Everything announced at Apple’s iPhone 16 ‘Glowtime’ Event: AI, Apple Watch 10, AirPods, more

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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 anticipate quickly, together with extremely anticipated well being choices — and, after all, artificial intelligence (AI).

Additionally: 4 best iPhone 16 features that make Apple’s standard model worth upgrading to

When you did not get to tune in or need a detailed abstract of the bulletins, preserve studying for ZDNET’s full roundup of the information beneath. 

1. iPhone 16 collection

iPhone 16

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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 modifications to the telephones’ look embody a rear digital camera bump, digital camera alignment, and two new buttons, which we’ll 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 may be programmed to carry out totally different duties, akin to opening the flashlight. 

Additionally: The 4 biggest new health features Apple just announced

Moreover, there’s a new Digicam 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 evenly 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 methods, 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 photographs and movies for the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. 

To present 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 compared: Which iPhone should you buy today?

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 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), Digicam 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 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” through 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 “quicker, extra environment friendly quad-pixel sensor and Apple Digicam 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

Apple Watch Series 10

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

For the primary time for the reason that Apple Watch Collection 7 launch, the mid-tier wearable acquired 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 quicker refresh charge, updating as soon as a second as a substitute of as soon as a minute in always-on mode. 

Among the new breakout options of the Apple Watch embody sleep apnea notifications, audio playback by 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 obtainable for pre-order beginning in the present day, September 9, and can ship on September 20. For the primary time, it’s out there in a sophisticated aluminum end in jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum. The titanium case, made from a brand new grade 5 titanium, is obtainable 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 in the present day 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

airpods-4

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

After rumors circulated about two new AirPod fashions since final yr, Apple lastly launched them: Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Energetic 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, significantly better general sound high quality, Personalised 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 contains a drive 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 greater 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 in the present day 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.

AirPods Max 2

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

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 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 will likely be out there within the fall for AirPods Professional 2 by way of the software program replace when paired with an iPhone operating on iOS 18 or iPad operating on iPadOS 18. 

4. Apple Intelligence updates

apple-intelligence

Screenshot by Kayla Solino/ZDNET

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 in the present day’s occasion, Apple principally reviewed the options it had beforehand unveiled, highlighting methods it can assist customers, akin 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’ll be able to take photographs of your environment, akin to 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 Digicam Management choice “later this yr,” in accordance with Apple, although the corporate didn’t make clear an actual launch date. 

Every thing to find out about iOS 18

iOS 18 beta running on iPhone 15 Pro

The iOS 18 beta operating on iPhone 15 Professional.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

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. Despite the fact 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 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 Heart with a number of panels for widgets
  • A redesigned Pictures app for simpler looking
  • Faucet to Money in Pockets

ZDNET is at Apple headquarters in Cupertino now, so keep tuned for the most recent information, hands-on evaluations, takeaways, and extra.

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