Apple Event — September 2022

Apple’s Fall Event Highlights: iPhone 14 Lineup, 2^nd Gen AirPods Pro, Apple Watch Series 8 & ‘surprise’ Ultra.

[Apple Event — September 2022]

 

Apple’s fall event highlights their most popular devices, including the new 4-device iPhone lineup, AirPods and Apple Watch. This year, the product lineup was pretty much the same but with a few swaps & upgrades.

Along with the regular, pro, and pro max models, Apple launched a plus-sized base model, replacing the usual mini iPhone that has been the norm for the last few years. The new iPhone lineup is now 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch 14 Plus, and their respective pro models, iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max.

Design-wise, the new lineup is pretty much the same as last’s year iPhone 13 series. The regular iPhone 14 still has a slab-like body with aerospace grade Aluminium for the frame and ceramic shield protection. However, the internals has been tweaked for better thermal design, and the screen is now a brighter XDR display.

As for the camera, the main rear one is still 12 MP but with a better focal length and a Photonic engine, which allows more light to enter the sensor. This Photonic engine, combined with Apple’s Deep Fusion technology, helps the newer lineup to take better photos, especially in low light conditions.

On the front, a new true depth camera is added for better portrait shots and Apple’s exclusive features like ear mapping for Personalized Spatial Audio profiling.

Video performance has been further improved with the new Action Mode that stabilizes moving or running shots, making the already best smartphone videography experience even better.

But the biggest upgrade to this year’s lineup has been made keeping iPhone users’ safety and well-being in mind, which is something yet to be seen in Android devices. The new safety additions are Crash Detection and Emergency SOS with Satellite.

For the former, Apple had improved their gyroscope on the iPhones and uses the pressure-sensitive sensor’s input as well as decibel readings from the microphone to determine whether the user has been in a car accident. Using the readings from these sensors and other components, iPhone allows users to call for help with just one click and sends messages to authorities as well as alerts the emergency contacts on the phone.

For situations where the user might be stranded or stuck somewhere with no cell reception, Apple has introduced Satellite-based Emergency SOS, which uses satellites to alert the authorities about the user’s whereabouts, ensuring a rescue is prompted.

The new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus has all these features of the iPhone 14 but with a better screen and bigger battery. Since 14 Plus runs on the same energy-efficient processor and hardware as the regular 14, the bigger battery improves the user experience significantly, making it the battery champion of the new line-up.

As for the performance, the new 14 and 14 Plus models both have A15 Bionic with a 5-core GPU. On paper, it is still significantly better than previous generations. But the real performance leap can be seen in the new Pro and Pro Max model.

The new 6.1-inch iPhone Pro and 6.7-inch Pro Max have Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip that is far superior in power management and performance compared to their android counterparts. Besides, both models have a 2000 nits bright ProDisplay XDR-level screen, which is the brightest in any smartphone to date.

One of Android’s most beloved features has also made its way into the pro-level lineup. Despite being the brightest screen in the smartphone space, the display can dim down and drop to a 1 Hz refresh rate for an Always On Display on iOS 16.

Along with all the new features coming to 14 and 14 Plus, the camera setup on the Pro models has also improved significantly. The long-reigning 12 MP rear camera is now overthrown by a much better and higher quality 48 MP sensor, and a new 2x Telephoto option is added to the camera app, giving users more options to take quality photos in both studio environments and low lights conditions, thanks to the new Photonic Engine.

The new camera setup also allows ProRAW at 48 MP, giving professionals more control and detail over the captures. For avid users, the camera bump has a new adaptive flash, which is much brighter and more dynamic to suit the environment.

iPhone Pro’s signature cinematic videography also improved. Now, 4K videos can be recorded at 30 frames per second, which was 24 in last-gen models.

But the biggest and most noticeable change on these two pro upgrades this year is the introduction of Dynamic Island which turns the shrunk notch into an adaptive, live, and dynamic hub for various animation and useful indicators. Subtle notifications of Bluetooth connection, timer, music, etc. will now pop from the notch, making the notch feel more than just a cutout from the screen and part of the screen itself.

As for the phone’s exterior, the frame is made of super durable and scratch-proof surgical-grade stainless steel, and the display is protected by a ceramic shield. Another major physical change coming to all iPhone 14 series devices is the absence of a physical SIM tray in the US variants. This is an obvious move since carriers all worldwide are committing to eco-friendly eSIMs. However, iPhone 14 series phones outside the US will have both physical and eSIM support.

Other than that, the look and feel of the new iPhone 14 lineup is pretty much the same as last year. In fact, without the smaller notch and color choices, there is no discernible way to differentiate this year’s 14 series from last year’s 13.

Even though the new iPhones didn’t have any significant physical changes, the new AirPods Pro that they announced certainly has some major upgrades on the outside.

The 2^nd generation of AirPods Pro pretty much has the same physical dimension as last year, but with a new speaker system added to the case. This small speaker chimes when triggered through the Find My app on the iPhone so that users can easily find it when misplaced. Also, the left and right AirPod can now be traced separately, making it easier to locate them when only one of them is lost.

The cover also has a lanyard loop to tag the AirPods along. The charging conditions also improved, as the AirPods Pro 2^nd Gen can now be charged using an Apple Watch charger or any MagSafe or Qi-compatible charger.

The individual AirPods design has also changed. The air vents are now in a different position, and the stem is now touch-sensitive, allowing volume control straight from the AirPods.

On the performance side of things, the new H2 chip allows better power management, extending the listening time to 6 hours and 30 hours with the charging case. The new low-distortion audio driver and the custom amplifier enhance the output to make it seem more natural.

AirPods Pro’s USP, Active Noise Cancellation, has also improved. The new chip, driver, and optimization now allow 2 times more noise cancellation. Transparency mode also brought a significant improvement that tunes out the high decibel noise of construction or traffic while allowing conversation and other important sounds to slide inside.

All these, along with the Personalized Spatial Audio profile using iPhone 14, make the listening experience with Apple’s unanimously loved AirPods more coherent and natural.

Next to the iPhone and AirPods, their smartwatch is perhaps the most popular and loved device across the tech space, which also got an upgrade in the form of the new Apple Watch Series 8 in September’s Fall event.

Along with the Sleep Cycle, Menstruation tracking, ECG, blood oxygen, and heart rate monitor, the new series 8 watch includes a temperature sensor exclusively to identify if a female user is ovulating or not.

iPhone 14’s Crash Detection has also made its way into the new Apple Watch. International roaming is also added to the watches with cellular connectivity. They also introduced a new low-power mode for the watches that can stretch the all-day 18-hour battery into a 36-hour battery with basic essentials.

Some of these improvements, like Crash Detection, have also made it to the budget SE models along with watchOS 9.

But the biggest surprise from the event came in the form of a Pro version of the Apple Watch, which they are calling Apple Watch Ultra. Along with all the new features of the Series 8 Watch, the Ultra has a bigger 36-hour battery that can be extended to 60 hours in low-power mode.

Apple Watch Ultra is clearly targeted toward athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who need a rugged and reliable smartwatch. And the Ultra is exactly that.

It has an Aerospace titanium body with a flat sapphire display glass that protects the screen. The Internals can sustain even the toughest environment on the planet. Be it freezing cold or the scorching heat of the desert, the Watch Ultra will keep tru.

Besides the tough frame and screen protection, the watch has a customizable Action button on the left side that can be programmed for a number of things athletes and professionals could use.

For a more accurate reading during outdoor workouts, it has both L1 and L5 GPS. This dual-frequency GPS helps with trailing and hiking along with the waypoint marking on the maps, allowing users to trace their way back when there is no cell connectivity. Apple is calling it Wayfinder, and together with the new built-in 86-decibel siren to alert others nearby, Apple has ensured Ultra users have no problem finding their way back.

All these, accompanied by the three new bands, Alpine Loops for explorers, Ocean Bank for divers, and Trail Loop for endurance athletes, make Apple Watch Ultra a perfect company for casual outdoor activists and competitive athletes.