Apple event live blog: iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10 and AirPods 4
We reported live on the September 9 Apple launch event where we saw everything from a bigger iPhone 16 Pro Max to new AirPods 4 earbuds
🍎 We live-blogged the Apple launch event for September 9 (re-cap below)
📱 We got four new iPhones, including the bigger iPhone 16 Pro series
📸 Apple added a dedicated camera along with improving photo & video
⌚ New Apple Watch 10 has a bigger screen but is thinner and lighter
🎧 AirPods Pro Max 2 got a mild refresh along with a big update for AirPods 4
🦻 New hearing aid feature coming to AirPods Pro 2 in a software update
🙅♂️ No Apple Watch Ultra 3 or iPad mini 7 announced today
2:38pm ET: That’s a wrap for Apple’s event! Phew. Lots of great stuff there. Let’s reconvene next year and do it all again, yeah?
iPhone 16 Pro
2:36pm ET: Lots of promotion for the phones’ media capabilities, but how much will they cost? The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max start at $999 and $1,199, respectively. You can get your hands on Apple’s flagship phones on September 20. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 13.
2:30pm ET: Okay, she’s stopped harassing me (for now). iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will also include Studio Mix, which gives the effect of a studio recording. Seriously, if you’re a budding film director, your iPhone 16 Pro looks like it will be able to do it all. The same goes for music artists with some new Voice Memo features that let you play background music and record your voice.
2:27pm ET: Remember that Shiba Inu I told you about earlier? She’s here and she’s hungry. One moment, please…
2:25pm ET: Videographers will be pleased to see more advancements to iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. 4K 120fps is here allowing you to do some super cool slow-mo shots. There’s frame-by-frame cinema color grading and Dolby Vision.
2:23pm ET: iPhone 16 Pro gets the new 48MP Fusion Camera which delivers fast and efficient data transfer from sensor to chip. A new 48MP Ultra-Wide camera is also included, letting you get stunning macro shots. The 5x telephoto camera returns and you get the dedicated camera control which is also on iPhone 16.
2:20pm ET: The iPhone 16 Pro has the fastest CPU in any smartphone, according to Apple. The new A18 chip is 15% faster than the A17 Pro and uses 20% less power. The GPU is also 20% faster. Very nice for gamers, then.
2:17pm ET: Apple says the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best battery life ever on an iPhone. How long will it last? Your guess is as good as ours.
2:16pm ET: The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger displays: 6.3-inch for the Pro, and 6.9-inch for the Pro Max – that’s the largest display on an iPhone ever. In terms of colors… they’re not the most inspiring but they’re nice enough. There’s a darker black titanium, a brighter white, natural color, and a desert white finish.
iPhone 16
2:14pm ET: The iPhone 16 Pro is designed with… Apple Intelligence at its core. Bet you weren’t expecting that!
2:11pm ET: iPhone 16 starts at $799 and iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899. You can get $800 off when you trade in an iPhone 12 or newer. There will be some caveats though. We’re heading back to the cheery Tim Cook. It’s time to go PRO!
2:09pm ET: Mercifully, Apple is playing a video showing off what the iPhone 16 can do so I can take a short breather.
2:09pm ET: Apple says iOS 18 will bring a big boost to battery life. Doesn’t share what that big boost is. Curse you, Apple!
2:06pm ET: iPhone 16 is now powerful enough to run games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 7 and more that were previously exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. iPhone 16 and 16 Max are also getting a game I’ve genuinely never heard of: Honor of Kings World. It’s supposedly quite popular. It’s coming to iPhone 16 next year.
2:04pm ET: iPhone 16 is getting a host of camera improvements and honestly, it’s hard to keep up with them all. There’s spatial capture, camera control, a 48MP fusion main camera, macro and 2x telephoto zoom. All you need to know is that the cameras will be very good, but the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max cameras will be even better.
1:57pm ET: A great feature coming to Apple’s camera is the ability to take a picture of a dog and for it to tell you what breed it is. This will save me the hassle of telling everyone my dog is a Shiba Inu and not a Husky.
1:55pm ET: Siri is getting a big overhaul thanks to Apple Intelligence. You can talk to the assistant more naturally when you ask questions. You can type to Siri too, if you don’t want to use your voice. Get ready for recommendations from Siri for TV shows, or play an album someone might have suggested to you. It uses context to understand things and accelerate tasks that previously would have required some use of your brain. Can you tell I’m a bit cynical about AI yet? New features begin rolling out next month.
1:53pm ET: Apple is showing off new AI emojis and how it can improve your writing. Never mind going to university or spending years honing your craft, just ask Apple Intelligence instead. Apple Intelligence will also let you make the most of your photos, focus on emails and summaries for your notifications.
1:51pm ET: Apple is making some big promises regarding privacy. It says data will never be stored or shared with Apple, and that industry experts will ensure it sticks to its promises.
1:48pm ET: Apple Intelligence time. Apple says it draws on the power of its silicon to fine-tune your everyday iPhone experiences and adapt to your current activity.
1:47pm ET: Apple says the GPU is 40% faster than last-gen but uses 35% less power than the A16. Hopefully, it makes gaming even better on iPhone.
1:46pm ET: Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be powered by the A18 chip. It’s 2x faster for machine learning, has 17% more memory, and it uses second-gen 3nm technology with even smaller transistors. That makes it up to 30% faster than the iPhone 15 and 60% faster than iPhone 12. Apple says it’s faster than the competition and even challenges high-end desktop PCs. Bold claims indeed.
1:45pm ET: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus get the Action Button from the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 16 is 6.1 inches and the 16 Plus is 6.7 inches. A new camera control lets you control all your camera features with ease.
1:43pm ET: iPhone 16 has a vibrant new look and it’s made out of aerospace-grade aluminum. New rich colors include Ultra Marine, Teal, and Pink along with white and black. It’s water and dust-resistant and has ceramic glass that’s 2x tougher than any other smartphone glass.
1:40pm ET: Right, here we go. It’s iPhone time. That’s why we’re all here, and Tim Cook says Apple Intelligence will supercharge all of the experiences we know and love.
AirPods Pro 2 hearing aide
1:38pm ET: This is cool. Apple will let you use your AirPods 2 Pro as a professional-grade hearing aid. That’s huge for so many people. It’ll be an option you can use when you’ve performed the Apple Hearing Test.
1:37pm ET: You’ll also be able to perform an in-home hearing test using the AirPods Pro 2 and your iPhone. Not sure I’m looking forward to seeing how poor my hearing is but Apple is here to tell us.
AirPods Pro Max USB-C update
1:35pm ET: Okay, Apple is talking about the AirPods Pro 2 and how they can help you prevent hearing issues. Hearing Protection is coming to the AirPods Pro 2, allowing you to wear them to a gig without ruining the experience. Soon you’ll never need to take your AirPods Pro 2 out!
AirPods Pro 4 with noise-cancellation
1:33pm ET: The AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 Noise Cancellation cost $129 and $179. Available September 20. The AirPods Max have also been updated. Honestly, there are not many changes, but it includes personalized spatial audio and new colorways. Same price of $549. Bit disappointing.
1:31pm ET: Apple’s bringing its AirPods Pro features to the AirPods 4 Noise Cancellation version. That includes noise canceling, adaptive audio, transparency mode, and conversation awareness. Wireless charging is also added which is amazing. You can use your Apple Watch puck! Huzzah!
1:30pm ET: Apple says machine learning will help with taking calls, something which I think the current AirPods fall short in. You can control things from the stems or via head gestures. The case is the smallest, most portable case ever, and comes with up to 30 hours of battery.
1:29pm ET: He wasn’t kidding. We’ve got AirPods 4, which Apple has designed to fit as many ears as possible. They’re claiming the AirPods 4 are the “most comfortable AirPods ever” and they’ll boast the best-sounding AirPods ever in this design.
1:27pm ET: It’s AirPods time. Let’s see what Apple has in store for us. Tim Cook says we have significant updates across the entire lineup.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 in new color
1:25pm ET: No Apple Watch Ultra 3 then. Seems like Apple is happy with its current Ultra line, but just released new designs. It’s $799 for the new Satin Black version. Available September 20.
1:23pm ET: The Ultra Watch 2 is getting a new, sexy satin black finish. Damn, it looks good.
1:22pm ET: Apple Watch Ultra 2 is up next. It’s being positioned as the ultimate watch for sports and fitness fans.
Apple Watch 10
1:19pm ET: That’s the Apple Watch Series 10. Impressive stuff. Apple’s calling it “A milestone of watchmaking.” Prices start from $399 for the GPS version. It's out on September 20.
1:18pm ET: Water lovers rejoice. The Apple Watch Series 10 has new capabilities that make it perfect for snorkeling and other water sports. It has a depth and water temperature sensor. Surfers can also find out when the best waves will be, with data for coastlines all over the world.
1:15pm ET: Apple Watch Series 10 can alert you to sleep apnea. That’s big. Apparently, 80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Apple Watch is here to help more people find out if they have moderate or severe sleep apnea. The Sleep Apnea update is coming to Series 9 and Ultra Watch 2.
1:13pm ET: The new Apple Watch Series 10 neural network improves everything from Crash Detection, Fall Detection to reducing background noises when on a call. WatchOS 11 also adds new widgets and choose the best photos for your Watch Face.
1:11pm ET: The Apple Watch charges faster than ever. You can get up to 30% charge in just 30 minutes. Oh, and Apple has introduced a new titanium option to replace its stainless steel line. They look really classy. It’s also carbon neutral.
1:10pm ET: You can finally play media through your Apple Watch! People definitely won’t use their Apple Watch to blast music on the subway, definitely not.
1:09pm ET: Lots of fancy words about the manufacturing process of the Apple Watch here, but Apple says Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch ever at just 9.7mm – that’s 10% thinner than Series 9. There’s also a new Rose Gold color that’s bound to be popular.
1:06pm ET: The Apple Watch Series 10 has the biggest display and thinnest design yet. The display is even bigger than that found on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, allowing you to see more text and it easier to type messages. The display uses a wider aspect ratio and extends further down the side of the case. It also uses a new wide-angle OLED display, allowing you to see the display clearly at any angle, and it’s 40% brighter.
1:04pm ET: Apple CEO Tim Cook kicks things off under a big rainbow. He confirms that we’ll be getting the first iPhones designed from the ground up to use Apple Intelligence.
1:02pm ET: Apple is showing off how its accessibility features help users get things done and have helped enrich their lives in a typically, upbeat Apple way.
1pm ET: Here. We. Go! The Apple event is underway.
12:55pm ET: This is your 5-minute warning! Grab your snacks, use the restroom, and get settled in.
12:32pm ET: We’re less than 30 minutes away from Apple’s event and you can already feel the excitement in the air. We’re expecting to see the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Max. A refreshed pair of AirPods Max will also be shown, alongside a budget-friendly pair of AirPods. If that wasn’t enough, new Apple Watches will be revealed!
12pm ET: I’ve been live blogging about Apple events for over a decade and this year’s launch may be the biggest for the Cupertino company because of two letters: A.I. – or how Apple spells it, Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 updates are set to usher in new capabilities for Siri and your iPhone home screen. Apple’s flavor of summaries, writing tools, and generative images (and emojis) is the company’s attempt to compete with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which boast their own AI features.
Apple event to offer new hardware
We will see the iPhone 16 (including a bigger iPhone 16 Pro series in two sizes), Apple Watch 10, AirPods Max and AirPods 4, according to the latest Apple rumors. While the Apple news regarding these rumored products won’t officially be confirmed until CEO Tim Cook and other executives preview these new devices, this steady flows of leaks point to plenty of new hardware to max out your Apple Card.
iPhone 16 release date: September 20
The iPhone 16 release date will be Friday, September 20, according to Apple’s past history. Other new devices may ship to customers on the same day. iPhone 16 pre-orders are likely to begin this Friday, September 13 at 8am ET, just like we saw with the Apple Pro Vision in February and every Apple device in recent memory.