Team ReadMe
There might be no Macbook announcements from Apple for a while, but the much-anticipated iPhone 14 is finally hitting the shelves. The latest entry in Apple’s flagship product lineup was unveiled at the recently concluded “Far Out” event, hosted at the company’s iconic Steve Jobs Theater. Expectations were already set when Apple announced the September event. Now, the company has finally made things official, along with the brand new Apple Watch Series 8 and the 2nd gen Airpods Pro.
The iPhone 14 and the 14 Plus
The new iPhone will now ship with a 6.1-inch display while the iPhone 14 Plus will have a 6.7-inch display. Under the hood, both phones will house an A15 chip, the same as the iPhone 13. The camera, however, has gotten an upgrade. The main camera’s sensor is now bigger with an f/1.5 aperture, while it sports the same size two 12MP lenses. Video also gets an update, with notably better stabilization thanks to the new action mode.
One interesting addition to the iPhone 14 is the Emergency SOS via satellite feature. As the name suggests, iPhone users will be able to make emergency contacts via satellite. When activated, the phone will guide the users to track and point the devices at the satellite and send out pre-determined messages. As of now, the service will be made available free of charge for two years with the iPhone 14 model. The feature comes as a useful add-on, particularly when roaming in areas with restricted cell coverage. Emergency SOS will be first available to US and Canada markets.
Apple is also seemingly trying to get its userbase onto eSIMs as the company announced its latest iteration of iPhones in the US will no longer have a SIM tray, but will only support eSIMs. It’s unclear if this will be the case for other markets in the future.
The iPhone 14 will be priced at USD 799 and the Plus version will be at USD 899. Also, that’s roughly LKR 285,100 and LKR 320,786 respectively, for those who were wondering.
iPhone 14 Pro: New notch who dis?
While the new iPhone feels like a minor update to its previous entry, the iPhone 14 Pro will come with some new features. For starters, Apple is finally bringing an Always-on display to iPhones with the new Pro. The camera is an improved 48MP lens that’s capable of shooting in ProRAW, powered by a more powerful A16 bionic chip on the inside. There’s also improvement added to low-light photography thanks to a quad-pixel sensor with a 24mm focal length and f/1.78 aperture.
Videography isn’t left out either as the new cinema mode shoots in 4K 30fps and 4K 24fps.
But perhaps the most notable announcement is what Apple calls, “Dynamic Island.” The iPhone 14 Pro will ditch the existing notch for a pill-shaped cutout. Taking things a bit further, that company has integrated the notifications in a way that it will utilize the real estate on the top.
The iPhone 14 Pro (6.1″) will have a USD 999 price tag and the iPhone 14 Pro Max (6.7″) at USD 1,099. In the Lankan context, that would be roughly LKR 356,469 and LKR 392,151 respectively.
The Apple Watch Series 8
Much like the iPhone Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 8 will also come with an always-on display. Additionally, these watches will be swim-proof, dustproof, and crack-resistant. But more importantly, the Series 8 will include a new temperature sensor that offers better insights into health-related data like cycle tracking.
The two sensors on the Series 8, the watch will check user temperature at the wrist every five seconds overnight. This means that the Apple Watch Series 8 could offer users better data with regard to ovulation. Additionally, users on iOS 16 and Watch OS 9 can now be notified of possible cycle deviation.
The tech giant also notes that users’ cycle tracking data is encrypted on the device and is only accessible via passcode, TouchID, or FaceID. Furthermore, the default two-factor settings would mean that the iCloud-synced health app data is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE). So Apple can neither decrypt or read your data in that regard.
The new Watch Series is getting a crash detection feature too. The Watch can detect if you’ve been in a car crash and can immediately contact authorities if needed. Customary “Android had it first” reminder, Pixel phones have offered a similar feature for years.
Another update is the low power mode which disables certain features like the always-on display to save battery. But the low power mode will be coming for watches Series 4 and up overall.
The pricing for the GPS Apple Series 8 model will be USD 399 GPS and the cellular version at USD 499.
Apple Watch SE 2022 and the Watch Ultra
Those looking for a cheaper option will be happy to know that the Apple Watch SE is also getting an update. The new Watch SE will feature the same processor as the Series 8 as well as the crash detection feature. However, it won’t have the new temperature sensor. Pricing will be at USD 249 for the GPS model and USD 299 for cellular.
The Apple Watch Ultra is a more rugged edition of the Series 8 with a larger 49mm titanium case and an action button that lets you transition between sports. The Apple Watch Ultra is targeting Rock climbers, hikers, runners, and other athletes with this premium offering. Its even EN 13319 certified, meaning the Watch Ultra will appeal to recreational SCUBA divers as well.
The Watch Ultra provides up to 36 hours of battery life with an upcoming software optimization that will nudge this up to 60 hours.
All models have cellular built-in and will carry a USD 799 price tag.
Airpods Pro goes more pro
The second-gen Airpods Pro is embedded with the new H2 chip and will come with better noise cancellation, at least twice as much according to Apple. Further, these will also be equipped with a personalized spatial audio profile via iOS 16. There’s also a new low distortion driver and enhanced adaptive transparency onboard.
Another addition to the popular earbuds is the touch-capacitive swipe gestures. With this, you can change the volume with a simple swipe.
As per the company, the new Airpods Pro will offer up to six hours of listening time on a single charge and up to 30 hours with the charging case.
The Airpods Pro 2nd gen will be priced at USD 249.
Coming soon to an Apple distributor near you
Many of the announced products like the iPhone 14, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, Watch Series 8, and the new Watch SE will hit the shelves on 16 September. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Ultra and the new Airpods Pro will be available for regular purchase on 23 September, followed by the iPhone 14 on 7 October.
However, it’s currently unclear what the availability will be like in Sri Lanka, considering the recent import ban. Though, we’ll likely see the situation in the coming days. We will be sure to update the article accordingly.
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