Apple goes official with iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro series , new Apple Watch Ultra and Watch 8, SE and AirPods Pro 2

Its that time of year when the whole world goes crazy for iPhones. This year , Apple has once again released their successor to last year's iPhone 13 lineup with the announcement of the new iPhone 14 series which now includes substantial differences which will separate the Pro lineup from the regular iPhone lineup. Here is everything Apple launched a few hours ago.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

Out with the iPhone "mini" and in with the plus. Apple has officially killed off the iPhone mini lineup which in its place now sits the regular iPhone 14. But the missing gap has now been replaced by Apple's large - iPhone 14 Plus. 

The devices - apart from battery and display changes are virtually identical. At first glance, the device continues last year's iPhone design layout and so you still get the notch and camera layout as well as everything else including the IP68 dust and water resistance as well as the glass sandwich design. Powering the device like last year is Apple's A15 bionic Soc. This chipset was a top dog processor in 2021 and this year it has possibly received some enhancements/overclocking and comes with 4GB of RAM. Storage options are also similar with 128/256 or 512GB available on both versions. 

Cameras on the phones have received a bump with the main 12MP sensor being slightly larger at 1.9MU and has a better aperture at f1.5 over the f1.6 of the previous model which has a 1.7 MU size images are also said to be enhanced with Apple's Photonic engine. The 13mm 120 degree ultra wide sensor remains the same as last year and so does the 12MP front facing camera and the rest of the FaceID tech under the notch but it now has front autofocus.  On the display side, the larger plus model gets a 1284x2778 resolution 6.7" XDR capable OLED display while the smaller model keeps the 6.1" 1170x2532 resolution OLED panel found on the regular iPhone 13. Both displays have oleophobic coatings and are protected by Gorilla glass.

On other improvements, Apple has included a satellite based Emergency SOS feature which lets you send emergency messages and geotrack you via satellite in situations where cellular reception is not available. Likewise Apple has also included a new system where it could detect a road accident and dial emergency services.  Pricing for the models start at $799 for the iPhone 14 and $899 for the Plus and pre orders start on the 9th of September with the U.S versions opting for an E-Sim instead of a physical one.

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Unlike last year, Apple has made significant efforts to distinguish between the two lineups and this year the gap is much wider thanks to a few new design elements as well as a bump in hardware. First of all, like the regular 14, these two models also come with the Satellite tracking and emergency features and will come with E-Sim for U.S customers. and the two models also share similar screen sizes at 6.1 and 6.7 on the pro max model. But this is where similarities end.

Under the hood, Apple has packed their new Apple A16 Bionic Soc which is built on a 4nm lithography process. You can expect this to decimate performance charts for a while with its 6 core design with 2 high power cores and 4 high efficiency cores, the model comes with 6GB of RAM and has 128/256/512 and a 1TB storage option. 

The displays on the Pro models bring a drastic change to the iPhone facade since the iPhone X as the notch has been replaced by a pill punch hole which now houses the FaceID scatter projector and the 12MP  front camera with improved autofocus. But the visibility of the notch has been hidden away and used as a plus point thanks to Apple's latest iOS 16 feature known as the dynamic island which allows Apple and third parties to create wrap around banners and notifications which work around the pill shape - allowing the user to quickly switch to the notification and interact with it without switching apps - for example a voice recording will continue on the background when using another app and by clicking the pill you can get options to control the voice recording - basically saves you time used to pull the notification shade. 

Other features include Always on display which dims the display and allows the 120hz panel to clock down to 1hz while keeping deep colors of the wallpaper. The display resolutions for the models include 2556x1179 for the Pro and 2796x1290 for the Pro Max - a slight bump in resolution. Both models are OLED panels with LTPO technology and are HDR10 compliant.

The camera specs on the new cameras are also quite significant and now puts Apple back in the megapixel wars thanks to the inclusion of a new 48MP main sensor which has 1.4 MU pixels vs the 1,9MU pixel size of the previous model allowing for sharper photos and better low light prowess thanks to an f1.9 aperture (Vs f2.2 of the 13 Pro series). the 12MP telephoto sensor keeps its 77mm equivalent distance but is now joined with a 2x button which allows you to zoom twice the distance as software reads an image off the 48mp main sensor and crops out a 12MP size area - basically digital zoom but done right. The 120 degree wide-angle lens is also revamped for the new model and so is the true-tone flash which now has 6 LEDs to compensate for which lens is used - allowing for better light scattering and of course, you still get LIDAR.

Pricing for the two new phones start at $999 for the Pro and $1099 for the Pro Max and will be available for pre-order on the 9th of September Apple has also included a new color - deep purple.

Apple Watch Ultra, Watch Series 8 and Watch SE.

Apple's new Watch Ultra line focus on those who love adventure sports and lead a very athletic lifestyle. The new watch is designed with function over form and thus has a protruding button which can be mapped for different features as well as strap bars for different styles of fabric type straps. The watch also has support for GPS L1 and L5 band and has plethora of apps such as compass altimeter and other essential survival tools and the display is capable of delivering 2000 nits of brightness. The watch series is MIL-STD 810G certified and can survive in -20C and is capable of surviving 40m below water and is certified for diving. Of course you do get the typical Apple Watch features such as ECG, blood oxygen - accident detection features as well. Pricing is said to be $799.

The next lineup are the new Series 8 watches - Apple Watch Series 8 , Watch Series 8 Hermes and Apple Watch Series 8 Nike edition All three watches are built on the same architecture and thus have 1.9" OLED displays with Always on tech. Apple S8 Soc's a series of sensors to gather vitals including heart rate, oxygen , atmospheric readings and now a temperature sensor to warn of illnesses and reoccurring health cycles. 

The Series 8 offers a variety of strap and color options while the Hermes edition as the name suggests is dedicated at high end markets with craftsmen designed straps and designs 

Nike edition is the sports edition with rubber straps and a more lighter pallet of colors. Prices start at $399 fir the series 8.

Apple also debuted their new Apple Watch SE. The new watch is built upon the chassis of the Series 8, but lacks some features such as the temperature sensor and other parameters and is offered at a lower $249.

Apple also announced their Apple AirPods Pro 2 series of True wireless earbuds powered by the new H2. chip which delivers improved audio quality. The new series also has more size options for ear tips as well. The earbuds are also capable of running for 30 hours with a full charge with the case and the case is now capable of emitting bings for location and is Qi certified so you can charge it via any QI enabled charger of Apple's Watch MagSafe charger. Prices start at $249.

Source - Newsroom/Apple.