Huawei’s first tri-fold phone starts at an eye-watering $2,800

If you thought the price of a fully specced iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 was high, Huawei has a new flagship that might require some folks to pull off a bank heist to afford. The Mate XT, which the company claims is the first triple-fold phone to hit the market, will debut in China and start at 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800). That's enough to buy an 11-inch iPad Pro, M3 MacBook Air and an iPhone 16 — and still have cash to spare.

It took Huawei five years to develop the Mate XT, according to the chairman of its consumer business, Richard Yu. As part of that process, the company is said to have made breakthroughs in screen and hinge technology. The device folds up accordion-style, with one hinge bending outward and the other inward, leaving one of the panels available to use as a 6.4-inch exterior display.

“Huawei Mate XT is the world’s first triple-fold smartphone, and the largest and thinnest foldable handset globally,” Yu said during a launch event, according to CNN. “We are the first in the world to achieve outward folding (in smartphones) and the first to create an inward-folding phone with no gaps.”

Despite the high price, the Mate XT has already caught the imagination of Chinese consumers. By early Tuesday, Huawei had received 3.7 million preorders. 

It's no surprise as to why Huawei formally revealed the device hours after Monday's iPhone event — it's looking to steal some of Apple's thunder. Given its pre-order numbers and the relatively modest iPhone hardware updates this year (Apple is banking on the delayed Apple Intelligence features as a key selling point), Huawei may have just pulled that off.

When completely unfolded, the Mate XT has a 10.2-inch 3K display with a 92 percent screen-to-body ratio. Buyers can use one, two or all three panels at once (the size of the two-panel display is 7.9 inches). It comes in red or black with a leather finish on the rear and gold trim on the edges and folds. When they're out of range of a cell network, owners will be able to communicate with the rest of the world via satellite.

As you might imagine, there are a bunch of generative AI features too, including a voice input function that can polish and translate a transcript. There's the option to have a chatbot open on one side of the screen to answer questions and summarize articles. There's an AI photo-editing tool too. On that note, Huawei says the triple-camera system (which features a periscope telephoto camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera) includes an approximate optical zoom of 5.5x.

Huawei isn't the first company to show off a tri-fold device, however. We had some hands-on time with a tri-fold TCL tablet back in 2020.

The rollout plans for the Mate XT outside China are not yet clear. The Mate XT is unlikely to officially come to the US, given sanctions that have been in place against the company over the last few years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/huaweis-first-tri-fold-phone-starts-at-an-eye-watering-2800-145113669.html?src=rss

Apple needs to remember what the iPhone 16 is for

There’s a meme that comes around when people are urged to see a movie on the biggest screen as the filmmaker intended. People then mock up images of them watching it on the worst, least-immersive devices possible, from iPods to Game Boys. It came to mind during the iPhones 16 launch event, Apple said its new models have CPUs that can challenge “even high-end desktop PCs” and “desktop-class GPU architecture.” And it made me wonder if anyone is actually playing AAA games on a 6-inch smartphone for any real length of time?

Look, we all know this is just Apple flexing the power of its homegrown silicon, given even its A-Series SOCs run almost as fast as a flagship Intel CPU. We also all know that if you tried to run your iPhone with the same load as you could put on a desktop, you’d quickly burn it out. (Case in point, Resident Evil Village caused GamesHub’s iPhone 15 Pro to run “uncomfortably hot” and burned through 30 percent of its battery life in an hour.) All of that power is great for the sort of tasks an iPhone needs to do which are only demanding in short bursts. Processing audio and video, or the odd blast of generative AI (when it arrives) that Apple is understandably proud of being able to do on-device.

But this emphasis on raw power suggests the company has lost sight of what the iPhone is for, and what its limitations are. Yes, I’m sure some people love playing Death Stranding on the bus into school, or work. I’m sure there are some people who will try and use the Notes app to write their term papers, and one or two filmmakers who will use the iPhone instead of a Red, but those can’t be massive constituencies of the overall user base.

It’s hard to see people using their iPhone to get the sort of Serious Work done that you’d need a better user interface to achieve. iPhones are great for photography, social media, communication, casual gaming, but they can’t be a comprehensive replacement for a laptop or games console. Well, you can use them for those purposes, but I’m not sure anyone should.

Another telling example was the demo showing a person using Voice Notes to record a new vocal over a backing track they’d previously recorded. It’s a great way to show the iPhones 16’s ability to isolate audio even when the sources are so close together. Apple added the feature to Voice Notes because it has seen user feedback that it’s become a valuable tool in a musician’s arsenal. But it’s also something of an own-goal given Apple’s own multi-track recording platform, Garageband, has been left (deservedly) ignored and unloved for the last decade.

I suspect all of this points to the fact that Apple, with its key strengths of merging hardware and software, has run out of worlds to conquer in the former. After all, as glorious as the new iPhone is, the upgrades have been incremental for a long while now. As fancy and high-tech as the new camera shutter button is, it’s not as if adding a dedicated button for capture is groundbreaking — I had one of those on my Sony Ericsson K750i. I’m also curious how many iPhone users actually harness those extra camera features (like adjusting the focal length, or shooting in RAW) when they’re snapping clips for TikTok. And if you, like me, don’t really value Apple Intelligence, or just think those features aren’t really compelling, then there’s little reason to rush out and upgrade.

It doesn’t help that I was also reminded of what Steve Jobs said in 2010, describing personal computers as “trucks” whose prominence would fall as people switched to the “cars” of phones and tablets. Trucks were go-anywhere, do-anything tools that were vital a century or more ago but were phased out when people started using more specific tools suited to their needs. The iPhone 16 launch event, however, felt like Apple showing everyone that it’d managed to cram a Big Rig engine into a Porsche.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-needs-to-remember-what-the-iphone-16-is-for-134535338.html?src=rss

Apple Intelligence for iPhone, iPad and Mac arrives in October

Apple Intelligence is coming next month. The company has revealed that its artificial intelligence platform is arriving on iPhones, iPads and MacBooks with the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates rolling out in October. It will only work on Apple's newer and more powerful devices, though, including the iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16 models, as well as MacBooks and iPads running on M-series chips. In addition, the first batch of Apple Intelligence features will only be available in US English. Support for English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK will be available in December, while for other languages, including Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish is coming next year. 

One of the first Apple Intelligence features you'll be able to use is Writing Tools, which can rewrite, proofread and summarize text for you in Mail, Notes, Pages and even in third-party apps. The Memories feature will give you a way to easily create movies in Photos when you type a description for the kind of images you're looking for. You'll even be able to search for specific photos and videos by using natural language. And if you want to quickly remove background objects in images without damaging the rest of the photo, you can use the Clean Up tool. 

There's also a feature you can use to record, transcribe and summarize audio in Notes and Phone. If you initiate a recording while on a call, for instance, Apple Intelligence will generate a summary after it ends. A new Focus feature called "Reduce Interruptions" will surface only notifications that need immediate attention, while Priority Messages in Mail will put time-sensitive messages at the top based on the contents of those emails. You'll also see summaries of an email's most important information across your inbox and then use Smart Reply, which identifies questions and suggests quick responses, to fire off a quick message. 

Apple says its AI technology will make Siri more natural and more integrated into its platforms, as well. The voice assistant will apparently be able to understand your inquiries, even if you stutter or stumble over your words, and it can follow your train of thought even if you switch between text and voice. Apple says it's releasing more AI features over the next few months, including one that can generate an image using context when you circle an empty space and another that can create original emoji (or "Genmoji") based on a description you type.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-intelligence-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac-arrives-in-october-120502268.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Should you upgrade to an iPhone 16?

If you missed it, Apple unveiled all the new iPhones we expected, a new Apple Watch that might steal a lot of the headlines (bigger, thinner, better!) and a surprising new push for its wireless headphones, with three new models and a software update for AirPods Pro that brings the company into a new product category, through software alone.

We’ll chew over those below, but first up: the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro. There’s a surprising parity of new features in the two devices this year. The iPhone 16 gets an action button (left edge, above the volume buttons) and a new camera button, too.

Well, it’s more than just a button. With all sorts of sensors and tech crammed inside, you can adjust controls and settings in the camera — think zoom, exposure and aperture — with gentle slides and presses. Apple is already planning an update for a half-press to focus the camera and a full press to capture. 

iPhone 16
Apple

Why did Apple redesign the iPhone 16 camera module? The cynic in me thought this change, with lenses stacked vertically, was just a desperate indicator to show that folks had the newest iPhone, but there’s a reason. Apparently, this arrangement means the cameras can work in tandem to capture spatial video and photos.

The iPhone 16 Pro (and Pro Max) both get an array of upgraded shooting features. There is (thankfully!) parity between the 6.9-inch Pro Max and 6.2-inch Pro, with the smaller Pro getting 5x optical zoom this year. The ultra-wide-angle camera has been upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels in both Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro can shoot video in 4K at 120 fps, so you can switch to and from slow-mo footage after the fact — no slow-motion recording mode necessary.

The iPhone 16 Pros have a larger battery, delivering us that perennial line: the “best iPhone battery life ever.” However, on Apple’s own specification cheat sheet, it gets a little more specific, saying it was the “Best iPhone battery life on Pro Max.” That’s something to scrutinize in reviews. But after last year’s shift to USB-C, the lightness of a titanium build and an action button is not quite as convincing an upgrade.

Having said that, what am I doing? I currently juggle an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and a Pixel 9 Pro XL, which are too big for me. Last year, I leaned on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, instead of the iPhone 15 Pro, for 5x camera zoom… and nothing else.

This time around, like the iPhone 14 series, there are pretty much identical specs across the iPhone 16 Pro duo — which is how it should be — so I’m lining up a pre-order for a black iPhone 16 Pro, with 1TB of storage. I might change my mind.

If you’re a Pro Max kind of iPhone owner, I think you could probably wait a year, but it’s also a great time to upgrade to the base iPhone 16. It gets those new buttons, it’ll work with Apple Intelligence in a few months and it has a pretty gorgeous lineup of colors.

We’ve got hands-on impressions on everything below.

— Mat Smith

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Apple Watch Series 10 hands-on: Bigger, lighter and thinner than ever

iPhone 16 Pro hands-on: How does a faux camera control button feel so real?

Apple’s AirPods Pro update turns them into a clinical grade hearing aid

Everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event

TMA
Apple

Apple’s wearable had the biggest spec jump at its event yesterday, with the biggest display and thinnest design ever on an Apple Watch. The wide-angle OLED display is even a bit larger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple claims the screen is 40 percent brighter when looked at from an angle, thanks to that new OLED tech, and it’ll show a second hand ticking away even when your wrist is down. The company claims an 18-hour battery life, which someone needs to remind Apple is not a full day.

Continue reading.

Apple launched its fourth-generation AirPods this week, as rumors suggested. They have a redesigned bud shape that’s supposed to fit more ear shapes. The new entry-level AirPods also have the H2 chip to power features like Spatial Audio. The charging case has a USB-C port, and it’s the smallest AirPods charging case to date. To throw a wrench into the works, Apple announced a second model supporting active noise cancellation and Transparency mode. Not to be confused with the AirPods Pro, which still exist.

Continue reading.

TMA
Engadget

Spare a thought for Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low. As we bundled her into a plane for Cupertino to report on all that Apple stuff, she was wrapping up her review of Google’s Pixel Watch 3. While we had compared Google’s latest wearable to Apple’s Watch Series 9, we think Apple has some wearable competition here, thanks to solid battery life and a comprehensive and intuitive suite of health-tracking features.

Continue reading.

Sony has announced a PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation stream at 11AM ET today on the PlayStation YouTube channel. All indications point toward this being the official unveiling of the PS5 Pro. Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, will host the stream, which will focus on the PS5 and innovations in gaming technology. For less than 10 minutes.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-should-you-upgrade-to-an-iphone-16-111524098.html?src=rss

Apple invents its own version of Google Lens called Visual Intelligence

Apple has introduced a new feature called Visual Intelligence with the iPhone 16, which appears to be the company's answer to Google Lens. Unveiled during its September 2024 event, Visual Intelligence aims to help users interact with the world around them in smarter ways.

The new feature is activated by a new touch-sensitive button on the right side of the device called Camera Control. With a click, Visual Intelligence can identify objects, provide information, and offer actions based on what you point it at. For instance, aiming it at a restaurant will pull up menus, hours, or ratings, while snapping a flyer for an event can add it directly to your calendar. Point it at a dog to quickly identify the breed, or click a product to search for where you can buy it online.

Later this year, Camera Control will also serve as a gateway into third-party tools with specific domain expertise, according to Apple's press release. For instance, users will be able to leverage Google for product searches or tap into ChatGPT for problem-solving, all while maintaining control over when and how these tools are accessed and what information is shared. Apple emphasized that the feature is designed with privacy in mind, meaning the company doesn’t have access to the specifics of what users are identifying or searching.

Apple claims that Visual Intelligence maintains user privacy by processing data on the device itself, ensuring that the company does not know what you clicked on.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-invents-its-own-version-of-google-lens-called-visual-intelligence-180647182.html?src=rss

How to pre-order the new Apple Watch Series 10

Before announcing new handsets during the It's Glowtime iPhone 16 launch event in Cupertino, Apple execs talked up the company's latest suite of smartwatches. Rumors suggested we could get an Apple Watch X instead of the Apple Watch Series 10, if the company were to borrow the naming scheme from its 2017 iPhone. But that didn't happen, it's indeed the Apple Watch Series 10.

In addition to the flagship wearable, we also saw the announcement of a new finish for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Unfortunately, after a two-year wait, the Apple Watch SE has not been updated to a third generation. Here's how you can pre-order the new Apple Watch Series 10, which should start shipping on Sept 20.

A new Apple Watch SE was not announced during the event, though it remains part of the official lineup. Last year’s Apple Watch Ultra 2 is still the company’s most recent high-end wearable, only getting an additional shiny black colorway instead of a new model.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-pre-order-the-new-apple-watch-series-10-173004323.html?src=rss

Apple Watch Series 10 hands-on: Bigger, lighter and thinner than ever

If you were hoping for three new Apple Watches today, you might be disappointed. However, Apple did reveal the largest Apple Watch display ever on the Series 10 wearable. The device is also thinner, delivering the bigger-but-slimmer update the company loves to give new devices. It's lighter too, so all three of the design changes should make the wearable more comfy to... wear. And of course, the new display will be a key selling point for this updated model. 

That display is the standout update to me. The panel is said to be 40 percent brighter when viewed at an angles, which will make it so much easier to see Watch info at a glance. I tried on the Series 10 in the demo area here at Apple Park in both the 46mm and 42mm sizes. The larger of the two isn't that much of burden for me as I'm rocking a 45mm Series 7 on the daily. Still, the OLED display is a massive upgrade over what I'm used to, and it will offer better performance over recent Apple Watches too. I also got a look at that screen update feature, which lets you see time and other info even when the display is in ambient mode. 

Apple Watch Series 10
Billy Steele for Engadget

In addition to the new display, both it and the Apple Watch case have more rounded angles. Combine that with new finishes (hello, jet black!) and you've got the biggest update to Apple's wearable since the Series 4 in terms of design. There are also a host of new features we weren't able to test in the demo area, like the depth gauge and water temperature sensor, but we did get a brief look at the upcoming sleep apnea tool in Apple Health. 

Here, Apple Watch will monitor your sleep for breathing disturbances. Like other sleep metrics, you'll see data for the current month, path six months and previous year, so you'll be aware of any changes over time. Of course, the app will alert you if you might need to see a doctor, and it will offer all of the logged data for you to share when you do. Millions of people suffer from sleep apnea, so being able to detect the signs of the condition without time-consuming sleep testing will certainly be a welcome addition to Apple's suite of health-tracking tools with Watch Series 10. 

Sleep apnea on Apple Watch
Billy Steele for Engadget

The main aesthetic update to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a new black color option. And while there's isn't a ton to say there, I will note that it looks very nice. Plus, it provides some contrast for those people who didn't care for the lighter silver option that was available before now. 

Apple Watch Ultra 2
Billy Steele for Engadget

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-watch-series-10-hands-on-bigger-lighter-and-thinner-than-ever-190000233.html?src=rss

iPhone 16 launch: Here’s how to pre-order the new iPhone from the Apple Store

Apple announced its newest lineup of smartphones during the 2024 iPhone 16 launch event earlier this week. Four new models took center stage: The iPhone 16, the larger iPhone 16 Plus, the high-end iPhone 16 Pro and its big sibling the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Last year, the most notable design change came with the adoption of a USB-C charging port. This year, all four phones are getting a new, multi-function capacitive button on the side. The other big news comes on the inside with the A18 and A18 Pro chips designed to handle all the coming Apple Intelligence features, including the just-announced Visual Intelligence.

Our team on the ground in Cupertino had a chance to put their hands on the handsets, but we’ll tell you exactly what we think about Apple's latest phones and features once we've had a chance to thoroughly review them. But if you already know you want a shiny new iPhone 16 as soon as possible, pre-orders are open now ahead of the ship date of September 20. Here's how you can buy them.

Apple also announced the AirPods 4 and the Apple Watch Series 10, both of which are available for pre-order now. Like the new iPhones, they'll ship on September 20. 

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-launch-heres-how-to-pre-order-the-new-iphone-from-the-apple-store-183710721.html?src=rss

Apple Watch Series 10 features a much larger screen and a thinner design

The new Apple Watch is here. A decade after the company revealed its first model, the Apple Watch Series 10 has a bigger screen and thinner design than all its predecessors. The watch also appears brighter from wider viewing angles, and it includes a redesigned speaker. The Apple Watch Series 10, available for pre-order now, is the biggest design change since Series 4.

The new Apple Watch comes in 46mm and 42mm screen sizes (up from 45mm and 41mm, respectively). Apple says the display on the Series 10 wearable has 30 percent more area than the Series 6 model. The display is even slightly bigger than that of the Apple Watch Ultra (when measured by area, not the diagonal). Apple says the watch’s wide-angle OLED screen is 40 percent brighter at angles than its predecessor.

The screen’s resolutions are 416 x 496 (46mm) and 374 x 446 (42mm). The display updates once per second, and the ticking second hand even shows while the device is in passive ambient mode. Both the display and case have more rounded corners than previous Apple Watch models.

Apple Watch Series 10
Apple

The Apple Watch Series 10 is nearly 10 percent thinner than the Series 9 model. It’s also 10 percent lighter than last year’s watch (or 20 percent lighter if you opt for the new titanium model). The latter replaces stainless steel as the wearable’s premium casing option. Apple says the thinner and lighter design on the Series 10 watch makes it “more comfortable than ever.”

Powering the device is the new S10 SIP (System in Package) chip, which Apple claims will enhance performance and efficiency. The S10 helps give the Apple Watch Series 10 longer “all-day” battery life: an estimated 18 hours. The company claims its improved fast charging can juice it up from empty to an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes.

The watch’s speakers are 30 percent smaller, allegedly without sacrificing audio performance. And its speakers can play media (like music and podcasts) for the first time — handy if you forget your AirPods. It also includes enhanced voice isolation for clearer calls in loud environments.

Apple Watch 10
Apple

The watch’s metal back integrates with the antenna, which Apple says will enhance cellular performance and water resistance (up to 50m). That new water resistance combines with its built-in depth gauge and water temperature sensor for diving capabilities. Supporting that on the software side is the Depth app (previously only available on the Ultra model) and the new Tides app, which offers seven-day tidal forecasts, sunrise and sunset times and local beach info for surfing, fishing and other underwater activities. There’s also an Oceanic+ app for the snorkelers out there.

The Apple Watch Series 10 includes sleep apnea tracking, another first in the lineup. The company says the wearable uses the accelerometer and machine learning to look for breathing disturbances when you wear it overnight. Apple expects FDA approval for that feature soon. You’ll find sleep apnea insights in a new Breathing Disturbances category in the Health app.

Apple describes the new wearable as a carbon-neutral product. The company says the Series 10 watch uses 95 percent recycled aluminum and is made with 100 percent renewable electricity.

Apple Watch Series 10
Apple

Of course, the new Apple Watch (along with older models starting with Series 6 and the second-gen SE) will run watchOS 11. The 2024 software adds the ability to pause and further customize Rings and Activity goals, along with a new Vitals app to check overnight metrics, training loads and pregnancy data.

The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for a GPS-only variant. (The titanium model starts at $699.) The GPS + cellular model costs $499. Pre-orders start today, and it will be available starting on September 20. The aluminum model is available in jet black (for the first time), rose gold and silver aluminum. The titanium model comes in natural, gold and slate. New band styles this year include collaborations with Nike and Hermès and an updated Milanese Loop.

Engadget’s Billy Steele tried out the new Apple Watch at the company’s event.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-watch-series-10-features-a-much-larger-screen-and-a-much-thinner-design-171307821.html?src=rss

Everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event: Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, iOS 18 and more

September is here and, like clockwork, so are new iPhones. Apple unveiled its latest iPhone models at an event in Cupertino today, and as expected, the iPhone 16 handsets are largely iterative of last year's models. While the smartphones, standard and Pro versions, 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 went into detail on its latest mobile chipsets that power the new iPhones, and reminded folks what they can expect when iOS 18 launches later this month with Apple Intelligence. If you weren't able to catch the announcements live, Engadget has you covered; here's everything announced at Apple's iPhone 16 event.

iPhone 16
Apple

Apple unveiled the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus at the event, which feature a water- and dust-resistant design and 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 of those can achieve up to 2,000 nits of brightness, and can go all the way down to 1 nit in the dark. The Action button has found its way to this series of iPhones as well, and it's just as customizable as the one we saw on last year's Pro-model iPhones.

There's also a new easy-access camera control "button" of sorts, which allows you to quickly control the camera with a slide of your finger. This tool can also tap into Visual Intelligence, an AI-powered feature coming in iOS 18 that can tell you more about anything you point your camera at. It appears similar to Google Lens, and can do things like add live event dates to your calendar after you point your camera at a flyer you see on the street. The camera array on the standard iPhone 16 models includes a 48-megapixel main Fusion camera, a 12MP telephoto lens and a new ultrawide camera with autofocus. This array will also be able to capture Spatial Photos that can be viewed on Apple's Vision Pro. 

We confirmed in our hands-on text of the iPhone 16 that it has the same style of camera control button as the more expensive iPhone 16 Pro. It's a physical button, but haptics add another layer of feedback for when you make a "light press" rather than fully pressing the button down. 

Both standard iPhone 16 models run on the new A18 chip, which has a 16-core neural engine optimized for generative models. The internals feature a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, both of which will be crucial for powering all of 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, and when combined with the efficiencies added from the A18 chipset and iOS 18 improvements, should make for a much longer-lasting battery lives overall (although Apple did not provide an exact estimate). Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are available for pre-order today starting at $799 and $899, respectively, and will be widely available on September 20.

Read more:

iPhone 16 Pro
Apple

The Pro series of iPhones includes the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max this year, which have 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch ProMotion, always-on displays, respectively. Both are made with Grade 5 Titanium, which Apple claims to be even lighter than stainless steel. These handsets will be available in four new colors: black, white, natural and desert, the latter of which resembles a dusty gold color.

According to the company, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence, being able to take full advantage of all the new features coming in iOS 18. These handsets run on the new A18 Pro chipset, which takes advantage of 3nm transistors and is even faster and more efficient than the standard A18 chip found in the regular iPhone 16 lineup.

The rear camera array on both models includes a 48MP Fusion camera, 48MP ultrawide shooter and a 12MP telephoto lens. The main camera's improvements allow for 4K, 120fps video and slow-motion recording. Both phones also have the new camera control button that provides easier access to the camera and all of its tools, both for capture and editing. There are also four studio-quality microphones built in to both smartphones for improved audio capture, and they allow for Spatial Audio recording, too.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro series and the standard iPhone 16 handsets supports Qi2 wireless charging, and Apple will come out with new MagSafe charging cases that account for the new camera control button. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 13, starting at $999 and $1,199, respectively. They'll be widely available on September 20.

Read more:

AirPods 4
Apple

AirPods 4 launched today during the iPhone 16 event, as rumors suggested. These have a redesigned bud shape that's suppose to fit more ear shapes and be more comfortable overall. They have the H2 chip inside, which will provide improved audio quality and enable features like Personalized Spatial Audio. The charging case has a USB-C port, and it's the smallest AirPods charging case to date.

In addition to the regular AirPods 4, there will be a second model that includes support for active noise cancellation and Transparency mode. Conversation Awareness will also automatically lower your media volume level when the buds detect you talking to someone. The standard AirPods 4 cost $129 and the AirPods 4 with ANC cost $179; both are available for pre-order today and will be widely available on September 20.

Read more:

Apple didn’t reinvent the wheel with the updated AirPods Max. Instead, they’ll be available in a few new colors (midnight, blue, purple, orange and starlight) and support USB-C charging. The new colors can be pre-ordered today for $549 and will be widely available on September 20.

Apple announced new features coming to the second-gen AirPods Pro that are designed to help prevent (and increase awareness around) hearing loss. A feature called "Hearing Protection" will be turned on by default, and users will be able to take a clinically-validated hearing test to see if they already have some hearing loss. On top of that, AirPods Pro will have a clinical-grade hearing aid feature built-in as well, which will work with a hearing profile created after a user takes the hearing test.

Apple Watch Series 10
Apple

Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 10 today, the natural successor to last year’s Series 9. It has the biggest display and thinnest design ever on an Apple Watch, and the wide-angle OLED display is even a bit larger than that on the Apple Watch Ultra. The case has more rounded corners and a wider aspect ratio, both of which, combined with the larger screen, should provide more space to interact with graphics and text on the Watch. Apple claims the screen is 40 percent brighter when looked at from an angle, and it'll show a second hand ticking away even when your wrist is down.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by the new S10 SiP chip, which Apple claims is built for performance, power efficiency and intelligence (i.e. Apple Intelligence). One example of Apple Intelligence at work on the Series 10 is the new Photos watch face, which will curate the best photos from your library and serve them up to you automatically.

When it comes to fitness features, Apple announced that the latest version of watchOS will allow the Series 10 to detect signs of sleep apnea, provided you're wearing your Series 10 to sleep regularly. Apple claims it's awaiting FDA clearance, and it expects the sleep apnea detection feature to launch in more than 150 countries. Elsewhere in the activity sphere, the Series 10 will have scuba tracking features and it will support the new Tides app in watchOS 11.

Another new feature is the ability to play audio directly from the Watch's speaker, which could be helpful if you don't have AirPods or another pair of Bluetooth earbuds handy. The Apple Watch Series 10 be available in a new polished, jet-black aluminum finish and new polished titanium finishes. It's available for pre-order today and will be widely available on September 20.

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While there have been a bunch of swirling rumors about the next iteration of the Apple Watch Ultra, the company did not reveal the third generation sportswatch today. Instead, Apple revealed a new finish for the Apple Watch Ultra 2: satin black. There are also new Hermes finishes, and a new Milanese band to accompany the new satin black finish.

Catch up on all the news from Apple’s iPhone 16 event!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/everything-apple-revealed-at-the-iphone-16-launch-event-apple-watch-series-10-airpods-4-ios-18-and-more-170346723.html?src=rss