Apple Event 2023: iPhone 15 and More

Tech giant, Apple has unveiled the much-awaited iPhone 15 series (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max) and also the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 at their “Wonderlust” event on Tuesday.

iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus

Both versions come up with the dynamic island feature that first debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and the USB-C type charging.

As per The Verge, an American technology-based website, the iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness. The peak brightness of this display is 2,000 nits in sunlight, double that of the iPhone 14.

Apart from this, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus also has an improved camera system.

The main camera sensor is moving to a 48-megapixel one, up from the 12-megapixel one found on the previous iPhone 14. There’s also a 12-megapixel telephoto, and improvements to the portrait mode mean you won’t have to manually switch to portrait mode anymore, reported The Verge.

The iPhone 15 will come with a 6.1-inch screen while iPhone 15 Plus comes with a 6.7-inch screen.

Both versions will be available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black colors.

The iPhone 15 is priced starting at USD 799 for a 128GB model and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at USD 899 for a 128GB version.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

The 15 Pro starts at USD 999 with 128GB of storage, and the Pro Max at USD 1,199 with 256GB of storage. Both will be available for preorder this Friday and on sale September 22, as per The Verge.

Both are powered by the A17 Pro chip, which Apple says has the fastest performance in any smartphone and can even challenge some high-end PCs. Along with a redesigned GPU, Apple seems to think these devices could be poised to level up the kinds of games you can play on your phone. Also, both phones have a USB-C port on the bottom rather than the old Lightning port, reported The Verge.

Interestingly, the ring/silent switch is gone, replaced with an "Action Button". With the new, button that you can customize to run shortcuts, bring up accessibility features, open the camera, turn on the flashlight, and more.

The Pros both have Super Retina XDR displays with ProMotion and support both the always-on display and the new StandBy mode in iOS 17.

Camera functions have been improved. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max (but not the regular iPhone 15 Pro), there’s a new telephoto camera, with a new tetra-prism design, increasing the zoom up to 5x (the iPhone 15 Pro maxes out at 3x).

But the main, wide camera, as well as the ultrawide camera (which are the same on both the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) have received significant improvements as well.

Apple Watch Series 9

According to a report by US-based tech portal TechCrunch, the new smartwatch is powered by the new S9 chip, which the company claims its 60 per cent faster, coupled with a 30 per cent faster GPU.

WatchOS 10 offers the new ‘Name Drop’ feature, which allows users to share personal information when close to another user with the same device.

Another new and significant feature, ‘Double Tap’ is one of the more interesting features this time.

It’s a new input system back into the chip that detects small movements and blood flow when the user taps their index finger and thumb together.

By just tapping the fingers, a user can answer a call, end a call, stop a timer, play music, scroll through the widgets, and turn off an alarm.

The price of a Series 9 watch with GPS will be USD 399 and GPS with cellular, will be priced at USD 499.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Like the new Series 9, the Ultra 2 will be powered by Apple’s S9 SiP, which has 5.6 billion transistors and a four-core neural engine as well as a U2 ultra wideband location chip.

This will enable new advanced features, including on-device Siri processing and more precise location tracking.

And we talk about the outer side of the watch, it has an upgraded display from the previous Ultra model, rated for 3,000 nits, which Apple says is the brightest display an Apple Watch has ever had.

Apple claimed that users will get 72 hours to charge when the device is in low-power mode. The case is now made from 95 per cent recycled titanium.

Some of the biggest changes that Apple Watch users will see this year, will be watchOS 10, which brings widgets, redesigned app icons, and new mapping and cycling features to the watch interface.

An additional watch face called ‘Modular Ultra’ will make use of the outer edge of the display. And a new double-tap gesture will enable users to more easily start and end phone calls.

The Ultra 2 will be available at USD 799 (approx. 67,000 INR). You can get your hands on this Watch from September 22.