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I’m live at Apple Park, specifically the Steve Jobs Theater, for Apple’s Sept. 12 “Wonderlust” event. At 1 P.M. ET, it kicked off with Apple CEO Tim Cook walking out and welcoming those in attendance and teasing a lot of news he is deeply excited about.
What Apple product updates are happening this year? In June, Apple dropped several new Macs—like the 15-inch MacBook Air—and the Vision Pro Headset, but this event is all about iPhones, Apple Watches, and new environmentally friendly accessories.
Ahead, we’re sharing our Apple event recap on the new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, and Ultra 2. Here’s everything Apple announced, reported live from Cupertino, California.
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
Well, for starters, the iPhone 15 comes in Pink, and, as we predicted, the Dynamic Island finally arrives on the standard iPhone. The feature, previously only available for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max users, is like having a separate, smaller screen built into the main Retina display, allowing you to control music, end a call, and many more app functions without leaving the screen you’re on.
The iPhone 15 sticks with a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display—aka a vibrant, crisp OLED screen—while 15 Plus is still a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display. New for the iPhone 15, though, is a higher peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which will give you a more vibrant content viewing experience in any lighting condition. As is standard with iPhones, the latest model has a layer of Ceramic Shield over the displays to help prevent scratches. The rest of the phone is both water- and dust-resistant while sticking with a glass back casing and an aluminum frame (75% of which is recycled).
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
The 48-megapixel main camera that premiered on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max is also on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. It allows you to capture a full 48-megapixel photo, and you can also bin those down—specifically, every four pixels into a larger single pixel—for a brighter, more detail-filled image. Scaling down also ensures you won’t run out of storage space too quickly. You have the option to shoot in standard mode or zoom in to 2x, which is ideal for portraits or more framed shots.
One surprise is an improvement to Portrait mode—Apple’s calling it “the next generation”— with better low-light support, richer details, and more color accuracy. The biggest change, notably, is that ML (machine learning) will detect when a person, dog, or cat is in a picture so you can turn it into a Portrait shot after the fact.
Apple also brings the A16 Bionic to the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Considering this chip is inside the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max and still ticking along nearly a year later, it should be more than enough power for any task on an iPhone. If you’re coming from an iPhone 14, 13 or earlier, you should see some daily performance improvements. Apple is promising all-day battery life from the iPhone 15 and on the 15 Plus, it will stretch into two-day territory.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus get a second-generation Ultra-Wide-Band chip for improved device tracking and new Precision Finding features. As you might suspect, both new iPhones also stick with 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. You also get Emergency SOS via Satellite and Crash Detection, which premiered on the iPhone 14 family.
With these, you can say bye-bye-bye to the Lightning connector as Apple is making the switch to USB-C ports and cables. That’s the same port favored by other smartphones like the Galaxy S23 as well as the MacBook family and many iPads. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still support MagSafe wireless charging and the Qi standard.
Apple’s iPhone 15 starts at $799 and the 15 Plus at $899, with 128GB of starting storage. If you have another iPhone to trade in, you can knock up to $800 off the price. Both 15s come in pink, yellow, blue, green, and black.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
While the standard iPhone sticks with the expected materials, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are now built from titanium, which makes them the lightest Pro iPhones yet. It’s also a stronger material than aluminum and stainless steel and enables new colors: natural titanium, blue titanium, silver titanium, and black titanium.
The iPhone 15 Pro keeps the 6.1-inch display, and the Pro Max is 6.7 inches, but Apple shrunk the bezels so the front is even more just a screen. It’s closer to the all-glass slab Apple is reaching for. These screens are always on Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and, like the standard 15s, the Pro displays get brighter at up to 2,000 nits.
Arguably more important, though, is Apple’s removal of the silent switch on the side of the phone, which has been on the iPhone since the original. In place of the switch is a customizable action button. You can press and hold it to mute or unmute sounds, but you can also customize what different presses trigger. One press could open the camera or, with a Siri Shortcut, you could make a double tap turn on all the lights at your house. You’ll know what’s happening since it will have an accompanying animation within the Dynamic Island.
Powering the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is an all-new chip, the Apple-made A17 Pro. It’s a 3-nanometer chip (an industry first), and it features 19 billion transistors to power the iPhone experience. It should be a serious step up in everyday performance, more creative tasks, and even gaming on the go.
Another major area of improvement is the camera, and the 15 Pros now have seven ways to shoot. You’ll be able to get pixel-binned 24-megapixel shots and full 48-megapixel images, depending on how you shoot, and the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera with a coating to reduce lens flare, aka the sun blocking your shot. There is still a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera as well that gets the same anti-reflective coating.
Here’s where things differ for these two models: The iPhone 15 Pro Max gets 5x optical zoom from a 120-millimeter focal length. You’ll be able to capture closer to the action than ever before without needing to get closer physically. The iPhone 15 Pro sticks with a maximum of 3x optical zoom from the classic telephoto lens. So, if you want the most pro camera setup, you’ll need to opt for 15 Pro Max.
The 15 Pros and 15 Pro Max get a USB-C cable port instead of Lightning, as well, which should be handy for easier charging and exporting content shot on the iPhone to a PC. Both are compatible with MagSafe and standard Qi-wireless chargers as well.
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199. Both will be up for preorder on Friday and ship on Sept. 22.
Apple Watch Series 9
Jacob Krol, TheSteet
Tim Cook tossed it over to Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams to unveil the Apple Watch Series 9 and, as the rumors suggested, it comes in Pink, as well as Starlight, Silver, and Red aluminum. Internally, it has been redesigned with a new S9 chip, which boasts over 5 billion transistors, and a four-core Neural Engine enables more complex processing on the device.
The biggest update it delivers is “Double Tap”: A new way to control the primary button in any app by simply tapping two fingers together. You can use it to end a call or pull up a smart stack on the home screen. This feature should be launching next month, in October.
Apple says the Series 9 will still boast an 18-hour battery life, so it’s a speedy and efficient chip. The new neural engine allows for common Siri requests to be processed on your wrist without an internet connection, so starting a workout or another everyday request can be done wherever you are, even if it’s a dead zone. Siri can also access health data now and answer questions and commands, like: “How was my sleep?” and “Update my weight.” These are called Siri Health queries.
The new S9 chip is powering much of what is new in the Apple Watch Series 9, but it’s paired with a new “Ultra-Wide-Band” chip for even more umph. Now, similar to an AirTag, your Apple Watch can guide you to your iPhone and Ultra-Wide-Band connectivity. It kind of gamifies the tracking experience.
The Series 9 still comes in either a 41-millimeter or 45-millimeter size, but the display can get even brighter this year. Apple’s doubled the peak brightness from 1,000 nits to 2,000 nits, which means you can see every element on the screen even in direct sunlight.
Upping sustainability efforts this year, Lisa Jackson—Apple’s VP of Environment, announced at the event that all Apple Watch manufacturing is now powered by renewable energy. Apple will also match 100% of your expected electricity use by investing in renewable energy projects worldwide.
Apple will begin shipping the Apple Watch Series 9 on Sept. 22, but it's already up for preorder, and there is no price increase from the Series 8. Series 9 starts at $499 for a 41mm GPS and at $529 for a 41mm watch with GPS + Cellular.
- Apple Watch Series 9 GPS 41mm, $399 at Amazon
- Apple Watch Series 9 GPS 45mm, $429 at Amazon
- Apple Watch Series 9 GPS + Cellular 41mm, $529 at Amazon
If you aren’t interested in the new S9 chip or double tap, the Apple Watch Series 8 still matches most of the feature set. Right now, Amazon is discounting a few colors of the 41mm and 45mm sizes.
- Apple Watch Series 8 GPS 41mm, $309 (was $399) at Amazon
- Apple Watch Series 8 GPS 45mm, $354 (was $429) at Amazon
- Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular 41mm, $429 (was $499) at Amazon
- Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular 45mm, $454 (was $529) at Amazon
DON'T MISS: You can save on every model of Apple AirPods at Amazon right now
Apple Watch Ultra, 2nd Gen
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
In 2022, the Apple Watch Ultra debuted as the brand’s most rugged smartwatch, with a bigger and brighter 49-millimeter display, the ability to function as a dive computer, and a battery that can last multiple days.
Just like the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets the new S9 Chip. It will speed up performance and let you take better advantage of the larger 49-millimeter display that scales to 3,000 nits. The Ultra will also get the new Double Tap functionality, which should arrive in October. Since the Ultra goes anywhere, it could be handy to do a quick double tap during more challenging activities, like while you’re rock climbing.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 still comes in just one size—49mm—and in one color—titanium—for $799. It's up for preorder now and begins shipping on Sept. 22.
- Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular 49mm in Titanium with Blue Alpine Loop, $799 at Amazon
- Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular 49mm in Titanium with Indigo Alpine Loop, $799 at Amazon
- Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular 49mm in Titanium with Olive Alpine Loop, $799 at Amazon
If you don't need the higher maximum brightness, though, you can save $20 and get the first generation at a discount on Amazon.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
