).
In addition to supporting USB-C, the AirPods Max now come in additional colours and are still $549 (£549, AU$899).
New ear tips, testing, and help functions, as well as hearing protection, are added to the AirPods Pro 2. The latter is a feature of “professional-grade” assistive technology. Later this year, there will be a hearing test and a hearing aid. Preorders are open as of right now.
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