Apple launched its brand new iPhone 15 series and new Apple Watch series at its September 12 event in Cupertino, California. In case you missed our live blog, here’s a look at all the main products that were announced at the event. One of the main themes of the event was sustainability as Apple claimed it’s using even more recycled metals in its devices this year, and that some of its new smartwatches are now carbon neutral. The rumours were also right about the switch to USB Type-C. All of the new iPhones and the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) feature a USB Type-C connector. Here’s everything that Apple announced along with their prices in India.
Apple iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus: Features and price in India
The iPhone 15 starts at Rs. 79,900 while the iPhone 15 Plus starts at Rs. 89,900, both having 128GB of base storage. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus now start at Rs. 69,900 and Rs. 79,900 respectively. The iPhone 15 will be up for preorder from September 15 and will go on sale from September 22.
The new iPhone 15 series borrows some of the features from the iPhone 14 Pro series such as Dynamic Island, A16 Bionic processor, and the primary 48-megapixel camera. However, other pro features such as the 120Hz refresh rate and telephoto camera are still reserved for the Pro models. Apple claims the new iPhone 15 duo uses 75 percent recycled aluminium for the body and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. The new smartphones will be available in pink this time, in addition to more mellow shades of blue, yellow, green and black.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone Pro Max: Features and price in India
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max get some notable upgrades this year, and differ when it comes to their respective telephoto cameras. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at Rs. 1,34,900 for 128GB of storage, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at Rs. 1,59,900 for 256GB of storage. It’s worth noting that the iPhone 14 Pro series has been officially discontinued, although you’ll still be able to buy it via Apple’s resellers. Apple has ditched the gold colour for the 15 Pro models for a “natural” shade, along with blue, white and black. The iPhone 15 Pro will be up for preorder from September 15 and will go on sale from September 22.
The big design change for the iPhone 15 Pro models is the switch to titanium for the frame, instead of stainless steel. Apple says it has used Grade 5 titanium which is supposed to be lighter and stronger than the 14 Pro series. Another big design change on the pro models is that the mute switch has now been replaced with an ‘Action button.’ This button can perform the original function of putting the iPhone in silent mode when long-pressed, but it can also be programmed to open the camera, start a voice recording, and much more.
The next big upgrade is with the processor. The iPhone 15 Pro series use Apple’s A17 Pro SoC which is built on a “industry-first” 3nm fabrication process. It packs 16 billion transistors and features a 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, and support for hardware-level ray tracing in games. Apple has also used a high-speed USB 3.0 controller for the Type-C port in the Pro models, which promise to deliver up to 10Gbps of bandwidth. However, in typical Apple fashion, you’ll need an optional high-speed USB Type-C cable to take advantage of this.
The cameras are the third big upgrade. The new iPhone 15 Pros feature an improved primary 48-megapixel sensor which now offers more professional focal length options of 24mm, 28mm and 35mm, to choose from. There’s also a special nano coating on the lenses that’s supposed to reduce lens flare. The new iPhones (including the non-Pro models) support Smart HDR 5 for improved dynamic range and colours in stills.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max gets an upgrade telephoto camera. It’s still a 12-megapixel sensor with a f/2.8 aperture but it now uses a “tetra prism” to channel light to the sensor, thereby giving the camera an effective 5X optical zoom instead of 3X zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro still has a 3X optical zoom for its telephoto camera. Apple also says the new Pro models are the first smartphones to support the ACES (Academy Colour Encoding System) colour grading standard which is used by professional filmmakers.
Another new feature which could play a big part user generated content for Apple Vision Pro is Spatial Videos. The new iPhone 15 Pro models can record spatial videos which uses the main and ultra-wide cameras to capture footage. This feature will be enabled later this year via a software update.
Apple Watch Series 9: Features and price in India
The Apple Watch Series 9 replaces the Series 8. It starts at Rs. 41,900 while the Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) starts at Rs. 29,900. The Watch Series 9 will be available in aluminium and stainless steel, and in 41mm and 45mm case sizes. Multiple colour options are on offer, and the watch will go on sale on September 22 in India.
The Apple Watch Series 9 doesn’t look any different from the Series 8, but it does feature a new Apple S9 processor which is said to enable faster on-device Siri. There’s also a second-gen Ultra-wide band (UWB) chip which now allows you to locate your iPhone near you or activate the Music widget on the watch when you bring it near a HomePod. The Series 9’s display now supports up to 2,000 nits of brightness and can go as low as 1 nit.
One of the coolest features enabled by the S9 chip is double-tap. This uses multiple sensors in the watch to detect when you make a double tap gesture with your thumb and forefinger. You can use this to answer or reject calls, browse through widgets, and more — all without ever touching the screen.
Apple says it has stopped using real leather for all of its accessories, which incudes watch straps. There’s a new FineWoven material which consists of 65 percent PCR materials.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Features and price in India
Apple also updated its Ultra watch, calling it the Apple Watch Ultra 2. It is priced at Rs. 89,900 and will be available in India on September 22. It too sports the new S9 processor, double-tap gesture, quicker on-device Siri, etc. The display now goes up to 3,000 nits and comes with a new Modular Ultra watch face. It gets refreshed loop bands too with more eco-friendly materials.