Can you believe that it’s September already? Time flies. But if you’re into technology and gadgets, particularly smartphones, September can’t come sooner. If you’re one of them, we’re pretty sure you know where we’re going with this. That’s right—it’s new iPhone season. And like clockwork, Apple is ready to unveil a fresh batch for all you people. The point of interest—if all goes as per tradition—is the iPhone 16 series or more broadly speaking, the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iPhone 16 Launch Live Updates: iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max
This year’s Apple event is called It’s Glowtime which—if we have all guessed correctly—is a reference to AI, more specifically, Apple Intelligence. Apple’s all big on AI this year and the iPhone 16 series will be the first to fully leverage Apple Intelligence right out of the gate. Last year’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus couldn’t do it due to memory bottlenecks. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be better prepared for it, so it seems.
Anyhow, as is usually the case, Apple’s fall events aren’t just limited to iPhones and so we can expect new Apple Watches and AirPods to also make an appearance at the event. Join as we bring you all the updates as they happen. Let’s get started.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation: Rs 17,900
AirPods 4: Rs 12,900
Apple Watch Series 10 aluminium: Rs 46,900 (starting)
Apple Watch Series 10 titanium: Rs 79,900 (starting)
iPhone 16: Rs 79,900 (128GB), Rs 89,900 (256GB), Rs 1,09,900 (512GB)
iPhone 16 Plus: Rs 89,900 (128GB), Rs 99,900 (256GB), Rs 1,11,900 (512GB)
iPhone 16 Pro: Rs 1,19,900 (128GB), Rs 1,29,900 (256GB), Rs 1,49,900 (512GB), Rs 1,69,900 (1TB)
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Rs 1,44,900 (256GB), Rs 1,64,900 (512GB), Rs 1,84,900 (1TB)
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at USD 999 while iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at USD 1,199. Pre-orders start Friday and they will be available starting September 20.
The iPhone 16 Pro models get a 48-megapixel wide, a 48-megapixel ultrawide with macro, and 12-megapixel tetraprism telephoto for 5x optical zoom. The camera button is available on the iPhone 16 Pro as well with two-stage subject focus lock coming through a software update later. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max also support 4K@120fps video recording.
Designed with Apple Intelligence at its core, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max bring the best of iPhone. They have a new design and bigger display: 6.3 inch for iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple says it has made the thinnest bezels ever on any Apple product with these iPhones. It uses grade 5 titanium and comes in four finishes: black, white, natural, and desert. They seem to have bigger batteries as well with Apple claiming that the 16 Pro Max has the best battery life on an iPhone to date. Powering the pro 16 iPhones is the A18 Pro chip which is faster and more efficient than the A18 inside the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.
The iPhone 16 starts at USD 799 while iPhone 16 Plus starts at USD 899. Pre-orders start Friday and they will be available starting September 20.
iPhone 16 has a “vibrant” new look available in a choice of ultramarine, teal and pink, along with white and black. The display can peak 2,000 nits.
Display size is 6.1-inch for iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch for iPhone 16 Plus like the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. It has the Action button, as widely reported.
You also have a new camera control which is a touch-based area on the frame that lets you take photos and videos.
Under the hood, it has the 3nm (2nd generation) A18 chip with a 16-core neural engine.
Apple is bringing new hearing heath features to the current-generation AirPods Pro 2. These are “hearing protection” for passive noise reduction, clinically validated “hearing test” to detect if you have hearing loss, and professional grade “hearing aid.” Hearing test and aid will be available this fall in over 100 countries through a software update.
Updated AirPods Max come in midnight, blue, purple, and starlight. They charge over USB Type-C. Price starts at USD 549 and they’re available to buy starting September 20.
Next, it’s AirPods. Apple has announced “significant” updates across almost the entire lineup starting with the AirPods 4. AirPods 4 are follow up to the AirPods 3 and bring noticeable upgrades including the new H2 chip bringing richer bass, crystal clear highs, Apple claims. They support personalised spatial audio and active noise cancellation (ANC) with Transparency mode. Adaptive mode and conversation awareness are also here. The charging case has USB Type-C and integrated speaker for Find My location tracking and battery life is rated for 30 hours. Plus, they can charge wirelessly.
Apple isn’t launching a new Watch Ultra 3 as previously reported. Instead, it is introducing a new Satin Black finish for the existing Apple Watch Ultra 2. Price starts at USD 799 (GPS). The new look is accentuated by new ultra band that comes in matching colour.
Apple Watch Series 10 starts at USD 399 (GPS) and USD 499 (cellular). It will be available starting September 20.
The Watch Series 10 builds on the health features inside the Series 9 and adds features like sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops while sleeping leading to significant health risks like hypertension. The Series 10 uses the in-built accelerometre to detect breathing disturbances and provides granular data in the health app. Apple is waiting for FDA approval after which it will be available in 150 plus countries including the US and Europe. Sleep apnea detection is also coming to Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2. Apple is also bringing the Depth app to Watch Series 10.
The Apple Watch Series 10 has an edge-to-edge wide-angle OLED display which has a 30 percent more screen real estate and it is 40 percent brighter than previous generation.
It comes in new jet black glossy finish along with rose gold and silver aluminum. Stainless steel is meanwhile being swapped with titanium that comes in natural, gold and gray.
At 9.7mm, the Series 10 is about 10 percent thinner than the Series 9, Apple says. It is also the fastest charging Apple Watch ever capable of charging up to 80 percent in 30 minutes.
The Series 10 is powered by the S10 SiP with a 4-core neural engine that’s said to expedite machine learning tasks.
CEO Tim Cook gave a sneak peek of what’s to come in his opening remarks, revealing that updates to the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch are on the horizon.
CEO Tim Cook is kicking off the Apple event with the Apple Watch. Enter, the new Apple Watch Series 10. It has revamped design which is still largely the same as the Series 9, but it has the biggest display and thinnest chassis on any Apple Watch to date.
The camera cleverly moves and zooms on CEO Tim Cook who gives it away in the first few sentences: iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch updates incoming.
Now open for business: Apple event 2024 with a focus on AI. Stay tuned for all the updates.
The iPhone 16 series will be expected to spawn four models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. They’re expected to come with incremental hardware upgrades mostly. Their underlying A18 chip should be the most interesting since it’s this ARM V9-based chip that will enable Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. There will be more RAM obviously (reports say 8GB). Plus, new camera updates could be in the offing including the ability to record 4K@120fps.
As is customary, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken to X (the platform previously known as Twitter) to hype and tease the upcoming event. He has put up a post saying and we quote, “Apple Park is glowing! #appleevent“. In a few minutes, Cook will take the stage to unveil the new iPhone 16 series.
As we mentioned in the intro, this year’s Apple event is called It’s Glowtime. It starts in less than 15 minutes and will be the centrestage for new iPhone 16 series launch. The iPhone 16 will launch globally India included starting 10:30 PM IST. You can watch the event online on Apple online, Apple TV app, or YouTube. The link embedded below is also an option.
