Apple held its annual September event this week, livestreamed for all to see online, where the company announced the launch of several new products. The new iPhone 16 smartphone line, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 and Pro headline the announcements. All of these devices will take advantage of the latest Apple Intelligence features in one way or another.
While many of the features of the latest OS updates, which are coming later this month (for some, later this year) will work with previous generation devices, including the iPhone 15 Pro line, the latest products boast interesting design upgrades, too. Here’s a rundown of what Apple announced and key features to note.
Apple iPhone 16 Series
As is typical with Apple, the new series features four models: the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which are virtually identical but for size (6.1-inch versus 6.7-inch screens), and the same for the step-up iPhone 16 Pro (6.3 inches) and 16 Pro Max (6.9 inches). Here’s what’s most impressive about these two phones.
Apple A18 Chip: This chip yields better overall performance and makes the phone more efficient. You also get improved battery life thanks to this upgraded processor. The 16-core Neural Engine has been optimized for large generative models and can run ML models up to two times faster than the A16 Bionic chip. That makes it essential for running all the Apple Intelligence AI goodies coming with these new phones.
Camera Control: This tactile button on the side of the phone can be used to trigger the camera, effectively making the phone operate like an ultra-thin digital camera. Press it to launch the camera, snap a photo, or start a video. Slide your finger over it to control settings like zoom, exposure, depth-of-field, and more. Third-party apps will be able to support it as well (Snapchat already does). Later this year, Camera Control will work with visual intelligence features. Hold the camera up to a restaurant, for example, to get details like its hours or ratings. Add an event to your calendar from a flyer or even learn what breed of a dog a cute pup is at the park.
Fusion Camera: All four phones feature a new 48MP Fusion camera. The Pro level models incorporate a faster quad-pixel sensor that allows for recording 4K videos at 120 fps in Dolby Vision. This is the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone. Both phones also feature four studio-quality mics; while all four models offer new photographic styles and the ability to capture video in Spatial Audio.
Safety Features: Along with the usual safety features of iPhone, you’ll now get emergency SOS via satellite; tapbacks over iMessage and SMS even when outside of the cellular or Wi-Fi network coverage area; emergency SOS live video for sharing a live video feed with emergency dispatchers; and roadside assistance via satellite (coming later this fall).
Pricing: iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come in black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine starting at $1,129 (iPhone 16) and $1,279 (iPhone 16 Plus). The iPhone 16 Pro ($1,449) and iPhone 16 Pro Max ($1,749) come in black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium.
Apple Watch Series 10
There isn’t a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but there is a new black titanium finish for that model that’s geared towards extreme athletes. In the regular line, the Apple Watch Series 10 is the big story. Apple watchOS 11 will, of course, also work with the Apple Watch Series 9. But there are many design upgrades with the Apple Watch Series 10 that makes it stand out.
Thinner, Larger: The Apple Watch has a thinner and larger display than previous generation models with a 42mm or 46mm case. This makes it easier to read the screen, compose messages, pause workouts, enter passcodes, and more. The wide-angle OLED is also designed to be brighter when viewing it from an angle, like glancing down at the watch on your wrist. It’s also 10% lighter than the Apple Watch Series 9, 20% lighter when you consider the new titanium version. Yes, it’s now also available in titanium.
Sleep Apnea Notifications: Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that plagues a lot of people, and many don’t even realize they have it. Apple Watch will help you detect signs through new measurements from the accelerometer related to respiratory interruptions. You’ll get a breathing disturbances metric, and if you notice these occur frequently, you can investigate further with a doctor.
Faster Charging: Unfortunately, one area Apple didn’t improve on with the Apple Watch Series 10 is battery life. You still get the same rated up to 18 hours per charge. However, Apple did improve on charging speed. You can now charge it for half an hour to get up to 80%, or a 15-minute charge will give you an extra up to eight hours. Forgot to charge right before going to bed? Give it an eight-minute boost for up to eight hours of sleep tracking.
Water Depth and Temperature Sensing: Ideal for those into water activities, the Apple Watch Series 10 has automatic stroke detection, lap counting, and custom workouts for swimming. A new depth gauge can measure as far down underwater as six metres, great for snorkeling. There’s also a water temperature sensor. Download the Tides app to get tidal information forecasts for coastlines and surf spots from around the world; and the Oceanic+ app is now available for Apple Watch Series 10 as well the Ultra models.
Play Audio: If you forgot your Bluetooth headphones at home, you can now play audio directly through the Apple Watch from compatible apps like Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books. The Watch now also has a four-core neural engine to help suppress background noise during phone or FaceTime audio calls.
Price: Apple Watch Series 10 is available in various colours in both titanium and aluminum starting at $549.
Apple AirPods 4
Apple AirPods 4 have been redesigned in a number of ways, along with new features to help protect your hearing.
Open-Ear Design with ANC: For the first time, Apple AirPods 4 come in an open-ear design both with or without active noise cancellation (ANC). They feature upgraded microphones, an H2 chip, and the ability to reduce environmental noise. They also have a transparency mode, adaptive audio that blends transparency and ANC, and conversation awareness that lowers the volume when it picks up you speaking.
Long Battery Life, Convenient Charging: The headphones boast up to 24-hour battery life with the included charging case. The case charges via USB-C and with the model with ANC, you can also charge the case using an Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger.
Intelligent Audio Improvements: The H2 chip allows for intelligent audio experiences, like voice isolation for clearer calls. With Siri Interactions, nod your head yes and gently shake no to respond accordingly to announcements. There’s also personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking.
Force Sensor: The stem has a new force sensor you can tap to play or pause music or mute or end calls.
Price: AirPods 4 are $179 or $249 for the model with ANC.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
The biggest upgrade with AirPods Pro 2 are features designed to help protect your hearing and hearing health.
Hearing Protection: The ear tips provide passive noise reduction. The H2 chip helps reduce noise, and is the default option for all listening modes, automatically helping to reduce noise in louder settings.
Hearing Test: Compatible with iPhone and iPad, a test takes a few minutes, using a standard clinical approach called pure-tone audiometry. Once done, the test will show a summary of results in your Health app.
Hearing Aid Capability: There’s over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability if you already suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss. Using the aforementioned personalized hearing test, you can effectively have the AirPods Pro function like a hearing aid. Sound will be automatically adjusted and boosted based on your personal needs. This happens dynamically, in real time, based on your settings as well as what you’re listening to, like phone calls versus music. This feature has not yet received authorization from global health authorities, but Apple notes that it expects FDA clearance and clearance from other countries health regulating bodies soon; no word yet regarding Health Canada.
Price: AirPods Pro 2 are $329; the hearing health features will be available this fall via free software update when paired with iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18.
AirPods Max
There’s nothing groundbreaking about the AirPods Max, except that you can now get a pair in one of five new colours: midnight, starlight, blue, orange, and purple. They also now feature USB-C charging.
Price: AirPods Max are $779.
All products will be officially available starting Friday, September 20, 2024, and many are available for pre-order now (or soon).
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