Apple has introduced a range of shiny new gadgets – four iPhones, three Apple watches and AirPods Pro 2.
And for the first time ever, the most basic model of a new iPhone costs more than €1000.
The big news, while expected, was that the company has ditched iPhone Mini and added the large-screen iPhone 14 Plus to its handset line-up.
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The new device is essentially a 6.7in version of the 6.1in iPhone 14. All of the features are the same except for the size of the display and battery.
All four iPhone 14 models include a Crash Detection safety feature which can detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.
The other big news was that the Cupertino company is taking on Garmin with the launch pf its first ever multisports adventure watch, Apple Watch Ultra. More on that below.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
The main camera on iPhone 14 has been improved with a faster aperture, larger sensor and larger pixels.
The selfie camera has a new sensor with a faster aperture and autofocus for the first time.
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will support emergency SOS via satellite but this will only work in the U.S. and Canada for now.
Both come with a 60Hz refresh rate display and the blazing fast A15 Bionic chip from 2021 which is still faster by far than every Android flagship smartphone released so far in 2022.
You can pre-order iPhone 14 (starting at €1029) in storage capacities up to 512GB in midnight, blue, starlight, purple and (product) RED from Friday September 9.
Fans will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on iPhone 14 Plus (starting at €1179) with pre-orders beginning on Friday, October 7.
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
The only differences between iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are display and battery size.
Both get the blazing fast new A16 Bionic chip and an all-new 48MP wide angle camera with a quad pixel sensor, the largest yet on the company’s phones.
There’s a new ultrawide camera and improvements to the telephoto and selfie cameras.
A new Adaptive True Tone flash that has been completely redesigned with an array of nine LEDs that change pattern based on the chosen focal length.
And both Pro models get the clever and innovative dynamic island feature around the smaller pill-shaped cut-out which replaces the old notch. The dynamic island changes function depending on which tasks the phone is engaged in.
Both also get an Always-On display and have 120Hz refresh rate displays which the firm calls Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and which boast 2000 nits of peak brightness.
You can pre-order iPhone 14 Pro (from €1339) and iPhone 14 Pro Max (from €1489 up to €2139) from September 9 and it will be available in deep purple, silver, gold and space black in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.
The Pro Max 1TB model is still less expensive than the Samsung 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Apple Watch Ultra, Watch Series 8 and Watch SE
The company also took aim at Garmin which currently is the market leader in multisports watches which cost more than €500. Apple dominates the sub €500 sector globally, by the way.
Apple Watch Ultra will sell for €999, the same price as Garmin’s Epix Second Gen adventure sports watch, which I rated in my testing as the best fitness watch you could buy.
Ultra comes in a 49mm titanium case with flat sapphire front crystal. Features announced were up to 36 hours of battery life during normal use and 60 hours during low power mode.
The company also took the wraps off Watch Series 8 (€499) and a new entry level Watch SE (€299) model.
Watch Series 8 includes features aimed at women’s health, with a temperature sensor that can retrospectively estimate ovulation.
Cycle tracking through the health app can help pinpoint irregularities that could indicate more serious conditions, according to the firm.
Watch SE is powered by the S8 SiP advanced dual-core processor, the same processor that is in Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra, making it 20 percent faster than the previous generation.
All three watches feature crash detection just like iPhone 14 and all three can now be pre-ordered.
AirPods Pro 2
The new €299 AirPods Pro 2 earphones promises improved audio performance and noise-cancellation.
They include personalised profiles for spatial audio, which will use the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera to size up a user’s head and ear shape.
The new earbuds also have touch controls for volume – at last – longer battery life and the new H2 chip.
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