Like every year around this time, Apple has shown its new iPhones. And like every year, the rumors about the characteristics of the new models have been flooding the networks for months, some more successful than others.
In short, and in addition to a brand new Apple Watch Series 8 and the long-awaited renewal of its wireless headphones (AirPods Pro 2), the apple firm has presented four new versions of the most iconic mobile phone in history: on the one hand, iPhone 14 e iPhone 14 Plus, both 6.7 inches; and on the other the iPhone 14 Pro e iPhone 14 Pro Maxwith the same screen sizes but with a series of profound differences with respect to the previous two.
There will therefore be no iPhone 14 Mini. It is also curious that the word Plus has returned to the Apple nomenclature, but somehow it was necessary to distinguish the largest of the ‘normal’ iPhone from the two most advanced.
Let’s go now with those differences. The first two, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, will carry the A15 processor, that is, the same as last year’s iPhone 13. The new and more powerful A 16, built with 4 nanometer technology, remains only for the Pro models. Which is a great news for Apple.
In fact, until now and generation after generation, all the new Cupertino mobiles mounted the same processor, whatever their last name. This is the first time that the company reserves the new chip only for the most expensive models, the Pro, a decision incomprehensibly criticized since it is what most mobile phone manufacturers have been doing for many years.
The two simpler models, in addition, will continue to have the classic ‘notch’ at the top of the screen, which by the way will not have a refresh rate of 120 Hz, as expected. Also the main camera will be the same as last year, with the usual 12 megapixel sensor. And in terms of storage space, the maximum will be 512 GB.
Not so the Pro models, which instead of the ‘notch’ will have two holes on the screen under which the front camera and several of the sensors will be, and which will have an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. As for the cameras, the Pro models release a new 48-megapixel sensor that promises to make a leap in terms of image quality. We will have to see what Apple is capable of doing in a section, that of photography, in which it has not had a rival for many years.
Prices they are 1,319 euros for the Pro and 1,469 for the Pro Max. The iPhone 14 will cost 1,009 euros and the Plus 1,159. But let’s go in order. As usual at these events, Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, spoke from Apple Park. And he did it to say, first of all, that he would talk about three ‘essential’ products for the rhythm of modern life: iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watch, three perfectly integrated devices.
Apple Watch Series 8
More powerful than ever, the new 8 series is similar in design to the previous ones and allows, as always, to customize the screens and add ‘complications’ to them. But it has a shock detector and notifications for irregular heartbeat, as well as specific features for women, such as a menstrual record that, thanks to the new temperature sensor, is able to warn when you are ovulating and keep track of periods. . The sensor can capture temperature differences of up to 0.1 degrees, well above any competitive watch.
A very long period can be a symptom of health problems. The new Apple Watch accurately predicts cycles and detects irregularities. All information is protected by a password, but can be shared with the doctor for evaluation. The impact detector, for its part, can save our lives in the event of a car accident. Two new sensors act together with the gyroscope to know when an impact occurs and immediately notify the emergency services.
The new temperature and movement sensors act in the background, so they consume battery power. That is why Apple has introduced a low consumption mode that stretches battery life from 24 to 36 hours, reducing some of its functions. Of course, the watch still maintains all the features of the previous ones. Its price starts at 499 euros. It will hit stores on September 16.
Also introduced a new Apple Watch SE, completely redesigned, designed for the little ones and that comes in new colors. The price starts at 299 euros.
Lastly, as rumored, Apple also showed off a new watch, the Apple Watch Ultra, specially designed for the toughest tasks and sports. With a different design, it is made of titanium and the crystal is sapphire, both extremely resistant materials. The crown is larger than on a regular Apple Watch. It has an extra speaker and three built-in microphones. The battery lasts 36 hours and can last up to 60 hours in low power mode.
For the first time, it has a night mode that allows better visibility in the dark. Everything in this watch is reinforced to withstand the most extreme sports and activities. GPS, for example, is optimized to accurately locate a person even in a crowd or under a grove of trees, where others fail. A new button, called ‘Action’ is customizable and allows athletes to add and have the functions they need most at hand. For example, if a runner gets lost in the middle of the field, the watch can trace a reverse route by going back in his footsteps, and calculate a new one immediately.
The watch also incorporates an 86-decibel siren that can be heard up to 180 meters away, and a new special function for divers that indicates depth at all times.
The price, of course, is more expensive, and reaches up to 999 euros.
Airpods Pro
They have become the most used headphones in the world, and today Apple renews them with the launch of new AirPods Pro, equipped with the H2 chip, which multiplies the capabilities of the previous one. Spatial Audio, for example, improves to the point where, they say, it really feels like we’re at a concert, with sound coming from everywhere.
The sound cancellation, thanks to H2 is doubled in the new AirPods Pro with respect to the previous ones. Even in the noisiest environments, the Adaptive Transparency function, which measures ambient sound up to 48,000 times per second, manages to cancel out any outside noise.
New control gestures and a battery that allows six hours of continuous listening and up to 30 recharging the headphones in their case. A small speaker at the bottom notifies us of the battery status.
This second generation of AirPods Pro will cost 299 euros and can be purchased from September 9.
new iPhones
And we come to iPhones. As said at the beginning, we have two ‘normal’ and two Pro models. The former are iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Both with thinner borders, allowing for more screen surface area, which is 6.7-inches.
The Plus model has, according to Apple, the best battery ever implemented in an iPhone. In both models, the processor is the A15 from last year, but that does not mean that they are not extraordinarily powerful terminals. In fact, the chip has been modified to be 18% more powerful than the previous A15.
The cameras, although they are not a great novelty, have been improved: a double camera with 12 megapixel sensors but, thanks to the size of the pixels and the software, it is capable of collecting up to 49% more light than those of the iPhone 13.
We also have faster, more accurate autofocus and ‘incredible progress’ in night photography, which benefits from a new neural processor that compares and selects the best images at all times.
The front camera has also been optimized and the video incorporates a new ‘Action Mode‘ which maintains focus even if we record while running.
Like the Apple Watch, the iPhone is also capable of detecting accidents thanks to the joint action of its accelerometer and its gyroscope. In addition, it incorporates an emergency service capable of launching an SOS via satellite, something that may be necessary if we are in remote or isolated areas.
New iPhone Pros
One more year, the models arrive full of novelties. The Pros have a new way to interact, called Dynamic Island, in which the notifications appear at the top, right where the notch was in previous versions, and display the notification in an ‘island’ that can be stretched, thicker or longer, depending on the need. That kind of ‘floating window’ accompanies us in any app we use. A new way, of course, to communicate with the phone.
The Pro screen will also be Always on, something that Apple implements for the first time. The new A 16 chip ensures that consumption is minimal. It is a new generation of processors that dramatically improves cameras, performance and battery life. According to Apple, the A16, with its 16 billion transistors, is up to 40% faster than any competitor, and is capable of performing 17 trillion operations per second.
To help the camera, the chip performs up to 4 trillion operations for every photo we take. And that, coupled with the new 48-megapixel main sensor, will provide the best photos ever taken by an iPhone. With larger pixels (quad pixels) the new iPhone Pro captures much more light, and the new sensor is capable of showing much more defined details than ever. It is accompanied by a 12-megapixel telephoto lens and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens that multiplies the quality of low-light photos by 3.
Together, the cameras are twice and triple as powerful as the previous generation. Of course, we still have cinematic mode, which automatically changes focus as we move from one subject to another.