Apple has confirmed what just about everyone was expecting with the announcement of its new iPhone 15 series of smartphones and upgraded Apple Watches. So, with a close-up account from the show floor, just what’s new?
Every autumn, Apple beguiles the waiting world with a special event where it reveals its latest products. Today’s was all about four phones and two watches. Apple events have a clear routine. The CEO, Tim Cook, comes on stage to get things going, introducing a lavish, Hollywood-quality movie with soaring photography and multiple settings. Here’s what was announced at this year’s showcase.
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
The heart of the iPhone range looks subtly different this year, with 6.1 and 6.7 inch Super Retina XDR OLED displays to differentiate between the two and offering a peak brightness of 1600 nits, rising up to 2,000 for outdoor use. The shiny glass back has been replaced by a matte finish that is very tactile. The colours this time around are remarkably understated. The yellow, blue and green are so quiet you could think they were white, while the pink has a pastel lustre and only the black is dark. The edge between the front and back has changed from sharp to gently curved. It’s a little change but it feels transformational.
The other big design change is the connector: after 11 years of its own Lightning port, Apple has switched to USB-C, in line with the rest of the industry (and EU regulations). This announcement got one of the biggest cheers from the audience, and it means you can charge an iPhone, iPad and MacBook all from the same cable and not be always searching for the cable you don’t have. The new iPhones also have a new processor, inheriting the A16 Bionic previously found in the iPhone 14 Pro last year. It’s a very fast chip that delivers strong performance.
There’s another bequest from the iPhone 14 Pro and that’s Dynamic Island. This is the smaller cut-out at the top of the display where the camera sits, which appears to change size and shape according to what’s needed. So, for instance, it shows cover art in a thumbnail when you’re playing music. As the software advances, this adds extra capabilities.
One of the biggest upgrades for the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus is the introduction of a 48-megapixel camera sensor. Most of the time it uses pixel binning, where it combines four adjacent pixels and uses them as though they were one. This means it can draw in more light more quickly, and perform better even in lower light.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
The look and feel of the new Pro models is more strikingly different, albeit with the same 6.1 and 6.7-inch variants Much of that is down to the arrival of titanium as the main material for the frame of the phones. It’s fused to aluminium underneath and makes for a strong iPhone that’s noticeably lighter than the stainless steel previously used. It also has a smooth, matte finish instead of the shiny look that preceded it. The colours here are even more muted than on the iPhone 15: black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium and natural titanium. As you’d expect, these are all variations on grey, with natural titanium looking the most exotic.
The Pro iPhones have always had the most advanced processors and the new chip is called the A17 Pro. Apple seems to have retired the Bionic name from the new phone. It promises outstanding performance and one of them is for gamers, who can now experience significantly improved visuals including ray tracing that delivers natural highlights and shadows.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have a new 48-megapixel sensor which improves on last year’s models but works in the same way, providing the 1x and 2x zoom equivalents with no digitisation. There’s also a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens. Most exciting of all is a new telephoto lens which on the Max manages 5x zoom compared to the main lens. It achieves this by using mirrors to repeatedly reflect the light inside the phone’s body, so there’s enough focal length to deliver the extreme zoom.
Apple’s iPhone cameras have consistently impressed, so this could be a shift to greater capabilities. One of these announced at the keynote was improved portrait mode. Machine learning will spot when there’s a person in shot and is smart enough to automatically save the depth information needed for a portrait shot. This means you can take the image without thinking about this and choose to use it as a portrait mode shot later on.
Apple iPhone 15 Pricing
There had been rumours that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would soar in price. In fact, though, there was only a £50 increase, along with increased storage. Where the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 128GB storage cost £1,149, the new 15 Pro Max starts at £1,199 with 256GB, rising up to £1,599 for a 1TB version. As for the iPhone 15 Pro, it’s actually gone down in price by £100. It was £1,099 and is now £999 with 128GB storage, going up to £1,499 for the 1TB model..
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus both cost the same as last year, that is, £799 and £899 respectively for the standard 128GB models, going up to £1,099 and £1,199 for 512GB storage. All of those prices are the same in US dollars, and all phones will be available to pre-order from 15 September before hitting the stores on 22 September – with varying trade-in discounts (or credit) also on offer for the relevant older models.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2
The iPhone wasn’t the only new product, though it was certainly the star of the show. There were two Apple Watches revealed: Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
The Apple Watch Series 9 looks very similar to last year’s model but has big changes under the hood, including a processor that’s much more powerful than before. This means you can use a new gesture to operate the Watch: double-tap. As you raise your wrist, tapping your index finger and thumb together causes the Watch to react. Intriguingly, it uses the optical sensor pressed against your wrist which recognises the change in blood flow as you tap.
It uses this so you can pause a timer, answer a call, scroll through menus and more, all with one hand (which could be very useful if you're on the move with a coffee or umbrella in the other hand). I tested this feature, which will come to the new Watches in a month or so, and it was really easy to use. It required a firm tap but was easy to do and worked brilliantly. The new Watch also has a brighter edge-to-edge display than before at 2,000 nits, so it’s easy to use even in bright sunshine.
The other Watch was the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra 2. The bigger, and pricier, Watch is ruggedised and has much longer battery life, with up to 36 hours for everyday use going up to 72 hours in low power mode.
The new Ultra looks identical to last year’s model, too, though it also has the new processor and an even brighter Modular Ultra Display at up to 3,000 nits. Hopes of a new space black titanium Watch were dashed, however, and it continues to come in regular titanium only. One other detail: both Watches are carbon neutral, and the line-up includes Apple’s first-ever devices to qualify for such a description.
As for pricing, the Apple Watch series starts at £219 for the SE model, with the new Series 9 at £399 for the standard aluminium version, with a stainless steel variant bumping things up to £699. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has an MSRP of £799 – and, as with the phones, there are trade-in deals to be had and the prices would read the same in dollars. Plus, of course, you'll have a number of different band styles and materials to choose from.
Hands-on Conclusion
Another year, another iPhone series. The look is different, especially the colours, but it’s the feel that stands out, sitting more comfortably in the hand. The feel of the iPhone 15 Pro is also strikingly new, thanks to the lighter, matte-finish titanium that now clads the edging. It’s too early to say if the new cameras on the phones will be game-changing, but on paper they certainly sound intriguing, and the telephoto lens with 5x zoom is a big step forward.
The Apple Watch updates were perhaps more minor but the brilliant double-tap gesture might be enough to persuade newcomers to the world of the smartwatch. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, similarly, is a gentle upgrade, but if you didn’t buy an Ultra last year, you can now get an improved one this year.
SOURCE: Apple (via presentation and newsroom)
IMAGES: Apple