It’s September and like clockwork, so are the new iPhones. Apple unveiled its latest iPhone models at its event in Cupertino today, and as expected, the iPhone 16 is a near-perfect successor to last year’s model. While the standard and Pro versions of the smartphone took center stage, Apple also showed off the new Apple Watch Series 10, two new pairs of AirPods, and detailed hearing aid features coming to the second-generation AirPods Pro. The company also detailed the latest mobile chipsets that will power the new iPhones and reminded people what to expect with iOS 18, which will be released later this month, in Apple Intelligence. If you missed the announcement live, Engadget has you covered. Here’s everything announced at Apple’s iPhone 16 event.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
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Apple unveiled the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus at the event, which are water- and dust-resistant and feature new colors including ultramarine, teal, and pink. The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display. Both offer up to 2,000 nits of brightness and can be lowered to 1 nit in darkness. Action buttons are also coming to this series of iPhones, and are customizable just like last year’s Pro model iPhones.
There’s also a new, easily accessible camera control “button” that lets you quickly control the camera with a slide of your finger. The tool also takes advantage of Visual Intelligence, an AI-powered feature coming to iOS 18 that can learn more about what you point your camera at. It’s similar to Google Lens, and lets you point your camera at a flyer you see on the street and add live event dates to your calendar, among other features. The camera array on the standard iPhone 16 models includes a 48MP main Fusion camera, a 12MP telephoto lens, and a new ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus. The array can also take spatial photos that can be viewed with Apple’s Vision Pro.
Both standard iPhone 16 models are powered by the new A18 chip, which features a 16-core Neural Engine optimized for generative models. Under the hood, there’s a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, both of which are essential for powering all the new Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS 18.
According to Apple, both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have larger batteries than their predecessors, which, combined with the efficiency of the A18 chipset and iOS 18 improvements, should result in significantly longer battery life overall (though Apple didn’t provide an exact estimate). Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are available to preorder starting today, starting at $799 and $899, respectively, and will be available to the public on September 20.
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iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
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This year, iPhone’s Pro series includes the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which feature 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch ProMotion always-on displays, respectively. Both are made from grade 5 titanium, which Apple claims is even lighter than stainless steel. The devices will come in four new colors: black, white, natural and dessert, which is similar to dusty gold.
The company says that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence, allowing them to take full advantage of all the new features coming in iOS 18. The devices run on the new A18 Pro chipset, which leverages 3nm transistors, making it even faster and more efficient than the standard A18 chip found in the regular iPhone 16 lineup.
The rear camera arrays on both models include a 48MP Fusion camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 12MP telephoto lens. Improvements to the main camera now enable 4K, 120fps video and slow-motion recording, and both phones have a new camera control button for easier access to the camera and all of its tools for both shooting and editing. Both smartphones also feature four built-in studio-quality microphones for improved audio capture, and spatial audio recording.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro series and the standard iPhone 16 devices support Qi2 wireless charging, and Apple will release a new MagSafe charging case that will accommodate the new camera control buttons. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting on Friday, September 13, with prices starting at $999 and $1,199, respectively. They will be available to the public on September 20.
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Airpods 4
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The AirPods 4, as rumored, launched today during the iPhone 16 event. The earbuds have a redesigned shape to fit more ear shapes and be more comfortable overall. Inside is the H2 chip, which improves sound quality and enables features like personalized spatial audio. The charging case has a USB-C port and is the smallest AirPods charging case to date.
In addition to the regular AirPods 4, a second model will be available that supports active noise cancellation and transparency mode. Speech recognition will automatically lower media volume levels when the earbuds detect that someone is talking to you. The standard AirPods 4 will cost $129, while the AirPods 4 with ANC will cost $179. Both are available for pre-order starting today, with general availability starting September 20.
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New colors for AirPods Max
Apple didn’t reinvent the wheel with the updated AirPods Max. Instead, it’s launching in several new colors (Midnight, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Starlight) and supporting USB-C charging. The new colors are available to preorder today for $549 and will be widely available on September 20th.
New hearing aid features for AirPods Pro
Apple has announced new features coming to the second-generation AirPods Pro that are designed to help prevent (and raise awareness about) hearing loss. The feature, called “Hearing Protection,” will be on by default and will allow users to take a clinically validated hearing test to find out if they already have hearing loss. Additionally, AirPods Pro will also have built-in clinical-grade hearing aid functionality, working with a hearing profile created after users take a hearing test.
Apple Watch Series 10
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Apple today announced the Apple Watch Series 10, the successor to last year’s Series 9. It boasts the largest display and thinnest design ever on an Apple Watch, with a wide-angle OLED display that’s even larger than the one on the Apple Watch Ultra. The case has rounded corners and a wider aspect ratio. Combined with a larger screen, this gives you more space to interact with the graphics and text on your Watch. Apple says the screen is 40% brighter when viewed at an angle, and you can see the second hand ticking even when your wrist is down.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by a new S10 SiP chip, which Apple claims is built with a focus on performance, power efficiency, and intelligence (i.e. Apple Intelligence). One example of Apple Intelligence featured on the Series 10 is the new Photos watch face, which curates and automatically displays the best photos from your library.
In terms of fitness features, Apple has announced that the latest version of watchOS will enable the Series 10 to detect signs of sleep apnea, but only if you regularly wear it while sleeping. Apple claims that it is pending FDA clearance, and the sleep apnea detection feature will be launched in over 150 countries. In the activity department, the Series 10 will come with scuba diving tracking, as well as support for watchOS 11’s new Tides app.
Another new feature is the ability to play audio directly through the Watch’s speaker, which is handy if you don’t have AirPods or other Bluetooth earphones handy. Apple Watch Series 10 comes in a new glossy jet black aluminum finish and a new glossy titanium finish. It’s available to preorder starting today, with general availability on September 20.
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New finishes for Apple Watch Ultra 2
While there have been a lot of rumors floating around about the next Apple Watch Ultra model, the company didn’t unveil the third-generation sports watch today. Instead, Apple unveiled a new Satin Black finish for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. There’s also a new Hermes finish, as well as a new Milanese band to go with the new Satin Black finish.
Catch up on all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!
