By: Nick Gambino
As expected, Apple announced the new iPhone 15, Watch Series 9 and AirPods Pro at their Wonderlust event on Tuesday.
While the iPhone 15 isn’t a complete redesign like the iPhone X was, it’s still a significant upgrade and may be worth it for those looking to drop a grand on a new phone. Right off the bat, the biggest change to this year’s iPhone is the inclusion of the USB-C port for charging and connectivity, doing away with the long-standing lightning port.
USB-C is generally considered to be superior to the lightning, but that’s not necessarily why Apple adopted it. They were essentially forced to in order to comply with a new law in Europe that states all mobile devices need to use USB-C by 2024. Seeing as the iPad, Macbook and other devices already use USB-C, this allows us to return to a single cable for all our devices. So it’s better even if the transition is slightly irritating.
The iPhone 15 is keeping the Dynamic Island but taking it up a notch (pun) by adding the interactive bubble to all of the phones, not just the iPhone 15 Pro. The Dynamic Island was introduced last year in the iPhone 14 Pro. The main camera is getting an upgrade from 12MP in the iPhone 14 to 48MP in the iPhone 15.
The 15 Pro phones now have a titanium body and thinner bezels, but the main difference you’ll notice is the missing mute button. This little guy has been replaced by an Action button that allows you to not only mute but perform a bunch of programmable commands. You can pull up your camera, turn on the flashlight, open your notes, make a voice memo and a lot more right from the new Action button.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 15 will start at $799 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus will start at $899. The same sized 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will start at $999 and $1,199 respectively. They will each be available in 5 different colors.
In addition to phones, Apple unveiled the new Watch Series 9. It includes a Double Tap feature that lets you engage with your watch without touching the screen. For example, if you double tap your index finger and thumb together you can answer a call. That amazing feature will be available in a software update in October. Something tells me that little feature may be the future of smart devices. Bookmarking this to look back in 10 years.
The Watch Series 9 now includes on-screen Siri Processing which is another move toward making the watch operate independent from your iPhone. The Watch will start at $399.
They also announced changes to the AirPods Pro 2 that came out last year. These changes essentially create a next-gen AirPods Pro, but they’re not marketing it that way. Charging cases will now come with a USB-C port that allows you to charge your case with your iPhone. The port and the earbuds are now dust resistant as well. If you pair the second-gen AirPods Pro with the upcoming Vision Pro headset you’ll experience lossless audio. So despite how Apple is marketing it, we’re just calling them new AirPods Pro.
