Apple went all out in yesterday’s ‘Far Out’ event and introduced some monumental changes to its product portfolio. As speculated before, the tech-giant unveiled the iPhone 14 series, Watch Series 8, and the all-new AirPods Pro.
Albeit as near as dammit, the leaks failed to contaminate the flamboyance of the event. Nonetheless, we, too, will be going all out and leave no stone unturned for our coverage of Apple’s spellbinding event.
Apple Watch Series 8
Despite unstimulating upgrades, the Series 8 is low-key admirable. The watch is an elevated version of its previous iteration, and that’s all the world’s most popular wearable has to achieve. The newest addition in Series 8 is the body temperature sensor.
This time’s focus was pivoted around health, especially women’s. Using the built-in temperature sensor, Watch Series 8 can now track female ovulation cycles. Users can be notified of irregularities in the ovulation and menstrual cycles via the Health app.
Crash Detection, a feature that made its way to all the products announced yesterday, does what it’s supposed to do. It uses the accelerometer, microphone, GPS, and barometer to sense a crash and make an emergency call for you.
Watch Series 4 and later running watchOS 9.0 can take advantage of the newly announced low-power mode, which can supposedly double the battery life up to 36 hours on Series 8. Various new features like international roaming, revamped sleep tracking, etc., are coming later this year in watchOS 9.0.
Apple Watch SE
The Watch SE, unlike its name, gathered no special attention this time around. The upgrades are mostly software-related, including Crash Detection and low-power mode. Thanks to S8 SiP advanced dual-core processor, Watch SE is 20% faster than the previous version. The same chipset is present inside every watch announced in the event.
Apple Watch Ultra
As mighty as the name sounds, the Watch Ultra is one hell of a watch. Boasting an aerospace-grade titanium body, a flat sapphire screen, and a rugged body, the Watch Ultra is built for the extreme. New and specialized variations of the strap prove our saying even more.
For uninterrupted viewing capabilities in the harshest of environments, the retina display can now touch 2000 nits of peak brightness. Adding to the extreme features, there’s a second speaker and a third microphone to assist you in your adventures. In case you’re stuck, the Watch Ultra can produce an 86 dB siren too.
The watch can last up to 36 hours on a single charge, and up to 60 hours in low-power mode. It also claims to be fitted with the best GPS Apple has to offer, making it pinpoint accurate. Turning the Digital Crown activates Night mode, which makes the interface red for enhanced clarity.
There’s an even bigger and ridged digital crown, and an additional action key finished in international orange. The Action Key can be customized to suit your needs.
Apple has taken every possible step for the watch to prove itself in all conditions, hence the MIL-STD-810H, WR100, and the EN 13319 certifications. The latter makes it suitable for recreational divers. The Watch Ultra, of course, sports all the standard as well as new software and hardware features.
AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Probably for maintaining its identity, Apple didn’t bother to give a new name to the next generation of AirPods Pro. That said, the new AirPods Pro bring an inspiring set of changes.
Apple has put in the all-new H2 Chip inside the AirPods, along with a new low-distortion audio driver and a custom amplifier. This guarantees a richer listening-experience and crystal-clear audio processing. With the new extra-small ear tip, more users can enjoy a secured fit. The stem now supports touch functionality to ease the experience.
Thanks to the H2 Chip, AirPods Pro can eliminate twice as much noise compared to the previous generation. Using the TrueDepth camera on iPhone, users can create a personalized version of Spatial Audio, which does also support dynamic head tracking.
The increment in battery capacity allows 6 hours of listening time on the buds alone, and 30 hours with the case, both with ANC. For added convenience, users can charge their AirPods using an Apple Watch charger, apart from the standard options, which include charging via lightning connector and MagSafe wireless charging.
The Case has an in-built speaker to help you find it and notify you of critical alerts like low-battery warning. It even comes with a lanyard connector, and can be searched using Precision Finding.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
Just as the looks convey, the iPhone 14 is basically the same phone as last year. iPhone 14 Plus — the new awkward middle child is already getting overshadowed by its elder brother. That said, the iPhone 14 Plus claims to have the best battery life ever on any iPhone.
As you’d expect, the Plus is essentially an elephantine version of the iPhone 14. The 6.7” giant flaunts the same display as the standard iPhone 14, and both support up to 1200 nits of peak brightness. The US version of the new iPhones will rely solely on eSIM functionality.
An upgraded main camera comes with a larger ƒ/1.5 aperture, and promises improvement in low-light scenarios, faster exposure times, and less noise. Like last year, the main sensor sports sensor-shift optical image stabilization. Credits to the new Photonic Engine, low light photography and image processing see an improvement. The entire iPhone 14 lineup still relies on Smart HDR 4, though.
The new Action mode claims shake-free videography, even in extreme situations. The resolution, however, drops to 2.8K while recording in this mode. There’s an improved ultra-wide sensor, and the front TrueDepth selfie camera now features autofocus capabilities. Cinematic mode gets upgraded to 4K resolution at 24fps as well as 30fps.
Keeping up with the theme of safety, the entire iPhone 14 lineup comes with Crash Detection functionality, and emergency SOS services via satellite. In case of no cellular reception, the iPhone, using an in-built software, can detect the position of satellites and use them for contacting emergency services. The feature is currently exclusive to the United States and Canada, and the software is free for the first 2 years of service.
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
These two were undoubtedly the talk-of-the-town. The phones are marvelous, so much so that Apple could’ve put it under its “One More Thing” category, and no one would’ve dared to raise a question.
After five long years, Apple finally bid adieu to the most iconic front display on a smartphone, and welcomed the soon-to-be prominent ‘Dynamic Island.’ It’s not just for show — the best attribute of Dynamic Island is the way it adapts itself to different scenarios. The pill shaped cutout magically animates and intelligently integrates things like music player, call functions, Face ID prompt, and much more.
Furthermore, the display gets an upgraded version of LTPO technology, which can lower the refresh rate all the way to 1 Hz. This enabled Apple to introduce the Always-On Display, which cunningly dims the screen to enter the said mode. The display on the iPhone 14 Pro lineup can touch the 2000 nit mark, thereby making them the brightest display to be ever introduced.
Apple silently inaugurated the new A16 Bionic chipset, boasting 16 billion transistors and built using 4 nm fabrication technology. The A16 Bionic houses a dedicated display chip specifically tuned for switching efficiently between different refresh rates. The new Pros claim an hour of extra battery endurance.
For the first time after a long time, the iPhone camera system sees a paramount upgrade in terms of imaging. With a new 48 MP sensor featuring quad-pixel technology, the iPhone 14 Pro can let in more light and produce even sharper outputs. Thanks to the higher resolution sensor, the iPhone 14 Pro can zoom in twice without looking noticeably pixelated.
Professionals can take advantage of the newer sensor by clicking pictures using ProRAW in full 48 MP resolution. Videographers can now enjoy shooting Cinematic Videos in 4K resolution at 24fps or 30fps. Action Mode also makes its way here, and allows ultra-steady video recording. With improved telephoto and ultra-wide lenses, and updated computational photography, the iPhone 14 Pro is ready to enter the battlefield.
Like in the standard iPhone 14 lineup, the new 12 MP ƒ/1.9 TrueDepth selfie camera comes with autofocus functionality, which assists in low-light scenarios too. The new adaptive True Tone flashlight houses a nine LED system to assist the sensors by lighting the subjects better.
Pricing and Color Options
| Product | Color Options | Pricing (United States) | Pricing (India) |
| Watch Series 8 | Aluminum casing: Starlight Midnight Silver (PRODUCT)RED Stainless-Steel casing: Silver Graphite Gold Nike Edition Hermès Edition (not available in India) | 41mm Aluminum with GPS: $399 onwards 41mm Aluminum with GPS + Cellular: $499 onwards 45mm Aluminum with GPS: $429 onwards 45mm Aluminum with GPS + Cellular: $529 onwards 41mm Stainless Steel with GPS + Cellular: $699 onwards 45mm Stainless Steel with GPS + Cellular: $749 onwards Nike Edition (Aluminum casing only): Same pricing as the standard version for all sizes and connectivity options 41mm Hermès Edition (Stainless-Steel casing only): $1,249 onwards 45mm Hermès Edition (Stainless-Steel casing only): $1,299 onwards | 41mm Aluminum with GPS: ₹45,900 41mm Aluminum with GPS + Cellular: ₹55,900 45mm Aluminum with GPS: ₹48,900 45mm Aluminum with GPS + Cellular: ₹58,900 41mm Stainless Steel with GPS + Cellular: ₹74,900 onwards 44mm Stainless Steel with GPS + Cellular: ₹79,900 onwards Nike Edition Bands: To be bought separately |
| Watch SE | Aluminum casing only: Midnight Starlight Silver | 40mm with GPS: $249 onwards 40mm with GPS + Cellular: $299 onwards 44mm with GPS: $279 onwards 44mm with GPS + Cellular: $329 onwards | 40mm with GPS: ₹29,900 40mm with GPS + Cellular: ₹34,900 44mm with GPS: ₹32,900 44mm with GPS + Cellular: ₹37,900 |
| Watch Ultra | Titanium casing | 49mm with GPS + Cellular: $799 | 49mm with GPS + Cellular: ₹89,900 |
| AirPods Pro (2nd generation) | White | $249 | ₹26,900 |
| iPhone 14 | Midnight Blue Starlight Purple (PRODUCT)RED | 128 GB: $799 256 GB: $899 512 GB: $1,099 | 128 GB: ₹79,900 256 GB: ₹89,900 512 GB: ₹1,09,900 |
| iPhone 14 Plus | Midnight Blue Starlight Purple (PRODUCT)RED | 128 GB: $899 256 GB: $999 512 GB: $1,199 | 128 GB: ₹89,900 256 GB: ₹99,900 512 GB: ₹1,19,900 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | Space Black Silver Gold Deep Purple | 128 GB – $999 256 GB – $1,099 512 GB – $1,299 1 TB – $1,499 | 128 GB – ₹1,29,900 256 GB – ₹,39,900 512 GB – ₹1,59,900 1 TB – ₹1,79,900 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | Space Black Silver Gold Deep Purple | 128 GB – $1,099 256 GB – $1,199 512 GB – $1,399 1 TB – $1,599 | 128 GB – ₹1,39,900 256 GB – ₹,49,900 512 GB – ₹1,69,900 1 TB – ₹1,89,900 |
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