Everything Apple Announced Today: iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, New AirPods

It’s Apple day, and the company’s Glowtime event has just dimmed its lights. A bunch of new hardware was announced today: a line of new iPhones, a new Apple Watch and some enhancements to the current models, and some fresh AirPods with new features. There was also more talk about the company’s upcoming Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS 18.

Here’s everything Apple showed off today.

The iPhone 16 Gets New Buttons, Larger Sizes

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The new iPhone 16 has the Action Button (on the left) and a new Camera Control button (right).

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The iPhone 16 isn’t going to feel dramatically different from last year’s models. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus now have a vertically aligned camera module (as opposed to a diagonal), and they now feature Apple’s Action Button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. This button replaces the long-lived Mute switch, and while you can program the customizable Action Button to replicate that functionality, you can (more helpfully) configure the button to execute various tasks, like toggling on a flashlight or launching the camera.

The new Camera Control button is sensitive to touch and pressure, offering granular control over your camera’s behavior.

Courtesy of Apple

Also new to all the iPhone 16 models is a Camera Control button. Much like the shutter button on a full-size camera, it reacts to different levels of pressure. A light press will track focus on the iPhone 16 Pro models, or you can slide your finger to swipe through zoom levels. A harder press will snap a photo, and a longer press will take a video.

As for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models, they’re slightly bigger! Apple has shaved down the bezels around the display to enable larger screens: 6.3 and 6.9 inches (up from 6.1 and 6.7). There are a host of other small upgrades to these phones, including the fact that the 5X optical zoom is now available in the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. You can read more about the iPhone 16 range in our detailed overview of these new iPhones.

Preorders start September 13. The iPhone 16 is $799, the iPhone 16 Plus is $899, the iPhone 16 Pro is $999, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1,199. They all go on sale September 20. —Julian Chokkattu

A Whole New Look to the Apple Watch

The new Apple Watch 10 showcased during the Fall Apple Event on September 9, 2024, in Cupertino, California.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

The new Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a soft black finish and a matching metal watch strap with a secure locking clasp.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

This is the 10th anniversary of the original Apple Watch, and in celebration of this landmark event, Apple has redesigned the newest addition to the lineup, the Watch Series 10. First off, it’s much lighter and thinner than its predecessor, the Series 9. It has the biggest display ever on an Apple Watch, with 30 percent more screen area that makes its display even bigger than the huge Apple Watch Ultra series. This new display has edges that are more rounded, and a wider-angle OLED display so it can be seen better when you’re not looking straight at the screen.

The new watch is available in a positively mouthwatering sleek jet black version that has been polished with silicon nanoparticles, making it reflective. Among other rejiggerings to make it thinner, the speaker system has been redesigned so that you can play podcasts directly through the Apple Watch’s speakers. There’s also a more efficient charging coil that helps the watch charge up to reach 80 percent battery in 30 minutes. (No word on how much better the battery life is, if at all.)