Apple Event 2023: From iPhone 15 to Watch Series 9- A recap of major announcements

The iPhone 15 will come with a 6.1-inch screen while iPhone 15 Plus comes with a 6.7-inch screen.

Apple in its “Wonderlust” event on Tuesday unveiled iPhone 15 series (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max) along with the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2.

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., holds an iPhone 15 Pro Max during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 12.(Bloomberg)

The tech giant also announced the launch of its first carbon neutral products in the form of new smartwatch lineup. The Apple Watch Series 9 and a second-generation version of the high-end Ultra model are manufactured with clean energy and use more eco-friendly bands, the company said during the presentation.

Here are major takeaways from Apple's “Wonderlust” event:

iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus

Both versions come up with the dynamic island feature that first debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and the USB-C type charging.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus also has an improved camera system.

The main camera sensor is moving to a 48-megapixel one, up from the 12-megapixel one found on the previous iPhone 14. There’s also a 12-megapixel telephoto, and improvements to the portrait mode mean you won’t have to manually switch to portrait mode anymore, news agency ANI reported quoting The Verge.

The iPhone 15 will come with a 6.1-inch screen while iPhone 15 Plus comes with a 6.7-inch screen.

Both versions will be available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black colors.

The iPhone 15 is priced starting at USD 799 for a 128GB model and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at USD 899 for a 128GB version.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

The 15 Pro starts at USD 999 with 128GB of storage, and the Pro Max at USD 1,199 with 256GB of storage. Both will be available for preorder this Friday and on sale September 22, as per The Verge.

Both are powered by the A17 Pro chip, which Apple says has the fastest performance in any smartphone and can even challenge some high-end PCs. Along with a redesigned GPU, Apple seems to think these devices could be poised to level up the kinds of games you can play on your phone. Also, both phones have a USB-C port on the bottom rather than the old Lightning port, reported The Verge.

Interestingly, the ring/silent switch is gone, replaced with an "Action Button". With the new, button that you can customize to run shortcuts, bring up accessibility features, open the camera, turn on the flashlight, and more.

Apple Watch Series 9

Watch Series 9 is powered by the new S9 chip, which, the company claims, is the ‘most powerful’ Apple Watch till date. The smartwatch's GPU (graphics processing unit) is 30% faster, while battery life remains ‘unchanged.’

To make responsiveness faster for several tasks, the tech giant has enabled Siri requests for Watch Series 9 on the smartwatch itself. Also, a new feature allows Siri to access health data; this feature will arrive later this year, starting in English and Mandarin.

By simply tapping their thumb and forefinger together, twice, users will be able to perform functions such as answer calls, end calls, open widgets, and more, without actually touching Watch Series 9.

The price of a Series 9 watch with GPS will be USD 399 and GPS with cellular, will be priced at USD 499.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Some of its features are the same as those in Watch Series 9, which was also unveiled at the event. These include the new S9 chip, the ‘double-tap’ gesture, health integration for Siri, and improved Dictation.

Watch Ultra 2, which is packed in a case with 99% recycled titanium, comes with up to 36 hours of battery life, the same as its predecessor. When in low-power mode, it can be used for up to 72 hours after which it must be charged.

The Ultra 2 will be available at USD 799 (approx. 67,000 INR). It will be available from September 22.

(With inputs from agencies)