Apple held its "Far Out" event, and as expected, the centerpiece of the showcase were the new smart phone models, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. But that wasn't all that Apple showed at its event, as it also debuted its next-generation models of the Apple Watch, along with the new AirPods Pro 2 wireless headphones.
The new models will come in five colors. Apple also promises all-day battery life. These models will use eSIM, and this time none of the models will use a physical SIM card.
Apple also touted its crash detection feature, which was a major part of its focus for its new Apple Watch products as well. Another emergency feature is a revision to the emergency SOS functionality, which will let you point the phone towards satellites to use the SOS feature even if you don't otherwise have service. The UI will cue you in to where to move your phone to connect to the satellite, and common questions and responses will be available as buttons so you don't have to type out a message in an emergency. The emergency features will be included for free for two years when they launch in November.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available in midnight, blue, starlight, purple, and Product RED colors, in configurations of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB storage capacities. Preorders will begin September 9. The iPhone 14 will be available September 16, and the iPhone 14 Plus will follow on October 7.
iPhone 14: $799iPhone 14 Plus: $899
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will have an always-on display, and it uses multiple coprocessors to refresh the display with minimal power usage. Under the hood, the two Pro models use an A16 Bionic chipset, with 16 billion transistors on a 4-nanometer process. Apple boasts that this is the fastest chip ever in a smartphone, up to 40% faster than its competitors.
The new camera on the Pro models has gotten a significant upgrade as well. The new 48 MP camera uses a quad pixel sensor, and groups four pixels into one larger one to maintain clarity while achieving better lighting.
The iPhone 14 Pro models will be available in deep purple, silver, gold, and space black, in 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage capacities. Preorders will begin September 9, and the phones will be available on September 16.
iPhone 14 Pro: $999iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1099
The Apple Watch Series 8 features an always-on display with narrower borders, along with a swim-proof, dust-proof, and crack resistant design. It brings back medical features like fall detection, medical ID, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen levels, along with a new body temperature tracking feature that can help track menstrual cycles and ovulation. That temperature check can detect changes as little as 0.1 degrees Celsius. Apple promises that this data will only be available to you and that the company cannot read the encrypted data.
The other big feature of the new Apple Watch is crash detection. The accelerometer can detect the sudden impact of a crash and contact emergency services and notify your emergency contacts. Apple says it trained the watch with more than 1 million hours of real crash data.
Apple promises all-day battery life, along with a low power mode that will give up to 36 hours on a charge. That mode disables its always-on display and the auto-workout detection, but keeps its other features. It will be available in Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Product Red colors. It will be available September 16.
On top of that, Apple also introduced the new Apple Watch Ultra. The new, more rugged version of the Apple Watch was designed for high-performance athletes and those who brave more extreme environments. It's made from airspace-grade titanium, and has coarser grooves and a side button that's easier to use while wearing gloves, along with a second speaker. It features an additional physical button, called the Action button, which will be used for a variety of functions.
The Watch Ultra also features a brighter display and a new Wayfinder watchface, which can be customized for different types of outdoor activities like hiking, mountain climbing, and diving. It uses L1 and L5 GPS for location services, and it only comes in a cellular-equipped model.
The Apple Watch Ultra will go 36 hours on a single charge, or up to 60 hours with optimization settings. Apple also introduced a number of watch bands customized for different activities, like the Alpine Loop band with a titanium g-hook, the Ocean band that can expand to fit over a wetsuit, and the Trail loop with a light but comfortably snug fit.
Apple Watch Series 8 and Ultra preorders are available now. The Series 8 will be available on September 16, and the Apple Watch Ultra will be available September 23.
Apple Watch Series 8: $399Apple Watch SE: $249Apple Watch Ultra: $799
Apple AirPods Pro 2: $249