Ever since iOS 17 was revealed at WWDC 2024, time has been marching on towards the iPhone 16. Well, the time is now. Today's Apple Event will show us exactly what Apple has been cooking up over the last year, and the devices that will be running the software shown off back in June.
With how much AI was mentioned when iOS 18 was announced, I'm expecting the new iPhone to have heavy AI features, much like the Samsung Galaxy S24 that Samsung put out back in January. What that means for how the device works, however, remains to be seen. Either way, we're watching the event as it airs, so here's everything that's been announced so far.
Apple Watch – Bigger, Brighter, Better
After going on about how Apple Watch makes everyone's life better, Tim Cook announced the new Apple Watch Series 10 with an 'all-new design' that looks just like the last Apple Watch, just a bit thinner. The biggest change is a much larger, more legible display, with 30% more screen real estate than the Apple Watch Series 6. This should make it much easier to read content at a glance, combined with a 30% brighter display.
Apple is showing off the bigger, brighter display with a new Flux watch face. The Apple Watch Series 10 also features new colorways: Jet Black, Rose Gold and Silver. Plus, Apple has made these finishes more scratch-resistant, while cutting the thickness down to 9.7mm, making it an extremely thin smartwatch. Apple has also improved the charging coil on the back of the Apple Watch, which should cut down on charging time.
If you want something a bit more premium, Apple is also releasing the Apple Watch Series 10 in a new Titanium finish, which weighs 20% less than the Aluminum versions, while also having more premium-looking finishes. Though, you're going to have to fork over quite a bit of change to get this model.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is being powered by the new S10 SoC (System on a Chip), which has a 4-core neural engine, to better handle AI workloads, like being able to detect falls and contact emergency services when you need it and without needing you to do anything. This AI chip also powers a translation app native on the watch, which will be a lot less awkward than bringing out your phone to mediate a conversation.
New to the Series 10 is the ability for the Apple Watch to help detect changes in your sleep pattern that can help identify Sleep Apnea before it becomes a serious problem. These notifications will be coming to Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, as well.
The Apple Watch Series 10 has some new workout improvements, too. Key among them is a new depth app, which will measure how deep you dive, making it an awesome companion for divers. This is paired with a tides app, that'll help you predict the movement of the tides if you're planning on hanging out on the beach or surfing.
Apple is also announcing a new finish for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which now comes in a Satin Black colorway with a matching titanium band.
The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 and is available for preorder today. You can expect to see it on store shelves September 20, 2024.
AirPods 4 – Now Protecting Your Hearing
It's been a few years since the AirPods 3 hit the market, but Apple has finally announced the Airpods 4, and it has a new, refined design that should be much more comfortable. These new AirPods are now also powered by an H2 SoC and a new audio architecture. This allows for features like Personalized Spatial Audio, which should make audio quality much better, no matter what you're listening to.
The charging case has also been improved, cutting down the size and changing the connection to USB-C, effectively ending the dreaded Lightning cable for good. Noise cancellation is also coming to the base model, which used to be exclusive to the AirPods Pro. Apple is also taking notes from the Samsung Galaxy Buds, with adaptive noise cancellation, which will tweak the cancellation depending on what you're doing and whether or not you're speaking.
Apple has also added a speaker to the charging case, which will work with Find My, making it easier to find your earbuds when you've misplaced them.
It's not just the basic AirPods that are getting new toys, the AirPods Pro are also being updated. The AirPods Pro 2 is getting a suite of features to help identify and prevent hearing loss. The new Hearing Protection, which will be enabled by default, will use machine learning to identify loud noises and adjust noise cancellation accordingly to help protect your hearing. The AirPods Pro 2 will now also have a mode that will allow them to act as clinical-quality hearing aids.
Apple has also refreshed the AirPods Max a bit, adding new colorways and a USB-C charging option, and are still starting at $549. The Aipods 4 start at $129 for the regular model and $149 for the noise-cancellation model, and are available to preorder today.
iPhone 16
This is it, the main event. We finally get a glimpse of the new iPhone 16, which looks a lot like the iPhone 15. Apple is using a new color-infused glass, coming in new Ultramarine, Teal and Pink colorways, which of course accompany the White and Black iPhones we all know and love.
iPhone 16 also has the new Action Button that was introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro. This is a programmable button that can do all kinds of different functions quickly. There's a new button, too. Apple as hadded a dedicated camera button, which will both bring up the camera and act as a hardware shutter, much like an actual camera.
The SoC has been upgraded to power AI, or 'Apple Intelligence'. AI workloads demand a powerful chip, and Apple is answering with a new A18 chip, with a 16-core Neural Engine, which is twice as powerful as the Neural Engine found in the A16 Bionic. Apple is also adding 17% more memory, which will help with memory-hungry AI workloads, like LLMs. The CPU is also much more powerful and efficient, which should help with battery life.
Apple did claim that the iPhone 16 is more powerful than high-end desktop PCs, which I will only believe after I get my hands on it to test it myself.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
