The Apple Event 2023, dubbed ‘Wonderlust,’ was held in Cupertino, California, on 12 September. This annual event saw the launch of the Apple iPhone 15 series and the introduction of a slew of interesting features.
The keynote presentation was held on Apple’s campus at the Steve Jobs Theater by CEO Tim Cook. The event began with a montage showcasing Apple users who benefitted from life-saving features such as health detection systems, crash detection and emergency SOS features on Apple’s products.
“Apple watch helps us stay healthy, active and connected,” Cook said in a brief introduction to the day.
The company confirmed that it is phasing out leather cases starting in 2023. It announced that Apple boxes will feature a new carbon-neutral logo on the box.
All about Apple Event 2023: iPhone 15 models and new Watch series
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus: Specifications, colours and price
Apple introduced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus to much fanfare at the event. Apple made attendees wait a while to announce that the phones come with the much talked about USB-C.
Apple said that the same cable can be used to charge multiple Apple products and devices which have USB-C connectivity. The USB-C connectivity is coming to AirPods too, Apple announced.
The new smartphone comes in five new colours: yellow, green, blue, black and, for the first time, pink.
The phone has a dynamic island, which expands and contracts depending on activity. Dynamic Island can now perform more features, such as pizza delivery and follow scores side-by-side among other features.
It has a Super Retina XDR display functioning on OLED technology, with a peak Dolby Vision brightness of 1600 nits which increases to 2000 nits under the sun. The brightness is twice that of the iPhone 14.
The phone has a new contoured edge on aerospace-grade aluminium enclosures. Its ceramic shield face is tougher than any smartphone glass, Apple said.
It comes with two cameras at the rear. The main camera is 48MP and has a 26mm focal length with quad pixel censor. Apple said that the phone can produce 24MP photos in normal use through the company’s computational photography technology.
Using advanced machine learning, the camera is capable of taking detailed portraits in high resolution. Through machine learning, the Apple iPhone 15 can filter a user’s voice in noisy environments on calls and can select “voice isolation” to cut background noise automatically.
The Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus come with Apple A16 Bionic with 16-core neural engine inside the case. It has a 5-core GPU, which is 50 percent more powerful than A15 Bionic, and all-day battery life.
The iPhone 15 is 6.1 inches in size and is priced at HKD 6,899. The iPhone 15 Plus is 6.7 inches and priced at HKD 7,699.
Apple ‘Wonderlust’ Event 2023 Highlights: New ‘USB-C-Licious’ iPhone 15, Watch Series 9 Unveiled
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max: Specifications, colours and price
The event also saw the launch of Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. For the Pro models, Apple created a new Titanium design.
Apple said that it is “the most premium material” we have ever used in an Apple and described it as the lightest Pro model ever. It has the same Ceramic Shield protection on the face as the iPhone 15 series.
The company used Grade-5 Titanium and alloy with higher tensile strength than pure titanium to make the case of the phones. Apple said that it used the same alloy that was used on the Mars rover. It has an aluminium sub-structure made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium. The borders of Pro models were described as the “thinnest ever on an iPhone.”
Apple said that a key change that has been introduced with the new iPhone 15 Pro series is in the Ring/Silent switch. Apple called it the ‘Action Button,’ saying that it can now be used to set a range of customisable actions such as launching the camera or starting a voice recording with the press of a button.
It is powered by an A17 Pro chipset, with what Apple said is “industry’s first 3-nanometer chip.” It has a 6-core GPU, and two performance cores which are 10 per cent faster in single-threaded performance for any phone. Its 16-core neural engine is two times faster.
The 15 Pro models are the first iPhones with USB-C speeds of 10GBPS. It has 20 times faster transfer speeds.
Apple also gave a ray tracing demo on the iPhone 15 Pro model at the event. Ray tracing is a high-end tech that helps make video game graphics look ultra-realistic. In the demo, Apple showed how the powerful new hardware on iPhone Pro models made it possible to play high-definition games without lag.
Apple said that A17 makes it possible to play Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village video games on the iPhone 15 Pro models. The company said that a series of games will be coming on the phone in 2024, including the acclaimed Assassin’s Creed franchise and Ubisoft’s Division Resurgence.
The Pro models have three cameras, which, Apple said, are “equivalent to seven camera lenses in the pocket.”
The main camera is a more advanced 48MP with a larger sensor. The main camera can shoot in 24-, 28- and 35-mm focal lengths. It has better low-light photography capabilities and enhanced portrait mode.
It has a 12MP Telephoto camera with 77mm focal length and 5x optical zoom with 120mm focal length, which the company said is the longest optical zoom on Pro Max. The zoom has been achieved using an innovative ‘tetraprism’ design behind the camera, which bounces light four times.
The 12MP Ultra Wide camera can do macro photography up to a 10x optical zoom. It has a 13mm to 120mm optical zoom range.
The Main and Ultra Wide cameras can be used together to make a Spatial video. These can be seen and shared on Apple Vision. Photos and videos can be transferred using a USB-3 cable.
The iPhone Pro is 6.1 inches in size and priced at HKD 8,599 for 128GB. The iPhone Pro Max measures 6.7 inches and is priced at HKD 10,199 for the 256GB model.
The iPhone 15 Pro phones come in four finishes: black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium and natural titanium.
All iPhones are set to open for pre-orders on 15 September. The phones will be available starting 22 September.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2: Features and price
Apple also launched the Apple Watch Series 9 with an all-new S9 SiP series chip. The company said that it is the most powerful Apple Watch chipset yet and claimed that it is 60 per cent faster and coupled with a 30 per cent faster GPU. Apple said that the Series 9 is its first carbon-neutral product.
The company said that the S9 SiP can perform machine learning tasks twice as fast as its predecessor. In fact, the work on the neural engine was highlighted during the event.
Apple said that most common requests on Siri can now be completed without redirecting to the cloud. Siri on Apple Series 9 can also generate health data, which will be initially available in English and Mandarin and will be followed by more languages.
Apple Watch Series 9’s WatchOS 10 offers the new Name Drop feature. It lets users share their personal information when close to another user with the Device. The watch has an Ultra Wideband chip, which can detect Apple devices such as the iPhone nearby.
The new watch has an always-on retina display. The company says that it is brighter than Series 8, with 2000 nits which means the screen is easily readable even in bright daylight. It can also save power down to just 1 nit.
The most unique feature of Series 9 is the new hand gesture which the company has dubbed ‘double tap.’ Wearers can simply tap their index finger and thumb twice to execute a number of functions, including receiving and disconnecting calls, playing music, snoozing alarm, and bringing up widgets among other features.
Series 9 carries out the ‘double tap’ feature using a machine-learning algorithm with which it detects changes in blood flow on the wrist when the fingers are tapped.
The new Apple Watch will be available in a gorgeous new pink aluminium case, the first time that Apple has introduced a pink-coloured watch. The aluminium casing will also be available in starlight, silver, midnight and Product red colours. It will also have stainless steel gold, silver and graphite colours.
The second-generation Apple Watch Ultra was also introduced. While the Apple Watch Series 9 starts at HKD 3,199, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is priced at HKD 6,399 for the GPS+ Cellular version.
(Hero and Featured images: Apple)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)`
How many colours are available for iPhone 15?
There are a total of nine colours of the Apple iPhone 15 series, including Plus, Pro and Pro Max models.
What are the camera features of the iPhone 15?
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have two cameras. The iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max have three cameras. The main cameras in both families are 48MP.
What is the price for the iPhone 15?
The iPhone Pro is priced at HKD 8,599 for 128GB. The iPhone Pro Max is priced at HKD 10,199 for the 256GB model. The iPhone 15 is priced at HKD 6,899 and the iPhone 15 Plus is priced at HKD 7,699.
