Each fall, main tech firms unveil their latest {hardware} forward of the vacation season. On Monday, Apple held its marquee occasion, dubbed “Glowtime,” unveiling its extremely anticipated iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Collection 10, redesigned AirPods, and extra.
Though the {hardware} was the star of the present and WWDC, its software program occasion, was solely months in the past, Apple additionally sprinkled in some new useful software program options customers can count on quickly, together with extremely anticipated well being choices — and, after all, artificial intelligence (AI).
Additionally: Every iPhone model that will be updated to Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones can’t)
Should you did not get to tune in or need a detailed abstract of the bulletins, maintain studying for ZDNET’s full roundup of the information beneath.
1. iPhone 16 sequence
The iPhone 16 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max, was on the forefront of Apple’s occasion.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are available in new daring colours, together with ultramarine, teal, and pink, alongside white and black. Apart from colours, the adjustments to the telephones’ look embrace a rear digital camera bump, digital camera alignment, and two new buttons, which we are going to discover beneath. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus keep 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens, respectively.
The telephones have a brand new customizable Motion button on the aspect, which will be programmed to carry out totally different duties, reminiscent of opening the flashlight.
Additionally: iPhone 16 hands-on: So packed with features, I almost forgot about its Pro model
Moreover, there’s a new Digital camera Management button, with touch-capacitive sensors that customers can faucet and swipe to regulate the digital camera. The button features like an everyday digital camera, permitting customers to press it flippantly to deal with a topic and more durable to take an image. The button may launch the digital camera app, begin recording, and pull up digital camera controls.
The telephones additionally function upgraded digital camera techniques, together with a 48-megapixel lens, with a 2X Telephoto possibility and a brand new macro pictures lens enabled by the brand new 12MP Extremely Broad digital camera. Each telephones additionally take spatial pictures and movies for the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.
To provide the smartphones sufficient energy to run the most recent options powered by generative AI present in Apple Intelligence, the brand new telephones additionally function a brand new A18 processor. The A18 chip makes it as much as two instances quicker for machine studying, has 17% extra reminiscence bandwidth, is as much as 30% quicker than the CPU within the iPhone 15, and has a 40% quicker GPU.
Additionally: Every iPhone 16 model features a new camera button. Here’s what it can do
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will likely be out there for preorder on September 13 at $799 and $899 respectively, beginning at 128GB.
iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max additionally got here filled with upgrades, the highlights being bigger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch shows, the thinnest borders ever on an Apple product, Tremendous Retina XDR shows, 4 titanium finishes (black titanium, pure titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium), Digital camera Management, and the A18 Professional chip.
The A18 Professional chip has 16-core neural engines and 17% extra reminiscence bandwidth to excel at generative AI workloads. It runs as much as 15% quicker than final 12 months’s A17 Professional, utilizing 20% much less energy, paired with a 6-core GPU. Apple additionally threw across the time period “Subsequent-gen ML accelerators” through the occasion.
Additionally: When is the iPhone 16 coming out? What to know and where to preorder
The digital camera system has additionally been upgraded on the Professional line, that includes a brand new 48MP Fusion digital camera with a “quicker, extra environment friendly quad-pixel sensor and Apple Digital camera Interface, unlocking 4K120 fps video recording in Dolby Imaginative and prescient – the best decision and frame-rate mixture ever out there on iPhone, and a smartphone first,” according to Apple.
The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max can be found for preorder on September 13 at $999 and $1,099 respectively, beginning at 128GB of storage.
2. Apple Watch Collection 10
For the primary time because the Apple Watch Collection 7 launch, the mid-tier wearable obtained a noticeable redesign with the launch of the Apple Watch Collection 10.
Apple gave its Collection 10 the thinnest design (9.7 mm) and largest display screen but. Apple additionally touted that the Apple Watch Collection 10 options quick charging and as much as 18 hours of battery life.
The watch has Apple’s first wide-angle OLED show, which makes its display screen as much as 40% brighter than the Collection 9 when seen from an angle. This helps readers higher learn the display screen. This OLED show permits for a quicker refresh fee, updating as soon as a second as a substitute of as soon as a minute in always-on mode.
A number of the new breakout options of the Apple Watch embrace sleep apnea notifications, audio playback by way of the Collection 10’s new audio system, background noise discount throughout calls, and a built-in depth gauge and water temperature sensor.
Additionally: The 5 best iPhone 16 Pro features that enthusiasts will care about
The Apple Watch Collection 10 begins at $399, is out there for pre-order beginning right this moment, September 9, and can ship on September 20. For the primary time, it’s out there in a cultured aluminum end in jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum. The titanium case, made from a brand new grade 5 titanium, is out there in pure, gold, and slate.
Alongside the Watch Collection 10, Apple introduced a brand new satin black end for its Watch Extremely 2, which is tailor-made to avid athletes and out of doors fans. It begins at $799; pre-orders begin right this moment and ship out on September 20.
Apple additionally launched an array of latest watch bands, together with new choices from Hermes and Nike Sport Loop.
3. AirPods 4
After rumors circulated about two new AirPod fashions since final 12 months, Apple lastly launched them: Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Lively Noise Cancellation (ANC). One is the brand new entry-level possibility, whereas the opposite sits between that and the extra premium AirPods Pro 2.
Each of the brand new Apple AirPods 4 fashions function an H2 chip, significantly better general sound high quality, Customized Spatial Audio, voice isolation, gesture-based Siri controls, and, most notably, a USB-C charging case. Along with USB-C charging, the AirPods will be charged utilizing an Apple Watch charger or a Q-certified charger, delivering as much as 30 hours of battery life.
Additionally: Apple AirPods 4 vs. AirPods 4 with noise cancellation: Which earbuds fit you best?
Apple additionally shares that the brand new Open-Ear Match makes these AirPods the “finest headphones Apple has ever created with an open-ear design, setting a wholly new benchmark for match and luxury.” The stem now encompasses a power sensor, permitting customers to press on the stem to pause, mute, or finish calls.
The extra superior model consists of energetic noise cancellation at a barely increased price. AirPods 4 will price $129, and the mannequin with ANC will price $179. Like the remainder of the merchandise, they’re out there for pre-order right this moment and will likely be in shops beginning September 20.
Apple additionally refreshed its AirPods Max providing with new colours (midnight, blue, purple, starlight, and orange), and USB-C charging.
Lastly, Apple introduced new listening to well being options for AirPods Professional 2 coming this fall: Listening to Protections, which actively cut back louder noises out of your environment utilizing machine studying; Listening to Take a look at, which requires AirPods Professional and an iPhone; and a Listening to Help function, which permits earbuds to double as listening to aids.
Additionally: Your AirPods Pro 2 can soon double as over-the-counter hearing aids. Here’s how
These options will likely be out there within the fall for AirPods Professional 2 by way of the software program replace when paired with an iPhone working on iOS 18 or iPad working on iPadOS 18.
4. Apple Intelligence updates
Apple debuted its in-house generative AI options, Apple Intelligence, throughout its annual Worldwide Builders Convention in June. Through the convention, we noticed how Apple deliberate to implement Apple Intelligence throughout its private gadgets, together with by way of an upgraded Siri with extra conversational capabilities.
Throughout right this moment’s occasion, Apple principally reviewed the options it had beforehand unveiled, highlighting methods it’s going to assist customers, reminiscent of auto-writing, proofreading, emoji-generating, looking out photograph galleries utilizing conversational prompts, and extra.
Additionally: Apple delivers on hardware upgrades but punts Apple Intelligence rollout
The most important spotlight was the launch of Visible Intelligence, Apple’s reply to Google Lens. Like Google Lens, you possibly can take pictures of your environment, reminiscent of a canine or restaurant, and get customized insights and related data on what you captured.
Customers who buy a tool from the brand new iPhone 16 lineup will have the ability to entry Visible Intelligence from the brand new Digital camera Management possibility “later this 12 months,” based on Apple, although the corporate didn’t make clear a precise launch date.
Every little thing to learn about iOS 18
Apple unveiled iOS 18 throughout this 12 months’s WWDC in June. Will probably be readily put in on all iPhone 16 fashions and out there to obtain on older iPhones this coming Monday, Sept. 16. Regardless that Apple did not contact on iOS 18 a lot through the occasion, loads of options are packed into the brand new software program, so we rounded up a number of the finest ones:
- RCS assist, scheduled messages, and textual content formatting in iMessage
- Customizable app placements and icon designs on the house display screen
- A redesigned Management Heart with a number of panels for widgets
- A redesigned Images app for simpler looking out
- Faucet to Money in Pockets
ZDNET is at Apple headquarters in Cupertino now, so keep tuned for the most recent information, hands-on critiques, takeaways, and extra.