It’s Apple Day, and the company’s Glowtime event just dimmed its lights. A lot of new hardware was announced today: a bunch of new iPhones, a new Apple Watch and some improvements to the current models, as well as some new AirPods with new features. There was also more talk about the company’s upcoming Apple Intelligence features coming with iOS 18.
Here’s everything Apple showed off today.
The iPhone 16 gets new and larger buttons
The iPhone 16 won’t feel dramatically different from last year’s models. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus now have a vertically aligned camera module (as opposed to a diagonal one) and now feature Apple’s Action Button, introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro. This button replaces the long-standing mute switch, and while you can program the customizable Action Button to replicate that functionality, you can (more usefully) configure the button to perform different tasks, like turning on a flashlight or launching the camera.
Also new on all iPhone 16 models is a camera control button. Similar to the shutter button on a full-fledged camera, it responds to different levels of pressure. On the iPhone 16 Pro models, a light press tracks the focus, or you can swipe your finger through the zoom levels. A harder press takes a photo, and a longer press records a video.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models are a bit bigger! Apple has reduced the bezels around the display to allow for larger screens: 6.3 and 6.9 inches (up from 6.1 and 6.7). These phones feature a number of other small improvements, including the fact that 5x optical zoom is now available in the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. For more on the iPhone 16 range, check out our in-depth review of these new iPhones.
Pre-orders will be available starting September 13. The iPhone 16 will cost $799, the iPhone 16 Plus will cost $899, the iPhone 16 Pro will cost $999, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will cost $1,199. All models will be available in stores starting September 20. —Julian Chokkattu
A completely new look for the Apple Watch
This is the 10th anniversary of the original Apple Watch, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, Apple has redesigned the latest in the lineup, the Watch Series 10. For starters, it’s much lighter and thinner than its predecessor, the Series 9. It has the largest display ever on an Apple Watch, with 30 percent more screen real estate, making its display even larger than that of the massive Apple Watch Ultra series. This new display has more rounded edges and a wider-angle OLED display, making it easier to see when you’re not looking directly at the screen.
The new watch comes in an absolutely appetizing, sleek jet black version that’s been polished with silicon nanoparticles, giving it a reflective appearance. Among other changes that make the watch thinner, the speaker system has been redesigned so you can play podcasts directly through the Apple Watch’s speakers. There’s also a more efficient charging coil that can charge the watch to 80 percent battery in 30 minutes. (No word on how much better the battery life is, if at all.)