It's Glowtime! The iPhone 16 Apple launch event happened today, September 9, and we were live on the ground in Cupertino. We followed the news live from around the world, and brought you all the big reveals.
We were expecting the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max and Apple delivered big time on its new phones, with more improvements to the iPhone 16 than we were imagining, and a whole new look for the iPhone 16 Pro.
We were also expecting the Apple Watch Series 10 and maybe an Apple Watch Ultra 3, but for the bigger watch we only got a new color option. Rumors suggested new AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, but only the first two materialized. Instead, we were surprised by a new ANC version of the AirPods 4.
You can see our original, unedited live blog below, with our reactions and analysis to all of the Apple news as it happened. Or you can still catch the whole thing yourself via Apple's stream, and we've got full details on how to do that in our guide to how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event.
Apple Glowtime – iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, and everything else
- iPhone 16: As predicted, the 6.1in iPhone 16 gets a new button – Camera Control. It also gets the Action Button from the Pro models and will be powered by the Apple A18 chip. New colors and a tougher glass front round off the new features.
- iPhone 16 Plus: As above, but with a bigger, 6.7-inch screen!
- Apple Watch 10: Apple's standard smartwatch now has a bigger, brighter screen, a thinner body, and some new colors and finishes including a lovely titanium model. Plus, its speakers can finally be used to play your favorite music and podcasts. Oh, and it can detect sleep apnea, too.
- Apple Watch Ultra 2: No major changes here, and more importantly no new Watch Ultra 3 as was rumored. But it is getting a new finish, and a new Hermes band.
- Apple AirPods 4: The AirPods 4 don't look like a massive update, but there is a slight redesign for comfort purposes, plus improved audio including – the biggest feature – spatial audio as already available on AirPods Pro.
- AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation: These awkwardly named new earbuds will sit between the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, bringing – you guessed it – ANC to Apple's cheaper range of buds.
- AirPods Pro 2: There's no new model, which is something of a surprise, but the Pro 2 will be updated with new health features including a hearing test which could help diagnose potential issues – and, from later this year, a hearing aid mode.
- AirPods Max: Again, there's no new Max 2 model, unfortunately – but the existing version does get new colors – Midnight, Purple, Orange, Starlight and Blue – plus some extra health capabilities.
- iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max: the Pro models are more similar this year, with a 5X telephoto zoom camera on both, and new camera modules all around. Each gets the Camera Control button, though Apple says two-stage photo features are coming later.
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever you are. We're a little over 24 hours away from the September 9 Apple event, which will almost certainly be one of the biggest tech product launches of the year.
I'm here to give you a rundown of what to expect, the juiciest rumors so far, what I want to see, and more. So let's do this!
Right then, let's start at the latest leaks or rumors. And they come in the form a storage bump and improved video recording tipped for the iPhone 16 Pro models.
This comes courtesy of analysts at TrendForce who have claimed that both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are going to start at 256GB of storage this year. That would be a bump for the smaller phone, and a change I'd certainly welcome; after all the iPhone 15 Pro starts at 128GB of storage, which seems a tad miserly for a phone of its price.
On the video recording side, 9to5Mac 's sources claim the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will be capable of capturing footage at a 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. That's a boost from the 60 frames per second on the current models. So for content creators, such a capability could be a worthy upgrade.
I feel the camera quality of the models you'll find on our best phones list are so high (at least for smartphones) that there's not much to differentiate the top models besides a preference for certain photography styles.
However, video capture could be the next frontier for phones to really battle it out in. And Apple has long led the way, so it's promising to see that the Cupertino crew could embrace 4K at 60fps video capture to put the next-gen Pro iPhones in line with the on-paper capabilities of the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra but add some Apple video processing magic on top of it.
For more on the cameras we're expecting to see from the higher-end iPhones, check out our rundown on the iPhone 16 Pro camera rumors and predictions.
Another rumor that caught my eye and has somewhat turned my stomach is one claiming the iPhone 16 Pro will come in a so-called 'Desert Titanium' color.
This shade seems to sit in between gold and bronze. But whereas real bronze can develop a patina from age, which makes it mellow rather nicely in my humble opinion, it won't do that on a titanium chassis. From my experience using the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the titanium on the phone doesn't seem to scratch let alone stain and age in the same way as the steel on the rather lovely iPhone 13 Pro.
So I'm not convinced that 'Desert Titanium' is the color iPhone fans have been waiting for. But I am prepared to be proved wrong, if indeed this rumor does come to fruition.
There are four colors in total in the iPhone 16 Pro Lineup: white, black, gold and gray.The desert titanium color is kind of dark gold, similar to the old purple color, relatively discreet and deep pic.twitter.com/uDiNiBI4IzAugust 18, 2024
Speaking of colors, we've got a roundup of rumored iPhone 16 colors and the tipped iPhone 16 Pro colors.
As someone who perhaps lack a bit of imagination when it comes to colors, the Space Black shade that's been hinted at for the iPhone 16 Pro could be the color for me; it's likely to take after the Space Black iPhone 14 Pro.
Equally, I'd love to see the return of the dark green color Apple cooked up with the iPhone 13. As I write this I'm wearing a watch with a similar colored leather strap and just adore how the color looks close to British Racing Green; but I'm a Brit so of course i'm going to take a fancy to that.
Right enough about colors and my peculiar preferences. Let's talk specs.
As you'll see in our rundown of the tipped iPhone 16 specs, not a lot of change is expected externally. But under the hood, so to speak, we can expect a new chip, likely one that'll have enough power to drive Apple Intelligence features. So that means Apple could equip the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus with the current A17 Pro chip or perhaps a rumored A18/A18 Pro chip.
My hope is Apple will aim to use the same chip for all four tipped iPhone 16 models so there's a degree of parity between them all, meaning they'll be ready to run with new AI features. And that should then aid the adoption and use of such smart tools, given the large reach of iPhones.
Take a look at the rumored specs table below.
On the iPhone 16 Pro specs side, it's predicted that the standard and Max Pro models will have a new chip, likely the aforementioned A18 Pro. But to help power AI tools, 8GB of RAM has also been tipped for the iPhone 16 Pro models.
While I think there's some cool potential to AI features, I'm more enthused about the extra power an new A-series Pro chipset could bring to the table. The A17 Pro could handle genuine console-quality games, albeit with limited frame rates and lower-end settings. So I'm hoping a new chip for the Pro iPhones will improve upon that and give a genuine performance boost to the likes of Death Stranding, which got ported over to iOS.
On the battery side of things, three out of the four tipped iPhone 16 models are expected to have a bigger battery, with the Plus missing out.
That information is based on leaked battery capacities from Weibo user OvO Baby Sauce OvO, who claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will apparently have a 4,676mAh battery, which would make it 5.7% larger than the 4,422mAh cell inside the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And the iPhone 16 Pro will reportedly have a 3,355mAh battery, which is up just 2% from the 3,290mAh iPhone 15 Pro.
The standard iPhone 16 is tipped to have a 3,561mAh battery, which is up 5.8% from the iPhone 15’s 3,367mAh cell. But he poor Plus could get a smaller battery coming in at 4,006mAh, while the iPhone 15 Plus sports a 4,383mAh power pack.
Of course, take this with a dose of skepticism and do bear in mind that size isn't everything on the battery side; efficiency and optimization is almost as important at getting a phone that has the electrical juice to get you through more than a day's worth of use.
Unfortunately, there's no word on charging upgrades. So even with last year's move to a USB-C port, bringing an end to Lighting port iPhones with the exception of older models, Apple doesn't appear poised to up the electrical throughput the newer ports can support.
That could be a pity as faster charging is one of the 4 things we reckon the iPhone 16 Pro needs to beat the iPhone 15 Pro and one of the 7 upgrades we want from the iPhone 16.
So I may have inadvertently glossed over this earlier, but in terms of the rumored iPhone 16 design changes, it's been tipped that the standard and Plus models could have a vertical rear camera arrangement and sport an Action button.
I can't say the latter gets my heart racing, as I've always liked the diagonal orientation of the rear cameras on the previous models; a vertical layout is a tad dull and the same as many other phones. But the potential addition of an Action button does have my attention.
While the volume up button could work as a camera shutter trigger, the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro models just feels better for this. But I also have it configured to switch on the camera flash to act as a quick torch; it's a minor thing but in real-world use is often hugely handy and avoids me needing to tap away at a display. So bringing such a feature to the more affordable iPhones would get a thumbs up from me.
Over to the potential iPhone 16 Pro design and we could be looking at the phones getting larger displays. We’ve repeatedly heard that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch screen, making its display 0.2 inches bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s, and that the iPhone 16 Pro will have a 6.3-inch screen, a jump up from the 6.1-inch display of its predecessor.
This change will apparently be achieved by having slimmer but taller phones with trimmed-down bezels, which is a-ok in my book. And I feel to be really 'Max' the iPhone Pro Max does need a display boost.
Both iPhone 16 Pro models are also tipped to have a so-called 'Capture button' which is meant to act as a camera shutter button but also a means to physically trigger focusing with the likes of a half-press. This has me intrigued and could be a way to make the Pro phones feel more tactile and content-creation focused (pun partially intended).
Time to talk iPhone 16 cameras. But don't hold your breath as we’re not expecting any big upgrades. According one leaker, the iPhone 16 will have the same 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera as its predecessor, and will once again have two rear cameras.
The big upgrades are likely to come on the software side, ideally with improved image processing helping deliver more dynamic photos; sometimes iPhones can lean too hard on natural colors and produce occasionally flat images.
I'm not too fussed on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus not sporting any major camera hardware upgrades, as I think two cameras that perform well in point-and-shoot scenarios are plenty for most people. Sure the best camera phones offer more, but you'll pay for the privilege and not always find yourself leaning on the likes of a 5x telephoto zoom.
Zoom zoom! One of the tipped iPhone 16 Pro camera upgrades is it could get the 5x optical zoom periscope camera of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
As a big fan and current user of the 15 Pro Max, I do appreciate the flexibility of a 5x telephoto camera - it’s not overly long like the 10x zoom found on the Galaxy S23 Ultra but it’s also more flexible than a 3x zoom; I think Samsung realized that and dropped the 10x for a 5x zoom in the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
However, I do still prefer the more compact size of a non-Max iPhone, so I’m enthused by the rumours that the iPhone 16 Pro could get the 5x camera; more zoom in a phone that can be mostly used one-handed, what’s not to like?
In terms of other camera upgrades for the Pro phones, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could also get a new main sensor, one that the smaller Pro won't have. While the camera's resolution will apparently stick to 48-megapixels it could have larger 1/1.14-inch sensor.
There are also reports that the ultra-wide camera for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will jump up to 48MP from 12MP. And that one or more of the iPhone 16 Pro's lenses will have a new type of coating.
Finally, there are some hints that the the iPhone 16 Pro Max might get a ‘super telephoto’ camera. This would extend the zoom range from the current 5x to 10x or beyond. However, that rumor is a tad tenuous. Check out the rumored camera specs table for the iPhone 16 Pro below.
Now for the iPhone 16 price conversation. Going by the rumors so far, it looks like there could be a mild price increase on the cards. That would mean the iPhone 16 would sit somewhere between the iPhone 15’s starting price of $799 / £799 / AU$1,499 and a starting price of around $899 / £899 / AU$1,649. But I suspect the it and the Plus with track with their predecessors' pricing.
Same goes for the predicted iPhone 16 Pro price, which will probably start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,849, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max starting at $1,199.99 / £1,199 / AU$2,199.
iPhones are already somewhat pricey so I can't see Apple jacking up the starting prices, especially if it wants people to get into using AI features.
Ok, so that's been quite the iPhone 16 discussion, which isn't surprising as they are set to be the biggest, most universal products Apple will surely announce when it's Glowtime.
But now it's time to talk iOS 18 and more. Speaking of the former, which is currently in a berta, we will get the full release of iOS 18 with the new iPhones. And it'll bring in a load of features from a redesigned Photos app, advanced home screen customization, upgraded to the Control Center, Wallet and the Mail app, and a whole lot more.
Our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff already described the iOS 18 beta as a "breath of fresh air" so the release should be good. But for me, I'm all about another upgrade...
And that's the premised smarter Siri.
The improved Siri is set to be part of iOS 18, and it could be one of the more transformative of iPhone updates in recent years.
While I’m not the biggest user of virtual assistants, I’ve found Siri to be one of the worst. So the promise that it can do more, be smarter and use generative AI to be more proactive rather than reactive in what it serves up, certainly has my attention.
Equally, I’m expecting a whole host of nips and tucks to iOS to all add up to a big change. I think iOS 17 is fantastically slick and optimized but things like not being able to place home screen apps where I want them is low-key staggeringly frustrating. iOS 18 promises to fix that.
Now for Apple Intelligence. We got a good glimpse at Apple's foray into generative AI at WWDC 2024, but we're hoping to see how smart features will come to next-gen iPhones, Apple Watches and more.
But the problem is, is down to what products will be able to support what smart features...
Over to my colleague and AI Senior Editor Graham Barlow, who has posed a few interesting questions:
Will the iPhone 16 launch without Apple Intelligence?
We’re expecting the iPhone 16 to launch with iOS 18.0, which appears to come without any of the much-lauded Apple Intelligence features. We’ll have to wait for iOS 18.1 for those, and then iOS 18.2 for the full Siri 2.0 experience, but how will Apple announce this staggered roll out? Should you start queuing now for your iPhone 16, or wait until iOS 18.1 comes out for a fuller AI-powered experience?
Hmmm... I'm not sure I have the answer to Barlow's query or one that I can speculate on. It'll be disappointing if there aren't any significant AI features on the new iPhones, but Photo Clean Up could be a standout one.
Over to Barlow for his thoughts and how the feature could open a question of trust:
"Apple’s new Photo Clean Up feature produces images that look utterly realistic. We’re impressed, but now we live in an AI-generated world where you can never be quite sure if the image you’re seeing is real or fake. Should there be some sort of warning that comes with photos that have been manipulated by Apple Intelligence features?"
And my colleague also question the use of the upcoming Genmoji feature:
"I wonder what safety features Apple will put in place to prevent people making Genmojis of friends and family without their permission, and is that something it can actually police?"
My answer to Barlow's concerns is that Apple would likely use some form of meta data or watermark to indicate an image has been made or manipulated by AI. After all, Samsung's Galaxy S24 phones do that.
As for Genmoji, I'm not so sure. Perhaps there'll be some clever image detection to prevent images of people being used unless they are given an iPhone to take a selfie snap as proof of approval. It does raise some interesting questions.
Then again people can easily steal photos from the likes of Instagram and use them with AI tools, so perhaps this is a bigger issue that's beyond Apple.
Now for some wearables. The most pertinent of them is likely to be the Apple Watch 10, It'll likely start at $399 / £399 / AU$649, come with a boosted chip, a thinner case, potentially have an Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, there'll be two sizes to choose from: 45mm and 49mm.
Hopefully, there'll be improvements to battery life and likely more health features that potentially tap into generative AI. But overall, don't expect the Apple Watch 10 to bring in dramatic changes over its predecessor.
There's also chatter of an Apple Watch Ultra 3. Given the Apple Watch Ultra 3 was only released last year, I'm a little skeptical Apple with kickout an upgrade so soon But there's scope for new Apple Intelligence features, so who knows...
Expect improved specs if there is a third-generation Apple Watch Ultra and new complications, and hopefully some battery life improvements. There's also a rumored microLED display tipped for it but information on that is scant.
I suspect the bigger changes for the next-gen Apple Watches, including the Ultra, will come via watchOS 11, which is set to have the ability to track training loads, vitals, offer smarter stacking of information, improved personalization and more. In fact, I'd day iths the Watch upgrade to look out for, especially if you have an older but still recent-ish Apple Watch.
Now to round off the products we think will be released at the Glowtime event, it's AirPods time. So It's here that I pull upon the wise words of my colleague and Audio Editor becky Scarrott.
AirPods 4, or four sets of AirPods?
"Of all the Apple earbuds or headphones we may see at Apple’s September 9 ‘It's Glowtime’ shindig (and remember, we could potentially see four: Apple AirPods 4, a cheaper AirPods Lite, the AirPods Pro 3 and even the AirPods Max 2 over-ears) I think the actual AirPods 4 feel most due.
Why? It’s not just because the original AirPods launched in December 2016, followed by the second generation in March 2019, then the AirPods 3 in October 2021, thus making the AirPods 4 overdue after the first quarter of 2024.
No, it’s largely because recent rumors suggest Apple may actually release two versions of the AirPods 4: the regular version and a cheaper, simpler variant (that may or may not take a ‘Lite’ moniker). Analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo have both referenced a lower-cost version of the standard AirPods, and Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman has reiterated it a few times (most recently in his August 18 Power On newsletter).
Gurman even suggested that the regular AirPods 4 will benefit from noise cancellation and a case equipped for Find My alerts, when he recently doubled down on his prediction of two AirPods 4 models.
It’s been well over two years since the Apple AirPods 3 (the most recent AirPods offering from the Cupertino giant, because we’re not counting the September 2023 addition of a USB-C case charging port, OK?) hit shelves, and if we don’t see at least one new pair of shiny-white new earbuds for around, oh, $179 / £169 / AU$279, I’ll be hugely surprised…"
So that's a whole lot of AirPods. How likely it’ll be that we see all of these AirPods in a single event is unclear. Apple likes to tightly curate its events and go into detail about certain features, so a whole host of headphones could muddy the clear metaphorical waters.
At the same time, new AI features could be facilitated hands-free by upgrades to new AirPods, so there’s logic for them to make an appearance.
For me, I’d be keen to see the AirPods Pro 3. While pricey, Apple's Pro earbuds offer great sound, solid active noise-cancellation and… well… just work so seamlessly with other Apple devices. Boost those capabilities and add in so smart features and I’d be sorely tempted to upgrade from the original AirPods Pro.
Ok, dear readers it's late here in the UK so it's time for me to take a break so I can bring you more live blogging tomorrow.
However, Managing Editor of News, Jacob Krol, should be heading to Cupertino, with Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, several hours behind. So expect them to pop in here with some updates and insight.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with a video from TechRadar's TikTok, with what NOT to expect at the upcoming Apple event.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar
Jacob Krol here. I'm live blogging from sunny and warm Cupertino, California, on the eve of Apple's "It's Glowtime." special event. As Roland went through, Apple will likely have quite a bit to show off tomorrow, from iPhones to AirPods, with Apple Watches, plenty of platforms, and, of course, Apple Intelligence in between.
With new tech on the horizon, I was reminded on my flight today how the iPhone 15 Pro Max and AirPods Pro work together pretty darn seamlessly for a great experience. Also that, AirPods Pro's Adaptive Audio listening mode can make a long flight enjoyable.
With four new iPhones expected – the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – I'm curious what Apple will keep the same across all of them. Yes, the new iPhone 16' will run iOS 18, and likely all keep the Dynamic Island with Face ID and have similar builds, but a new commonality might be the Action Button.
In 2023, with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, it was pitched as the do-anything – within reason – button. You could set it to open a specific part of the Camera, enable the flashlight, turn on an Accessibility feature, or have it run a Shortcut. That last one really opened up the possibilities; you could use it to run through a smart home routine, unlock a connected vehicle, or do a number of other things.
Apple might have some new customizations planned this year, but given that it will likely arrive on the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus as well as the Pros, I'm curious about what Apple speaks to as the key advantages of the button.
The other question is around processor – Apple could, in theory, trickle down the A17 Pro, which already supports Apple Intelligence features, to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, and introduce an entirely new chip for the iPhone 16 Pro or 16 Pro Max. I have a feeling that this is most likely the case, but Apple could roll out a new chip for all four phones.
Lance Ulanoff here in Cupertino, California, not far from where my colleague Jake Krol is staying. Like me, he's pondering what we'll learn approximately 17 hours from now. It's so much that you almost don't know where to focus.
To seek inspiration, I took a stroll around my hotel's neighborhood (also Apple's neighborhood), where isn't uncommon to stumble on signs like this for bits and pieces of Apple real estate scattered throughout Cupertino.
The color of the Apple logo reminds me of how lower-end iPhones like the anticipated iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will get some fun, playful colors while the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will be more grownup Space Black, Midnight, Titanium, and other variants of silver, metal, and black. Yes, Rose Gold would be grand but I think people who pay upwards of $1,000 for their phones would like as many color choices as possible.
The other thing that occurred to me is how tuned in people are around here to what's about to happen in their backyard. Other than a line of campers parked suspiciously alongside my hotel, there's no buzz. Just the sound in my head as I think of what tomorrow will be like when Apple likely unveils four new iPhones, two AirPods models, two or three new Apple Watches, and who knows what else.
If you ever find yourself at an Apple launch event, my only advice to you is to get a good night's sleep and then drink a lot of coffee in the morning.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have enough buttons
Perhaps the most talked about potential update coming to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max is a new camera button. I just have one question: why?
I’m sorry but the idea of a separate button on the iPhone 16 just so it can get a little bit closer to being a true prosumer camera makes no sense.
I don’t need another confusing button. I assume it would end up on the left corner of the iPhone so that if you hold the iPhone in portrait mode, it’ll feel like a camera’s shutter button.
The idea of it mimicking what it feels like to press halfway to focus and then fully to snap a photo is fun but pointless on a smartphone where fast computer processing handles focus and exposure before you can even think to “slowly press.” I have almost zero faith that this prediction will come true and I’m happy about that. We do not need a button for everything.
Can Apple Intelligence drive upgrades?
Apple makes money through wearables, Mac and iPad sales, services (more every quarter), and iPhone sales. Of all of them, though, iPhone sales remain the chief revenue driver, so upgrades matter – a lot.
The question I pondered in an opinion post today is whether or not Apple Intelligence in all these new iPhones will be the catalyst to super-charge upgrades. Is this the moment that everyone turns in their old iPhones (iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, even 15)?
I'm not so sure. The various Apple iPhone 16 models will certainly be an upgrade over iPhone 15 models, but there won't be a lot of big changes and that means the biggest update might be Apple Intelligence. All that artificial intelligence is certainly interesting and maybe exciting to some subset of iPhone owners. I just don't know if it's a reason – yet – to upgrade.
Jacob Krol back here and with all the AirPods rumors going around, I can’t help but think Apple is retiring the original look. The longer stem-plastic molded earbuds really established Apple’s dominance in the wireless earbuds space.
With the reported introduction of two AirPods 4 models that will result in the retiring of AirPods second-generation and third-generation, the lineup will look quite a bit different. Currently, it's the second-gen with long stems to the third-gen with slightly shorter ones, and then the AirPods Pro – kind of a nice progression, but if the rumors turn out true, all of the new AirPods will sort of resemble Apple's flagship earbuds. That’s not necessarily bad, but it’s something to consider.
The win here, though, is that Apple is trickling down features and likely a more comfortable design that fits more ears. I’m curious how Apple will differentiate noise cancellation from the AirPods Pro to the rumored new mid-tier AirPods – might it be lesser quality or drop support for Adaptive Audio? The other question is price. Will Apple stick with an above $100 USD price tag, or will a more budget-friendly price emerge?
The wild card could be that AirPods second-generation sticks around and gets a major price drop.
Now, we're just one sleep away from seeing what Apple has in store at the "It's Glowtime" special event. Lance and I will be at Apple Park bright and early tomorrow, along with the entire TechRadar team, to help unpack it all.
We're expecting a whole bunch of new Apple devices, including the iPhone 16 family, potentially a trio of new Apple Watches, new AirPods, and plenty of software infused with Apple Intelligence. After all, the invite hints at the redesigned Siri, which is no longer a floating orb at the bottom of your screen but takes over the edges.
It will undoubtedly be an exciting event and likely a jam-packed one. So until the morning, dear readers, Lance and I hope you dream about new Apple gadgets.
Good morning from the UK. Marc McLaren here to take over for an hour or two while Lance and Jake (hopefully) get some much-needed sleep ahead of the event.
Don't expect iPads today… but they could be coming soon
You might wonder why there's been no mention of iPads in the run-up to the 'It's Glowtime' launch, but that's simple: we're not expecting Tim Cook to unveil any today.
That doesn't mean they aren't on the way, though. Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman says Apple could announce new iPads in October, possibly alongside a redesigned Mac mini and maybe M4-powered MacBooks.
If so, it would be great news for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the iPad mini 7, because an upgraded version of Apple's smallest tablet is a strong contender for that October event. Given that the last model debuted in 2021, it's long overdue.
Will the AirPods Max 2 finally get max sound quality?
Here's our reviews editor Josh Russell on his main hope for today's Apple event:
"If we do see the launch of the AirPods Max 2 – and boy, I hope we do, based on how long in the tooth my AirPods Max are getting – there are quite a few features we’ve been hearing on the grapevine. A switch to USB-C charging would be appreciated and a rethink of their weird bra-style carrying case is long overdue.
"But without a doubt the rumored feature that’s going to be the real deal-breaker for me is the inclusion of lossless audio. The fact that owners of the far-cheaper AirPods Pro 2 can now listen to decent resolution audio, while AirPods Max users are stuck with lossy streams feels backwards. Let’s hope Apple take the opportunity to rectify this with an update of its premium over-ear headphones."
As to how likely it actually is that we'll see the AirPods Max 2 today… well, it's very much in the balance.
Mark Gurman – him again – says that while he believes we will see two new AirPods models today, the AirPods Max 2 will "be coming later". That could tally with the mooted October event I mentioned below.
Or maybe Apple will just quietly release them without any fanfare; a strange decision if so, but it does have form for this kind of thing, having announced new MacBook Air M3 models back in March via a press release.
Then again, it is now four years since the original AirPods Max arrived, so you'd think Apple would want to shout a little more about a newly upgraded version. Our money is on October for now, but we'll be pleasantly surprised if they do show up today.
Could the Apple Watch 10 get sleep apnea detection?
We said earlier on in this live blog that the Apple Watch 10 isn't expected to bring huge upgrades to the wearables party, but there is one intriguing feature that's been mooted of late.
A recent rumor pitched that the Watch Series 10 might offer sleep apnea detection, a feature that is also found on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. The idea is that your watch would monitor your breathing as you sleep and alert you if it detects that you might have the condition, then suggest you talk to a doctor.
However, the same rumor speculates that the new feature may not be ready for day one and will instead arrive on the Watch 10 – and Watch Ultra 3 – at a later stage via a software update to watchOS 11. Watch this space on this one.
Wait… Apple Watch 10 or Apple Watch X
One intriguing rumor around the Apple Watch 10 concerns its name, with one tipster suggesting that it could be called the Apple Watch X instead. That moniker would obviously be a hat tip to the iPhone X, which arrived 10 years after the first model and 'replaced' the iPhone 10.
Against that, the original Apple Watch appeared in April, 2015, so we're not quite at the 10-year anniversary yet. Plus, the iPhone X brought with it a notable design change from previous models, whereas the Apple Watch 10 is not expected to be a massive departure.
File this one under 'uncertain' for now.
Will the Apple Watch Ultra 3 be worth the wait?
As far as the Watch Ultra 3 goes, it's again not expected to have many major design upgrades over the Ultra 2. But that doesn't mean it won't have any new features; that would be stupid, after all!
So the question is whether it'll be worth waiting to ? That's a question we've attempted to answer in our Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Watch Ultra 2 comparison feature, which pits the rumored new device against the existing model, based on what the leaks so far have told us.
Read more: Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Ultra 2: Upgrade or wait?
Well hello again! Itsa me Roland Moore-Colyer! I'm back to take you on the fun and occasionally weird run-up to today's Apple event.
And I don't know about you but I'm a bit hyped. I don't expect there to be a revolution on the iPhone front or crazy new Apple Watches. But I feel today is going to be a big day for Apple. That means there'll be some bleary-eyed tech journalists tomorrow but we'll have a lot to talk about.
So strap in and get ready for some last-minute leaks as well.
So it's not related to today's event but in the vein of what not to expect, Bloomberg reporter and all-round Apple tipster Mark Gurman has reported that Apple could announce new iPads in October.
And it could be the return of the iPad mini, a tablet I thought was some what mothballed; it hasn't been reworked since 2021. Apparently, the iPad mini 7 will get a redesign and a new chip (naturally), plus some potential for an OLED display.
As a fan of the smallest iPad, I'm keen to see this become a reality. But equally, I'd not hold my breath as this could be one of those tips that doesn't amount to anything.
Got a last-minute leak for you! And it comes in the form of pricing and battery life for the iPhone 16.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro’s starting price isn’t likely to be raised beyond the $999 of the iPhone 15 Pro. Gurman didn’t discuss pricing in other regions, but for reference the current model starts at £999 / AU$1,849 in the UK and Australia.
On the battery life side, Gurman said we'll see noticeable battery life improvements for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. And that their bezels will be noticeably smaller than on the current models. Given his track record for accurate Apple tips, this is all rather promising.
While I'm chewing over things to expect today, I think we can all count out the potential for a foldable iPhone reveal. There have been no hints that it could be a classic "one more thing..." from Apple. And not many rumors have percolated around the tech sphere for a while.
Now given my aforementioned love of the iPad mini, I'd really like to see an iPhone that can act as both a smartphone and compact iPad. Plus, I think Apple could nail the foldable phone concept given its history of waiting for others to develop tech that it then, arguably, perfects. But we could be waiting for some time before we see a folding iPhone or iPhone Flip if you will.
And here's another last-minute rumor: we may not get an Apple Watch Ultra 3 today, but a new Apple Watch Ultra 2 color could be coming instead.
That's once again according to Mark Gurman. And I'm inclined to agree, as like I mentioned yesterday in this blog, we had an Apple Watch Ultra 2 last year and it feels like that smartwatch still has plenty going for it and scope to be improved with software rather than hardware.
Given the likely iPhone focus of the Apple event, I can see a new Apple Watch Ultra 2 color being kicked out as a side note to the showcase. Part of me also hopes we don't see a new Ultra, as I'm keen to see Apple take its time and really explore what it can do to make a future model different and more compelling.
You know what's been itching the back of my brain? Why is Apple having a launch on a Monday (for the UK and US at least)?
Traditionally, the folks over at Cupertino have carried out events on a Tuesday or Wednesday, giving journalists like me a moment to get back into the groove of work after the weekend. What's also surprising is this launch comes very close to IFA 2024, which has been bubbling away for the past five days or so.
Normally, I'd cite such shenanigans as a means to cover up a lackluster product launch. But this is Apple and the hype behind the house that Steve Jobs built never feels lacking. Apple is tight-lipped about why it does a lot of things, so I suspect I'll never know why this event is being held today; maybe Tim Cook is going on holiday tomorrow...
Ding! Ding! Another iPhone 16 tidbit popping up in the last few hours before the Glowtime event. This one acts as more proof Apple will kill off its FineWoven cases at today's iPhone 16 event.
This is according to Majin Bu on X , who shared two images of what are claimed will be the new cases and the complete range of colors they will apparently arrive in. Majin Bu didn’t explain what material the new cases would be made from, other than to say that it would be something new to replace FineWoven.
A good few of the are colors that are the same as the existing FineWoven cases, including blue, green, black, and taupe. But Apple’s mulberry color has seemingly been replaced with a dark purple. There’s also supposedly a new gray version in the works too.
Let's have a little chat about Apple and AI again. Graham Barlow has detailed 5 things iPhone 16 needs to do with Siri to beat Google Pixel and Galaxy S24 at the AI game.
These range from better integration of Siri with iOS to making the use of ChatGPT feel more seamless on iPhones.
But more than that, Barlow doesn't want to be left waiting for AI features: "I get it – introducing artificial intelligence to a piece of tech that fits into your pocket is probably quite the challenge – but there was a chance here for Apple to steal the impetus back from Google, which is currently leading the charge with Gemini Live already shipping, even if it’s not all there yet."
Unfortunately, it looks like two of the best Apple Intelligence features might be delayed until iOS 18.2. Those are Image Playground and Genmoji, which Mark Gurman has said won't lauch until we're some two versions into iOS 18.
Equally, Phones Editor Axel Metz does note this may not be a huge deal: "As disappointing as this latest tip will be for prospective iPhone 16 owners, certain Apple Intelligence features are rumored to be delayed until 2025, which makes December seem like a comparatively short time to wait. Those delayed features include the full version of Apple’s new and improved Siri – it may launch in 2024, but it reportedly won’t be fully integrated into compatible iPhones until 2025 – and new features in the Mail app."
In some ways drip-feeding such feature might be a way to slowly get people into using and getting used to new smart features.
Speaking of AI and Mr Barlow, he penned an interesting article on how he switched to a Pixel 9 and what the iPhone 16 needs to do to win him back.
Now I'm a fan of the Pixel phones and have found they intergrare AI in probably the best way for smartphones, though I still use an iPhone 15 Pro Max as my main phone due to its software compatibility. But I'd really be keen to see how Apple could integrate AI into the iPhone 16.
Over to Barlow: "There is one area where Google and Apple have the chance to differentiate themselves however, and that’s with artificial intelligence. Google has beaten Apple to the punch by getting its AI assistant, called Gemini, to market first, but at the moment I’d describe the Gemini execution as somewhat clunky."
"So, it looks like Apple has a chance to use Apple Intelligence to better Gemini when it launches the iPhone 16 range," he added.
Now that I don't want to make this live blog the Graham Barlow show, but he's penned an article that's got 10 key phrases he reckons Apple will spout at the showcase. So do checkout the Apple event bingo.
I'd be prepared to hear the words AI and Apple Intelligence mentioned a lot. But also there'll surely be a vibe where Apple basically presents its showcase as if no other tech brands exist beyond those it deems worthy of as partners.
So here's an odd bit of news, albeit unofficial information: Apple might spring a macOS 15 Sequoia September surprise at today’s iPhone 16 event.
I'll pass over to Matt Hanson, Managing Editor of Core Tech to explain: "While macOS 15 Sequoia public beta has been available to download and test for a while now, the fact that Apple could announce a launch date at its Glowtime event is surprising for a number of reasons.
"For a start, the event is expected to focus primarily on the new iPhones, arguably Apple’s most important products, so I wouldn’t usually think that Apple would want to spend much time (if any) talking about operating systems for non-iPhone devices."
"However, MacRumors claims to have seen Apple documentation that macOS 15 Sequoia will get a full public release by the middle of September, and if this proves correct, the publication notes that this would be the earlier macOS release since Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, which launched at the end of July back in 2012."
Definitely worthy of an eyebrow raise in my humble opinion.
If you're wondering whether this September is a good time to upgrade your iPhone, well we have a guide on the iPhone Upgrade Program.
And to top that off, Editor-at Large Lance Ulanoff has rattled his brain to ponder whether Apple Intelligence a good reason to upgrade to an iPhone 16. I'd not know how to answer that one myself... maybe...
Ok, I think it's time for me to hand over to our tame Senior US Phones Editor Philip Berne. He'll take you through the next few hours ahead of the Apple Glowtime event and then into the event itself.
Phil's written a heck of alot about phones so knows what he's talking about. So over to him...
The sun is up in Cupertino, CA, and we have editors on the scene and following live. I'm Phil Berne, your phone reviews editor in New York, taking over for Roland in the UK. Our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff and our News Chief Jake Krol are live on the scene, and hopefully having coffee while we wait for the doors to open.
Up top you can see the scene from 10 years ago, as our own Lance Ulanoff waited for doors to open on a possible Apple Watch launch. Will we get an anniversary model today? I'm a big fan of the "10 Year" brand, but it's been a long time since Apple celebrated a birthday device.
This 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch has me thinking about the greatest Anniversary computer of all time, the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh. Basically a PowerBook laptop stuck into a fancy, upright frame, this Mac had a leather keyboard, a Bose subwoofer, and a price tag that was 20 times higher than it should have been.
Will we get a refined Apple Watch, maybe a new gold model or a unique Hermes collaboration to mark the anniversary? Or will it just be the Apple Watch 10? We'll know in less than three hours.
What has me most excited today? That's easy. It's a button. One button. One new button, probably on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max phones, but possibly on other new iPhone models as well. It's a new camera button, with a two-stage action. You press a little bit to focus, then squeeze it all the way to take a photo.
I love this! Every camera has this, for good reason. It makes photos look much more clear, because your hands shake less as you press the shutter. Hand shake is the biggest reason why photos are blurry - it's not the camera's fault! I'm really hoping for a new camera button from Apple because, let's face it, that means everybody else will copy the button within a couple of years.
You can already find this button on Sony Xperia phones, and it was a standard on the old Windows Phone devices. I first saw a phone with a two-stage camera button when I saw the Nokia N95, a year before the first iPhone was announced. Let's hope this button makes a comeback!
For the iPhone 16 and Glowtime product launch today, it looks like Apple will be opening a new part of its campus at Apple Park. There is an underground building apparently called The Observatory, and it may play host to our hands-on look at Apple's new gear.
The new structure was revealed on Threads by Apple's own Phil Schiller, who posted a link to DeZeen, the architectural firm who created The Observatory. We'll possibly know more later.
If you think today won't have any surprises, think again. I'm personally betting big on a new iPad mini, but I'll probably walk away disappointed. Still, there's a lot we don't know about today's big reveal, including answers to the following questions:
- Will the iPhone 16 support Apple Intelligence just like the iPhone 16 Pro?
- Which iPhone gets a new camera button?
- Can the AirPods Max finally use USB-C?
- What will the Apple Watch be called: Watch 10 or a Watch X? And will it take my blood pressure?
- Any chance for an iPhone Air this year?
Of course today isn't just about new hardware. If you have an older Apple product, today might be a great day for you as well. Apple is expected to announce the imminent availability of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and possibly even the launch of Mac OS 15 Sequoia. With Apple Intelligence acting as the thread that binds all of these new systems together, today could be an important launch day for Apple silicon.
We expect iOS 18 will launch a few days before the new iPhone hits store shelves. The other OS updates could come soon, but we're not expecting new hardware to accompany the launch today ... unless Apple delivers on the iPad mini I've been dreaming about! Not happening? We'll see.
We're all curious about what Apple is going to announce today, but the bigger question is 'will you upgrade?' When I tell people that Apple is launching a new iPhone today, the response I get is a resounding 'oh yeah, what's so new about it?!'
This year, there may be a lot of new on the iPhone 16, but will it be enough? We're expecting the Action Button to make its way to the affordable iPhone models, not just the Pro, just like the Dynamic Island found a home on the iPhone 15. We're also expecting Apple Intelligence on every iPhone, not just the Pro models. Maybe a camera button? I'd bet on that being a Pro-only feature, but I'm hoping everybody gets more buttons.
Do you need to upgrade your current iPhone? I suspect most people are holding the iPhone longer, and if you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, you're probably still happy with the phone you have. That battery is getting old, but you can just fix the battery on its own.
Still, its possible we'll see a deluge of iPhone upgrades this year. There has been a longer wait than usual, with the global pandemic and lack of significant innovation. It may be time for a huge swath of the iPhone crowd to ditch that phone. Let's see what Apple has to offer, in less than one hour from now...
Will we see new AirPods Max today? Rumors have been equivocal, first saying that we would only get a USB-C update to the existing AirPods Max over-ear headphones. As recently as yesterday, Apple leaker Mark Gurman claimed that we would get new low-end AirPods 4 and no big AirPods Max changes.
Today the plot has thickened. We're now hearing that AirPods Max 2 are on the way, with better active noise canceling technology. We're still hearing the big AirPods are going to be heavy and expensive, so no huge changes there. We'll know more in an hour or so, once the Glowtime event kicks off.
We're all distracted by Apple's new AI features, but don't take your eye off of Apple gaming. I'm expecting some gaming news today across all of Apple's platforms and devices, including the latest AirPods update. Our News Chief Jake Krol talked to Apple's gaming team recently, and they are enthusiastic about development on Apple silicon. Today would be a good time to launch new games.
We're about 30 minutes from the Glowtime event, and have we actually figured out what will glow? Will it be new iPhone displays? If we do get an iPhone Air, maybe with the same tandem-OLED style screen we saw on the iPad Pro, it could glow nicely to fit the theme.
Is it possible we'll just see all of Apple's kit get a glow up today? Does anybody still say glow up? Maybe Time Apple gives things a glow up all the time. Maybe we'll see the AirPods with a display on the case that glows. Maybe the new Apple Watch 10 will glow in ways we haven't imagined. We'll know in a half hour. Hold on tight, it's going to be a lot.
We're only minutes from the start of the event, and now is when we usually look for celebrities in the crowd. Come on, Apple, we saw Sydney Sweeney at the last Google Pixel 9 launch! Where are the famous folks!? Besides Lance Ulanoff, our own Editor-at-Large, and our News Chief Jake Krol, of course.
Let's go! You can head over to Apple.com to watch the live stream, or follow along here. I'm betting we'll start with Tim Cook telling us how successful Apple has been all year, and how much everybody loves the iPhone 15.
Tim Cook is live and says we're going to talk about Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone. Cook is standing in front of a huge rainbow at Apple Park. Maybe the old logo will return?
Cook has turned to Apple Intelligence, which launched in June. Cook says it will have an incredible impact. He says there will be news about Apple Watch and AirPods, and says the iPhone 16 has been designed from the ground up to use Apple Intelligence.
First comes Apple Watch
Tim Cook has announced the new Apple Watch, which Apple says comes in a totally new design. Don't worry, it's still a squircle, we're not going completely off the rails. It's Apple Watch Series 10, which Cook says has the Apple Watch's biggest display and thinnest design yet.
Now Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, is explaining what's new on the Watch Series 10. The new Apple Watch Series 10 has a display that is 40% brighter when viewed from an angle, with a new wide-angle OLED display, Apple's first.
There's a new color for the Apple Watch Series 10, a jet black that is Apple's first polished aluminum frame for the Watch. The new watch will also come in rose gold and silver aluminum. It's just 9.7mm thin, almost 10% thinner than Apple Watch Series 9.
The speaker on Apple Watch is 30% smaller, and you can now play media and podcasts directly through the speaker for the first time. It's great when you want to annoy everybody around you and you don't have your phone.
The Apple Watch Series 10 maintains 50M of water resistance, so you can shower or dive with your watch on. It can charge faster, up to 50% charged in only 8 minutes, which is a great boost and I'm not sure I can even shower that fast, so that's plenty fast.
There's also a grade 5 titanium case, a new polished titanium case. It comes in natural titanium, gold titanium, and slate grey, along with a new milanese loop. I'm guessing these will cost around ten thousand each, but we'll see pricing later. Apple also says the titanium Watch Series 10 is carbon neutral.
Inside the Apple Watch Series 10 is Apple's new S10 SIP platform, an Apple silicon chipset that handles motion sensing, along with all of the other sensors that Watch Series 10 uses. You can use the new Watch for talking on the phone, and it works better for canceling background noise.
There's an improved photo space and a better widget stack that adds widgets with some intelligence. There's also a new translate app for the Apple Watch, and I'll be curious to see that feature in action to see if it competes with Google's Live Translate that relies on Pixel phones.
Apple is now talking about new sleep features on the Apple Watch Series 10. As rumored, the Watch Series 10 will be able to detect sleep apnea, a first for Apple Watch. Apple says 80% of people who have sleep apnea are undiagnosed. It will look for breathing disturbances, and it will analyze your data every thirty days if it sees consistent signs of a sleep apnea issue.
Once you're awake, it's time to get wet! Apple has improved the Apple Watch Series 10 with a depth gauge and water temperature sensor. It can only detect up to 20 feet of water, so it won't work for SCUBA divers, but the Ultra is still good for that.
Apple is big on snorkeling and watersports this year. There is also a new Tides app for the phone, with data for coastlines around the world. You can even create plans for kayaking and canoes and other water route following activities.
We're wrapping up Watch Series 10 now. It starts at $399 and $499 here in the US, depending on cellular connectivity. No word on pricing for the titanium models, but if you have to ask...
Now its time for Apple Watch Ultra, which gets its own spokesperson! Apple says Ultra has the most accurate GPS in a sports watch. Let's see what's new.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is getting a new finish, and a new Hermes band, but no new hardware or features for Apple's big diving watch. It will benefit from WatchOS 11, of course, and it now comes in a new black titanium finish, with an ultra-styled milanese loop to match.
So we have Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 10, and the existing Apple Watch SE, and that's all for Watch announcements at Glowtime. Apple says all of the watches 'can' be carbon neutral, depending on the Watch you choose.
Now we're back to Tim Apple, and he's telling us how great the new AirPods are going to be. Every AirPod is new.
We're starting with the most affordable model, the AirPods 4. Kate Bergeron, Apple's VP of Hardware Engineering, is telling us more about the new buds.
The shape has changed on the AirPods 4 just a bit to be more comfortable. Inside is Apple's H2 audio chipset, which brings better audio quality with new speaker architecture. AirPods 4 will have spatial audio, as well, bringing the Pro feature to the masses.
You'll also be able to interact with gestures. You can respond to Siri by nodding or shaking your head, yes and no.
There's a new model of AirPods, between the Pro and the basic AirPods 4 model. The new AirPods have Active Noise Cancelation, unlike the AirPods 4. They will also offer transparency mode, which lets you hear while you listen, so you can avoid being hit by oncoming traffic. You also get conversation awareness.
These new models are called AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation, and they will also come with an improved case that has a speaker for better finding, and wireless charging built-in.
Now for new AirPods Max. New colors, and USB-C, but it looks like there are no other new changes for the AirPods Max. Sorry Mark Gurman, guess you were wrong about this one.
Apple says the AirPods Pro are the best selling headphones in the world. The AirPods Pro gets an update with new health capabilities. These seem to be based around hearing issues and environmental noise. It looks like the AirPods Pro will minimize exposure to excess noise, and give tips and feedbacks to keep your hearing healthy for longer.
The new AirPods Pro 2 will offer a hearing test to users, helping to diagnose hearing issues as they arise. Actually, diagnose may be too strong, as the AirPods will only map your hearing results over time, but you'll likely need a doctor to get real medical help.
Apple is adding a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature to AirPods Pro 2, which is a huge upgrade. A hearing aid is a highly-specialized device, and aids can often cost much more than standard earbuds. Combining this into one product could be a massive boon for users.
Apple has not been cleared by the US FDA and other agencies for its hearing test and hearing aid features, but it expects clearance in the fall. The AirPods Pro 2 will be available before those features are available. Pricing has not yet been announced for the second generation of AirPods Pro, but we'll have more soon.
Enough accessories, it's iPhone 16 time! Okay, first a quick mention of Apple Intelligence, but that's also iPhone! Since the latest iPhone has been designed 'from the ground up' for Apple Intelligence, according to Tim Cook. He's said this now a few times, so he must be serious.
Tim hands off the presentation to Kaiann Drance, Apple iPhone VP. There are new colors, including ultramarine, teal, and pink, with a new glass that looks a bit different than before. It has a glass-ceramic shield up front that Apple says is 2X tougher than glass found in any other smartphone. Those are fighting words!
The iPhone 16 will apparently use LTPO technology for a variable refresh rate, so hopefully it will get 120Hz refresh on the display, at long last. It gets the Action Button, just like the iPhone 15 Pro, as predicted.
And also the new Camera Control! Yay! The button of my dreams is ... wait, slide your finger? Is this a touch button? Hold on, we need to learn more.
We'll need a longer explanation about this new Camera Control button, but it doesn't look ... like ... a button? It looks like a touch sensor. Apple is skipping this for now to talk about the new Apple silicon inside the iPhone 16. Apple says it is jumping 2 generations ahead.
The iPhone 15 had the A16 Bionic. The iPhone 15 Pro has the A17 Pro. The iPhone 16 family will start with the Apple A18 chipset in the iPhone 16 base model phone. We'll have a total breakdown of all the cores and other technology in Apple's new processor.
We've learned a lot about the iPhone 16, but before we get into the new Pro phones, we're going to hear about Apple Intelligence. Apple's AI is going to learn from you and create models based on the information you keep on your devices. It will create language, images, and take actions on your behalf. All of this will happen on your iPhone in your pocket, until it doesn't. Then it will use Apple's Cloud Compute, a protected cloud processing service for its AI features.
Apple is talking about Genmoji and Image Playground, but we've heard that these Apple Intelligence features won't be available right away at launch. Apple isn't being entirely clear about which photos will be available and when.
Apple Intelligence will also be smarter about searching through your photos and videos. Apple says it will be able to jump to a specific moment in a video to find just the spot you were asking about. Once you've finished your photo search, Apple Intelligence will be able to make a video based on what you saw.
Now Apple is gleefully explaining how Apple Intelligence will read all of your email. Oh, and here comes the new Siri!
Siri is getting smarter. It will know all about you, and what you are doing with your iPhone. There are a lot of contextual ideas that are being added to Siri, so we'll have to experiment to see what it can really do well. But it looks like you'll be able to have a more natural conversation.
The first set of Apple Intelligence features will roll out next month in US English, then localized English for other regions in December. It will be free ... take note, Google! More will come in the months ahead, but this is going to roll out slowly, over time.
Now here's a feature that is coming just to iPhone 16. Visual intelligence, and the new Camera Control button. You just click and hold the camera and point your iPhone. It looks to use a multimodal AI to view your new photo and give you search results and other information with what you see.
So it looks like Camera Control will be your primary AI button. Has Apple just added a Bixby button to the iPhone 16? At least it's a bit farther down, so you won't accidentally hit it.
Camera control also helps the camera ... whould'a thunk it? Will it be a two-stage button, like I'm asking for? It's flush to the surface and covered by a sapphire crystal. Click once and it opens the camera, and then again to take a photo.
It looks like it will provide feedback and act as a button, but it won't actually move, as far as we can see. It will understand a light press, which gives you a clean preview with focus. This is great! Hopefully this works as well or better than a two-stage button. You can do more than just press. You can slide to choose different controls, like aperture-style depth-of-field controls.
Wow, this is much better than I was even hoping! And it's coming to iPhone 16, not just the Pro models. Great move, Apple, this is the most exciting hardware development I've seen in years.
We're hearing about the new cameras on the iPhone 16. The new iPhone gets a 48MP main camera and a 12MP 2X zoom camera, and the two lenses will work together for macro features and other combination concepts, like spatial photos. If you eventually invest in an Apple Vision Pro, now your basic iPhone 16 will take photos that look more lifelike and spatial.
The Photos app gets an expected redesign in iOS 18, with more help from Apple Intelligence. You'll be able to organize and rearrange your albums to find things easier. You'll also get the new Apple Intelligence clean-up features that gives your photos a quick AI touch-up.
We're also hearing about performance from the Apple A18 chipset that will power the Apple iPhone 16. It will run many of the same desktop-class games as the iPhone 15 Pro, with tons of new graphics and physics gaming features. If you want to play Death Stranding again (or for the first time!) you can do that on the new iPhone 16, apparently.
You'll also get a big boost in battery life thanks to the new Apple Silicon. We'll have to test that claim in our Future Labs, but we're excited to see how long this phone will last.
We're wrapping up the iPhone 16, and this is an exciting update for Apple's base model. It leaves me wondering what Apple might have left in the tank for the iPhone 16 Pro? All of this but ... better? More? Faster? Will there be any new Pro features that aren't on the basic iPhone, or is Apple going to save me a bunch of money this year? We'll know in moments.
Oh yeah, and Macro photography is about to get a big glow up, if the kids still say that. A rizz up, maybe. It's getting better. The iPhone 16 marketing has tons of close up photos of praying mantis and other tiny things. I'm excited to take it out for a test drive.
It looks like the iPhone 16 won't get a price increase in the US at least, and Apple is cheekily making clear that the iPhone holds its value better than other phones, so get those trade-ins ready.
Now we're back to Tim on the lawn, so it's time to talk about the iPhone 16 Pro, which Tim Cook says contain Apple's most advance technology and breakthrough innovation. Let's see the new design. Bring on that brown!
Apple starts the iPhone 16 Pro with a direct dig at Samsung, saying its new titanium is stronger than the titanium that other companies use ... so, just Samsung then? It maximizes thermal blah blah, and I'm sure they'll mention the vapor chamber, because vapor chambers are all the rage this year.
Larger batteries, advanced power management, and the best iPhone battery life ever mark the opening highlights of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Now we're going to talk about AI, but I'm glad we're talking battery. We've seen the new color a bit, but Apple hasn't talked about it yet.
The iPhone 16 Pro will have an Apple A18 Pro inside, more Pro than the A18 in the iPhone 16. It will have new 3nm transistors inside, the smallest process used to create a mobile chipset. It has a 16-core NPU for AI features, of course, and increased memory bandwidth. Apple rarely talks in detail about RAM and memory, so this is all because of AI concerns.
Now we're diving deep into the Apple A18 Pro processor, which is better for everything. Better AI, by far; better graphics for games and such; and better camera image processing. Apple doesn't talk about modem performance much, but I'm also curious about the networking capabilities of Apple's new platform.
The camera will use a 48MP sensor, but don't get upset if you were hoping for a big 200MP resolution to compete with Samsung. Resolution doesn't really matter, it's the size of the sensor that counts. We'll have to wait for a teardown to see how big Apple's sensor might be.
All three cameras are new, Apple says, and you can use the new Camera Control button to swap between the three cameras, effectively making it a zoom button. You can also use it for more fine controls.
Apple says the two-stage shutter is coming later this year in an update. Wait, what? That's disappointing, and makes me wonder if the Camera Control button itself wasn't a late addition. Might this have been an AI button that became a shutter button late in the game? I suspect we'll never know, but this is a big disappointment for early buyers who have to wait.
The new iPhone 16 Pro will be able to shoot slow-motion in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second resolution. Apple says it can even grade color in Dolby Vision at this framerate (take that Samsung, you Dolby Vision haters). You can even adjust the playback speed later if you record at the highest quality.
With the new Camera Control you can switch to the new quality and resolution levels quickly. There are also new grid guides that adhere to modern preferences for social media videos, like giving room for captions and titles on a TikTok video.
Now we're hearing about improvements to the microphones and video recording, and Apple certainly knows its Pro iPhone is considered the gold standard for mobile video options. While the Pixel 9 gets AI video boost, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max is considered the best video camera phone by far, and the latest iPhone 16 Pro will get even more robust audio monitoring and mastering options.
There will also be new recording options in Voice Notes, letting you record your voice on top of an existing song or recording, then remove that recording later. This is the sort of feature you'd need a professional app to handle, and Apple says this is a first built into a phone.
Frankly, Apple is just going on and on about camera filters, so I'm going to watch the music video and let them talk. Okay, we're done? Done.
Now it's time for new MagSafe accessories. There is a new case that will let you use the Camera Controls button through the case.
Oh no, that means this is going to be a big problem for case makers. I'll bet none of the big iPhone case makers were ready for the camera button. This could be a potential disaster.
That's all for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple has confirmed that 5X telephoto zoom will be available on both the Pro and Pro Max models, following Google's lead with the Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. You won't need to pay more for better cameras.
We'll have to dive deeper to see what the differences might be for the Pro Max model, but it looks like the Pro Max will start with 256GB of storage, vs. 128GB on the iPhone 16 Pro. Will there be other hardware differences? We'll find out soon.
And that's all for now! Our editors on the scene have a full day of meetings planned with Apple representatives to check out the new products and dive in deep with questions and concerns. We'll get hands-on, wrists-on, and even ears-on with everything, all the new stuff. In the meantime, check out all the news here on TechRadar for the specs and facts we learned from the source.
It's an exciting day for Apple, with some of the biggest updates I've seen for the iPhone in years! The iPhone 16 gets two new buttons! Every iPhone gets new AI ... eventually. In fact, there's more eventually this time than we've seen in years, so we'll also get to the bottom of that. I'm in no rush, I'd rather have great than soon.
Now that the event is over, let's let the news sink in for a moment and consider the most important product of all: new AirPods! Sure, the iPhone 16 looks fascinating, with its Camera Control button and Action Button making it more Pro than ever before. Plus, the Apple Watch Series 10 should be more comfortable, and that titanium model makes me swoon. But let's be real, the product that most people can afford? AirPods 4.
That's what makes the new AirPods so intriguing. We get Spatial Audio on every AirPod, which means this feature should expand in a big way. I'd love to see more games and videos take advantage for iPhone fans. I also love seeing an in-between option with Noise Cancelation. I use ANC every time I take the train to work and I arrive much less fatigued. I want this feature for everybody!
We'll have to spend more time with the AirPods 4 to see if they really are more comfortable, and maybe pass them around for a variety of ears to try.
Were the rumors correct? That's the biggest question following an Apple launch event, since rumors play such a big part in the anticipation game.
The last rumor we heard suggested new AirPods Max 2, but unfortunately all we got were new AirPods Max colors, and finally an update to USB-C. That's kind of a big deal, since the AirPods Max were one of the last lingering products to rely on Apple's old Lightning connector.
We'd gotten a hint that the iPhone 16 would not get the camera button, and it might be a feature left to the Pro phones. In fact, every new iPhone gets the Camera Control button, not just the iPhone 16 Pro.
There were early complaints about a new iPhone 16 Pro color option, a supposed brown phone that failed to materialize. We're getting hands-on with the new colors now, so we'll see if the latest titanium build feels stronger and looks nicer than what we've seen before.
What was today's event missing? There were quite a few products that we expected to see that never appeared, and a few hopefuls that were long-shot entries that also never materialized. Starting with the AirPods Max 2 headphones, we only got color and USB-C updates, not a whole new set of cans to wear.
We did not get a new Apple Watch Ultra 3. The Ultra 2 now comes in a new titanium black color, and there's a matching band from Apple, but we did not get an entirely new Watch in the Ultra flavor. We did get a big update for the Apple Watch Series 10, but it can't compete with Apple's big Watch if you need serious endurance and maybe a SCUBA diving computer built in.
We did not get an iPad mini, though maybe I was the only person who really thought that could be one more thing? We also didn't get an iPhone Air, though rumors of a super-thin iPhone flared up and cooled off very quickly earlier this year, with nothing persistent. I think a slim iPhone is possible, once the super-thin iPad Pro is more established.
We did not get any news on MacOS 15 Sequoia, though that makes sense at an iPhone launch event. We'll hear more about it in the months ahead, I'm sure. We also did not get a firm launch date for many of the Apple Intelligence AI features coming to iOS and iPadOS. We heard of features coming in October, like the AI image generator tools, and features coming later this year, like the two-stage camera button feature.
In the moments after Apple's big Glowtime event, one of the features people are talking about most is the Hearing Aid capability coming to the AirPods Pro 2. Apple says it expects full clearance to offer this feature, but I don't suspect the AirPods Pro are going to replace hearing aids any time soon.
First of all, most hearing aid devices are small and inconspicuous. AirPods Pro tend to stand out by design. Apple wants those shiny white earbuds to be seen by others.
Second, what sort of battery life will AirPods Pro hearing aids get? Because real hearing aids offer days of battery life, but I've never used earbuds that last as long. We'll see if there is a special mode that lets you conserve power when you use the AirPods Pro for hearing.
What's important is that all AirPods Pro 2 users will benefit from improved voice recognition and sound quality that Hearing Aid certification requires. It will be interesting to give this feature a try.
