Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ Event Unveils New iPhones, Watches And More
by Christian de Looper · ForbesAt last week’s Apple event, the tech giant debuted its latest-and-greatest iPhone 16, new Apple Watch Series 10 models and more. Apple hosts its annual iPhone launch event every September—and that was once again the case at its, “It’s Glowtime,” the title for this year’s Apple event.
There were plenty of rumored upgrades we didn’t see, though. There were no new iPad or Mac models—and if Apple has any in-store for this year, they’ll likely get their own October or November event. But there were still a slew of debuts, including the iPhone 16 release, all-new AirPods and more, at the Apple event.
Curious about Apple’s all-new products and which ones you might want? Here’s a breakdown of what Apple unveiled at its September 9, “It’s Glowtime,” event. And the great news: All these new devices can be ordered starting today.
Apple iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone was the last product that Apple discussed at its event, but stole the show. Designed with Apple Intelligence in mind, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also feature new camera controls on device.
Camera Control, as it’s called, comes on the side of the device, and is a button that allows users to more naturally take photos and slide to control certain camera functions. The button is flush to the side of the phone, and launches the camera with a click and snaps a photo with another click. Clicking and holding records a video, and it interacts with the Taptic Engine for natural haptic feedback. You can also lightly press the button to bring up other controls, like the ability to slide to zoom, or access other settings. It’s a pretty advanced feature, though it remains to be seen how easy it is to use in real life.
Beyond the Camera Control, the cameras also got some upgrades. Like before, the camera is 48MP, and it supports the 2x lossless telephoto feature that crops the camera sensor for a zoomed photo that doesn’t leverage digital zoom. The new Ultrawide camera is still 12MP, but it now has autofocus built into it, along with a larger aperture and larger pixels for the ability to capture up to 2.6x more light. With the new vertically-aligned cameras, the device can now capture Spatial Video, too.
Under the hood, the iPhone 16 features Apple’s latest-and-greatest A18 chip. The A18 has a new neural engine that Apple says is optimized for running large generative models, has more memory bandwidth for faster AI performance and a new 6-core CPU. That’s along with a new 5-core GPU that Apple says is 40% faster, and is used in Apple Intelligence, new camera features and all while using 35% less power.
Apple Intelligence At The Forefront
But again, Apple focused heavily on Apple Intelligence at its event too, running through the features announced in June. Apple says the first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in beta in October, with more languages coming in December, and then even more next year.
But it also announced a new feature for the iPhone 16: Visual Intelligence. This new smart feature allows users to click and hold the new Camera Control button, and point the camera at anything in the world around you for more information. Apple’s examples include holding the device to a concert poster to add it to the camera, or to a business to see its ratings and a menu. It connects with Google too, allowing you to easily find products you might be interested in. Visual Intelligence will be available on the iPhone 16 later this year.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus begins shipping today. The iPhone 16 starts at $799, while the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro And iPhone 16 Pro Max
In addition to the iPhone 16, Apple unveiled the all-new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Like its sibling, the iPhone 16 Pro gets the new Camera Control on the side, along with new displays that measure 6.3 inches on the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 inches on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple says the devices have slimmer bezels, ensuring the larger displays don’t mean the devices themselves are much bigger.
The iPhone 16 Pro comes in new finishes too: Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium and Desert Titanium. With improved power efficiency and a larger battery, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a longer battery life. Apple calls it the best battery life in any iPhone ever. That said, the tech giant didn’t give actual numbers about the battery life, so we’ll have to see how much better it really is.
Under the hood, the iPhone 16 Pro has a new pro-level A18 Pro chip. This chip goes beyond the standard A18 with a 16-core neural engine and a faster 6-core GPU that can run up to 20% faster than the A17 Pro.
The cameras get major improvements for the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, too. The new devices have a new 48-megapixel main camera, with a new Quad Pixel sensor that can capture data faster for more detail. That’s alongside a new 48MP ultrawide sensor, and the 48MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. The devices also get new Camera Styles, which can be adjusted using the Camera Control. Lastly, there’s a new Cinematic Slow-Motion feature that can capture 4K video at 120 frames per second. And, the device has new microphones that Apple says provide “studio-quality” audio.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are now available today. The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199.
Apple Watch Series 10
The Apple Watch Series 10 was the first new wearable that Apple debuted at its event, and it’s a big year for the device—now in its 10th generation. Contrary to what some rumors indicated, Apple didn’t necessarily reinvent the design of the Apple Watch for the Series 10. The tech company did, however, give the Watch Series 10 great design tweaks, including a larger display with smaller bezels and a thinner build at 9.7mm—which is 10% thinner than the Apple Watch Series 9. The display on the device is so big that’s even larger than the Apple Watch Ultra. That can come in handy for things like reading text or typing replies.
As far as display technology goes, the device is the company’s first, “wide-angle OLED display,” which is built to be easily viewable at wider angles, or for when you’re not looking at the device straight-on.
While the Watch is available in Apple’s staple colors, Rose Gold and Silver Aluminum, it also gets a slew of new colors, including Natural, Gold, Slate Gray and an all-new Jet Black. Be sure to check the price before you buy, as some of those colors cost more than the aluminum base models. For the money though, you’ll get metal watch bands that have the same colors, which is nice.
The Series 10 has Apple’s new S10 chipset, built to be more efficient and better power smart features like Automatic Workout Detection and Crash Detection. The chipset uses a new neural network to reduce background noise on phone calls, and allows for the Translate app to be available on the Apple Watch.
Apple also unveiled new health tracking features, too, including Sleep Apnea detection, a sleep disorder that can cause sufferers to stop breathing many times over the night. The feature just received FDA approval, too—and will be bringing it to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Speaking of the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple didn’t announce an Ultra 3 this year—but it did give the Ultra 2 a new black finish and a new woven Titanium Milanese watch band, along with new Hermes Apple Watch bands.
The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model, or $499 for the cellular model. You can get it right now, as shipping begins today.
Apple AirPods 4
Apple revamped its entry-level AirPods for their fourth generation and unveiled a new look at the latest installment. The new AirPods 4 have a slightly new design that helps make them look a little closer to the AirPods Pro, with a shorter angled stem.
The new AirPods 4 have Apple’s H2 chip, which helps give them a much better audio quality and so-called Personalized Spatial Audio. Additionally, they come equipped with head-tracking as well as the ability to nod or shake your head to respond to Siri—a feature that was first announced at WWDC in June. The new AirPods 4 have a total of 30 hours of battery life, including that from the charging case.
There’s a slightly higher-end version of the AirPods 4 too, simply called, “AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.” As you would expect, this version of the headphones get noise cancellation and transparency modes. It also comes with Adaptive Audio that can adjust noise modes depending on your environment, and a Conversational Awareness mode that detects when you’re talking to someone and switches straight to transparency mode. It’s a neat upgrade, though obviously it’ll cost you more at $179.
The AirPods 4 come at $129 for the non-ANC version, and $179 for the AirPods with Active Noise Cancellation. You can add them to your cart right now. Shipping begins today.
Apple AirPods Max
Apple’s over-ear headphones aren’t getting a major revamp, but they do get some new features. Notably, the AirPods Max are now available in a series of new colors. You can now get them in Starlight, Midnight, Orange, Purple and Blue, and they finally get USB-C, signaling the end of the Lightning port in Apple’s lineup. The new AirPods Max still come at $549, an you can order the new colors right now.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
Apple may not have launched a new AirPods Pro model, but it’s making the AirPods Pro more health-focused—especially when it comes to hearing health. Notably, the AirPods Pro will soon get a new Hearing Protection mode, which leverages machine learning to help reduce louder intermittent noise.
On top of that, the earbuds are helping raise awareness around hearing health, with a new clinically evaluated Hearing Test feature that can help users track any hearing loss over time—with results in the Apple Health app. The feature will help track a user’s hearing over time, which can be very helpful for those in early stages of hearing loss.
Lastly, the AirPods Pro will have a new clinical-grade hearing aid feature. The feature will kick in after a hearing test, and will use those results to help boost certain frequencies to make audio sound more natural in your environment. And, that hearing profile will be shared across devices, and used for music and movie playback.
Apple is awaiting FDA approval for the new feature, but once it gets approval, it says the feature will be rolled out to the AirPods Pro 2 later this fall.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is Camera Control On The iPhone 16 Series, And How Does It Work?
Camera Control is a new feature that’s solely on iPhone 16 series. It’s a dedicated physical button on the right-hand side that gives you quicker access to the camera without unlocking the phone. Press it to instantly open the camera app. A light double press allows you to toggle between different modes like photo styles, zoom and more. Holding the button down allows you to quickly take videos.
Is The Sleep Apnea Detection Feature Medically Accurate, And Can It Diagnose Sleep Apnea?
Apple’s Sleep Apnea detection feature is designed to flag potential signs of sleep apnea by sharing sleep disruption data with you over a period of days. It’s potentially a great way to indicate early on that you may have sleep apnea, and it did receive FDA clearance as of this week. However, it’s not designed or intended to replace a professional medical diagnosis. It merely serves as an early indicator, encouraging the wearer to consult with healthcare providers if the Watch detects consistent irregularities or disruptions during sleep.
Can The AirPods 4 And AirPods Pro Fully Replace Traditional Hearing Aids?
While the Hearing Aid feature can be helpful for users with mild to moderate hearing challenges, like the Sleep Apnea detection feature on the Watch Series 10, it’s not designed to replace medical-grade hearing aids. It offers a convenient, less formal (and potentially less expensive) solution for improving sound clarity in daily situations, say, if you’re running to the grocery store. For those who experience severe hearing loss, consulting an audiologist is recommended.
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