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, in fact, artificial intelligence (AI).
Additionally: 4 best iPhone 16 features that make Apple’s standard model worth upgrading to
In the event you did not get to tune in or desire a detailed abstract of the bulletins, hold studying for ZDNET’s full roundup of the information under.
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 new daring colours, together with ultramarine, teal, and pink, alongside white and black. Aside from colours, the modifications to the telephones’ look embrace a rear digital camera bump, digital camera alignment, and two new buttons, which we’ll discover under. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus preserve 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens, respectively.
The telephones have a brand new customizable Motion button on the facet, which may be programmed to carry out totally different duties, similar to opening the flashlight.
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Moreover, there’s a new Digital camera Management button, with touch-capacitive sensors that customers can faucet and swipe to manage the digital camera. The button capabilities like a daily digital camera, permitting customers to press it calmly to concentrate on a topic and tougher to take an image. The button also can 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 choice and a brand new macro pictures lens enabled by the brand new 12MP Extremely Vast 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 newest 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 sooner for machine studying, has 17% extra reminiscence bandwidth, is as much as 30% sooner than the CPU within the iPhone 15, and has a 40% sooner GPU.
Additionally: Every iPhone 16 model compared: Which iPhone should you buy today?
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus shall 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 full of 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% sooner than final yr’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” throughout the occasion.
Additionally: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Should you upgrade to Apple’s latest model? – Prism
The digital camera system has additionally been upgraded on the Professional line, that includes a brand new 48MP Fusion digital camera with a “sooner, extra environment friendly quad-pixel sensor and Apple Digital camera Interface, unlocking 4K120 fps video recording in Dolby Imaginative and prescient – the very 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 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 as much as 40% brighter than the Collection 9 when considered from an angle. This helps readers higher learn the display. This OLED show permits for a sooner refresh charge, updating as soon as a second as an alternative 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: Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Apple Watch Series 9: Should you upgrade to the latest model?
The Apple Watch Collection 10 begins at $399, is offered for pre-order beginning as we speak, September 9, and can ship on September 20. For the primary time, it’s out there in a elegant aluminum end in jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum. The titanium case, made from a brand new grade 5 titanium, is offered 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 lovers. It begins at $799; pre-orders begin as we speak and ship out on September 20.
Apple additionally launched an array of recent 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 yr, Apple lastly launched them: Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Lively Noise Cancellation (ANC). One is the brand new entry-level choice, 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, a lot better total 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 may be charged utilizing an Apple Watch charger or a Q-certified charger, delivering as much as 30 hours of battery life.
Additionally: Which Apple AirPods 4 model should you buy? Here are the key differences
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 incorporates a pressure sensor, permitting customers to press on the stem to pause, mute, or finish calls.
The extra superior model contains lively noise cancellation at a barely larger value. AirPods 4 will value $129, and the mannequin with ANC will value $179. Like the remainder of the merchandise, they’re out there for pre-order as we speak and shall 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 scale back louder noises out of your environment utilizing machine studying; Listening to Check, which requires AirPods Professional and an iPhone; and a Listening to Support 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 shall be out there within the fall for AirPods Professional 2 through 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. Throughout the convention, we noticed how Apple deliberate to implement Apple Intelligence throughout its private units, together with through an upgraded Siri with extra conversational capabilities.
Throughout as we speak’s occasion, Apple largely reviewed the options it had beforehand unveiled, highlighting methods it is going to assist customers, similar to auto-writing, proofreading, emoji-generating, looking 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, similar to a canine or restaurant, and get personalised insights and related info 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 choice “later this yr,” in keeping with Apple, although the corporate didn’t make clear an actual launch date.
All the pieces to learn about iOS 18
Apple unveiled iOS 18 throughout this yr’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. Though Apple did not contact on iOS 18 a lot throughout the occasion, loads of options are packed into the brand new software program, so we rounded up among the finest ones:
- RCS help, scheduled messages, and textual content formatting in iMessage
- Customizable app placements and icon designs on the house display
- A redesigned Management Middle with a number of panels for widgets
- A redesigned Images app for simpler looking
- Faucet to Money in Pockets
ZDNET is at Apple headquarters in Cupertino now, so keep tuned for the newest information, hands-on evaluations, takeaways, and extra.