Apple Launches iPhone 15 and Watches with ‘Double Tap’ Function at Special Event

Apple unveiled updated versions of its popular devices on Tuesday, aiming to capture the attention of customers as they create their holiday shopping wish lists.

The announcement of the iPhone 15 series and updated smartwatches at the company’s annual flagship event comes against the backdrop of China’s discretionary spending flagging and tighter controls.

Apple also switched to the USB-C charging standard from the Lightning port in accordance with European law on its latest iPhones and announced environmentally friendly changes to some devices.

Here are the details of the major announcements:

iPhone

Apple launched the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, similar to their predecessors.

The top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, priced at $999 and $1,199 respectively, now use titanium instead of stainless steel for the side bars and have slimmer bezels around the display.

All new models feature a 48-megapixel main camera, with the flagship Pro Max featuring 5X optical zoom and a 3X telephoto lens.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get the A16 bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max get their power from the A17 pro chip.

Apple also said that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus batteries, priced at $799 and $899, respectively, are made from 100 percent recycled cobalt.

Peal

Apple announced the Watch Series 9 and the second-generation Watch Ultra, which have the same dimensions as their predecessors.

The latest watches have the next-generation S9 chip, which can improve animations and effects. It’s the first processor update since Apple released the Series 6 in 2020.

New features include “double-tap”, new gesture control of the watch without touching its face, and improved dictation and brightness.

The Series 9 starts at $399, while the Ultra 2, at $799, is priced in line with the previous base model and will be available from September 22nd.

Series 9 is the company’s first carbon-neutral product, and starting this year, all watch manufacturing will run on 100% clean energy, the company said. Apple is also dropping leather from all of its products, including watch bands.