Apple Unveils New iPhone 15 and Upgraded Smartwatches
Hoping to please its customers, Apple unveiled the newer variants of some of its best-selling devices during the all-important holiday shopping season Tuesday.
The announcement of the iPhone 15 line and upgraded smartwatches at the company’s annual flagship event comes against the backdrop of flagging discretionary spending and heightened scrutiny in China.
Apple also switched to the USB-C charging standard from Lightning port, under European law, on its latest iPhones and announced environment-friendly changes to some devices.
The Key Announcements
The iPhone
Apple launched the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, sporting 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively, similar to their predecessors.
The high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, priced at $999 and $1,199, respectively, now use titanium instead of stainless steel for the sidebars and have slimmer borders around the screen.
All the new models feature a 48-megapixel main camera, with the flagship Pro Max having 5X optical zoom and 3X telephoto capability.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get A16 bionic chip, while the A17 pro chip will power the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15.
Apple also said the batteries of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which start at $799 and $899, respectively, are made of 100% recycled cobalt.
Watches
Apple announced the Watch Series 9 and the second generation of Watch Ultra, sporting the same dimensions as their predecessors.
The latest watches get the next-generation S9 chip, capable of better animations and effects. It is the first processor upgrade since Apple released the Series 6 line in 2020.
New features on board include “double tap,” a new gesture control to the watch without touching its face, and improved dictation and brightness.
The Series 9 starts at $399, while the Ultra 2, at $799, is priced at the same level as the earlier base model and will be available from Sept. 22.
The Series 9 is the company’s first carbon-neutral product, and starting this year 100% will power all watch manufacturing clean energy, the company said. Apple will also drop leather from all its products, including the watch bands.
