Tech enthusiasts across the world tuned in last night to see what Apple unveiled in its annual launch event at Cupertino. The cups of coffee to stay awake (in this time zone) have paid off with the tech giant launching a slew of interesting software additions and a few hardware upgrades across the iPhone 16 line-up, the Apple Watch Series 10 and the AirPods.  

Apple Intelligence, the tech giant’s proprietary AI interface finally arrives on the iPhone 16 series. The Watch Series 10 debuts detection of sleep apnea, and introduces a tonne of new trackers for underwater sports. The new AirPods 4 are redesigned to deliver better audio and now understand head nods! While a future upgrade on the AirPods Pro 2 can turn it into a hearing aid. Here’s a quick glance at the new launches, and what they bring in in terms of hardware and meaningful software!

iPhone 16 Pro & iPhone 16 Pro Max

Apple late last night introduced the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, featuring Apple Intelligence and new pro camera features powered by the A18 Pro chip. With Apple Intelligence, powerful Apple-built generative models come to the iPhone in the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant, while protecting user privacy. Camera Control unlocks a fast, intuitive way to tap into visual intelligence and easily interact with the advanced camera system. Featuring a new 48 MP Fusion camera with a faster quad-pixel sensor that enables 4K 120 fps video recording in Dolby Vision, these new Pro models achieve the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone. 

iPhone 16 Pro, with a 6.3-inch display and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch display will be available in black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium, in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities. iPhone 16 Pro starts at ₹1,19,900 and iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at ₹1,44,900.

iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus

The brand-new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also feature Apple Intelligence, the company’s own intelligence system that understands personal context. The iPhone 16 line-up also includes Camera Control, a result of thoughtful hardware and software integration that elevates the camera experience on the iPhone 16 line-up. It allows the user to tweak camera settings with gentle slides and clicks. The camera system on the devices includes a 48 MP Fusion camera with a 2x Telephoto lens, giving users two cameras in one, while a new ultra-wide camera enables macro photography. Next-generation Photographic Styles help users personalise their images, and spatial photo and video capture allows users to rewatch moments captured on Apple Vision Pro. The new A18 chip is said to deliver a huge leap in performance and efficiency, along with longer battery life compared to last year’s models as well.

Pre-orders begin Friday, September 13, with availability beginning Friday, September 20. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities. iPhone 16 with a 6.1-inch display starts at ₹79,900 and iPhone 16 Plus with a 6.7-inch display starts at ₹89,900.

Apple Watch Series 10

The new Apple Watch Series 10 now features a wide OLED display, in two sizes - 46 mm (height) and 42 mm (height). Audio can now be played back through the built-in speaker on the Apple Watch Series 10. Just like with phone calls, users can listen to music, podcasts, books and more right from the device. 

The most meaningful health update on the new series is the ability to detect sleep apnea. The Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, tracked by a new metric called Breathing Disturbances. While some of these disturbances are normal, they are important to track as they can be used to help understand restfulness of sleep and, when occurring frequently over multiple nights, may be associated with sleep apnea. Users can view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated, and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month, or one-year period. It can also be exported as a PDF so you can take it along to your next medical checkup.

A lot of the new features are designed for users who love spending time underwater. The smartwatch has a new depth gauge and water temperature sensor. The depth gauge can measure down to 6 meters beneath the water’s surface, perfect for snorkelling and shallow diving, or playing in the pool, lake, or ocean. The built-in Depth app is highly legible for easy underwater visibility, displaying the time, current depth, water temperature, duration underwater, and maximum depth — with the option to automatically activate as soon as one dives in.

There’s also a new Tides app which shows you seven rolling days of forecasted tidal information for coastlines and surf spots around the globe. The Oceanic+ app is now available for Apple Watch Series 10, with new features for snorkelling. 

Apple Watch Series 10 runs on watchOS 11, which includes a Smart Stack that lets users glance at important information easily, a redesigned Photos face, the Translate app and the ability to scroll through any app with the double tap gesture. 

For the first time, Apple Watch is available in a polished aluminium jet-black finish, along with rose gold and brushed silver. Priced at ₹46,900 onwards, the Apple Watch Series 10 is now available for pre-order and will be available in stores starting September 20, 2024. 

AirPods 4

The new AirPods 4 features an open-ear design and a new acoustic architecture, a low-distortion driver, and a high-dynamic range amplifier. There’s also Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for an immersive audio experience. The H2 chip enables Voice Isolation, leading to possibly clearer call quality no matter how much background noise there is. New Siri Interactions lets users nod their head yes or gently shake their head indicating “no” to interact with their iPhones through the AirPods.

The charging case now offers USB-C, while promising up to 30 hours of battery life. 

Apple has launched two versions - AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Customers can now pre-order AirPods 4 for ₹12,900, and the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for ₹17,900. 

AirPods Pro 2

Later this year, a suite of hearing health features will be rolled out for the AirPods Pro 2. This includes Loud Sound Reduction, wherein the ear tips help provide passive noise reduction, while the H2 chip helps to actively reduce louder noises. On by default across all listening modes, Loud Sound Reduction is designed not to get in the way of enjoying live concerts.

Users will also be able to take a hearing test right from this device, while paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad, The test provides an easy-to-understand summary of their results in a personalised hearing profile for AirPods Pro, stored securely in the Health app.

AirPods Pro 2 can also turn into a Hearing Aid for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. After set-up, the feature enables personalised dynamic adjustments so users have the sounds around them boosted in real time. New hearing health features will be available this winter for AirPods Pro 2 customers in a free software update when paired with iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18. AirPods Pro 2 are currently available at ₹24,900. 

AirPods Max

These headphones are now available in five new colours, including midnight, starlight, blue, orange, and purple, and offer complementary finishes alongside other Apple products such as the Mac or the iPad. Additionally, AirPods Max now features USB-C charging capabilities so you don’t have to carry multiple chargers with you on the go. Customers can now pre-order AirPods Max with USB-C charging for ₹59,900.

Published on September 10, 2024