The day has come. We have new iPhones, new Apple Watches, and new AirPod Pros. There is much to recap, so let’s dive in.
Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 is a small update to the Series 7. The standout hardware feature is the new temperature sensor on the underside of the watch, which Apple highlighted its use as a way for women to track ovulation. Apple didn’t mention any other use cases for the sensor, so we’ll see if it is activated for other use cases. Also in the Series 8 are new accelerometers and gyroscopes to facilitate the updated fall detection features. But that is mostly it for hardware. The screen is ever so slightly bigger, and ever so slightly brighter, and it still comes in 41 and 45mm case sizes.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is available to pre order now starting $530 for the 41mm model and $570 for the 45mm model and will hit shelves on September 16
Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation)
The awkwardly named Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) – I’m not sure why it just wasn’t called the SE 2 – was also announced. This update to 2020’s 1st generation SE brings the hardware specs up to par with the rest of the line. The screen is slightly smaller, being the same style as the Series 4-6 displays, and it lacks the always on display, the temperature sensor, the ability to read blood oxygen, and the ECG app. But it does have the rest of the sensors in it, including the new fall detection sensors. This looks like a solid entry point for the Apple Watch, with significant savings for anyone who doesn’t need the always on display. It comes in 40 and 44mm sizes, matching the case size of the Series 4-6.
The Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) is available to pre order now starting at $330 for the 40mm model and $370 for the 44mm model and will hit shelves on September 16.
Apple Watch Ultra
The Big Boy, both figuratively and literally. The Apple Watch Ultra is a new model in the lineup and is marketed at a completely new audience. This monster of a watch has a 49mm size, nearly 20% larger than the smaller Apple Watch SE. Despite the relative light weight of its titanium case, it still weighs in at 61.3 grams. The 45mm aluminum Series 8, by comparison, is 38.8 grams, and the 45mm Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, something most reviewers mentioned felt extremely heavy on a wrist, is only 46.5g. The Apple Watch Ultra is a big, heavy watch.
Apple is positioning the Watch Ultra as the “ultimate sports watch” designed for marathon runners, divers, hikers, and other more “extreme” activities. It is water resistant up to 100m, has a MIL-STD rugged rating, and the design even has the case covering the edges of the now completely flat screen, designed to keep it from getting damaged from bumps.
There is an additional action button, a larger digital crown with a button guard, dual speakers, and 3 microphones. Every model features cellular connectivity, there is no Bluetooth only version. Apple even touts the watch bands designed for the Watch Ultra as being specifically for more sport oriented use.
Battery life is one area where this watch could fall down. Apple claims the Watch Ultra will get 36 hours of battery life, with that being able to extend to up to 60 hours with a new low power mode that will come to the watch via a software update later this fall. While the Watch Ultra is actually competitive with Garmin adventure watches in terms of pricing, when it comes to battery life, the Watch Ultra is not competitive. The Garmin epix watch claims up to 16 days of battery life as a smartwatch, including 6 days with an always on display. Apple is marketing the Watch Ultra to people who want to go off the grid for days, but with a battery that needs to be charged every day. Even the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro claims up to 80 hours of battery life, almost a full day longer than the Watch Ultra in low power mode. The Watch Ultra seems like a good device that may get held back in the market by a weak battery.
The Apple Watch Ultra is available to pre order now at $1100 and will hit shelves on September 23rd.
iPhone 14 and 14 Plus
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are a different take from the iPhone 13 product line. The mini model is gone this year, with the 6.1” iPhone 14 and 6.7” iPhone 14 Plus forming the portfolio for the year. The mini versions of the iPhones 12 and 13 did not have the sales numbers to continue their existence, as more consumers opt for larger phones with larger batteries. Speaking of larger batteries, the iPhone 14 Plus is marketed as having the longest battery life ever on an iPhone. With the iPhone 14 lacking the Pro Motion high refresh rate display of the Pro model phones, but having a similar size battery as the Pro Max, that claim is very believable.
The iPhone 14 is otherwise an extremely small update from the 13 hardware wise. The main camera has a larger sensor, and…. That’s about it for external facing features. The iPhone 14 doesn’t even get a processor upgrade, featuring the same A15 processor found in the iPhone 13 series. Other updates coming to the iPhone 14 that are shared with the iPhone 14 Pro that we’ll get to in a second include limited satellite connectivity. The satellite connectivity is not for general purpose use, but is designed instead for contacting emergency services via text through a satellite connection. It cannot be used to send normal text messages, just emergency services. And it is not as seamless as one would hope. It requires using an app to point the iPhone in the right direction to reach a satellite, and there must be clear sky. Messages also take roughly 15 seconds to send where the iPhone must be held still.
The last change to the iPhone 14 series could be a controversial one, but it isn’t clear if this will affect Canada. US models of the iPhone 14 (and 14 Pro) will not come with a physical SIM card tray, and will only support eSIM. eSIM’s are becoming increasingly common, with most phones released today supporting eSIM, but the iPhone 14 will be among the first phones to not support a SIM card at all. eSIM’s are marketed as an easy alternative to to physical cards, with users able to “sign in” to their wireless account, for lack of a better term. Customers can activate an eSIM tied to their accounts on multiple devices, though it can only be active on one at a time, mimicking physical SIM’s only being able to be used in one phone at a time. In the US where customers don’t switch phones and carriers often, this may work, but in many parts of the world where some customers will have 3-4 phone accounts that they swap between, especially those who travel often, eSIM’s remain a hard sell. eSIM technology will be the future of how we set up our smartphones, but it feels like Apple is a couple years too early ditching the SIM tray on US phones.
It does look like, based on the Apple Product page, that the model of iPhone 14 sold in Canada will support a SIM card tray, so the eSIM only models do seem limited to just the USA.
The iPhone 14 will be available to pre order on September 9 starting at $1100 for 128GB of storage. The iPhone 14 Plus starts at $1250 for 128GB of storage. The phones hit shelves on September 16.
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max
Where the iPhone 14 is an extremely small update to the iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max offer much bigger updates over last year’s models.
The biggest visual change comes from the display. Gone is the giant notch for the FaceID cameras, replaced by a pill shaped cutout not unlike what is seen on some Android phones with multiple front cameras. But this cutout is done the Apple way. Apple calls it the Dynamic Island, which is an extremely hilarious name for a genuinely useful function. Apple has redesigned the iphone status bar and notifications around the Dynamic Island. So notifications appear to expand out of the empty space. It is an elegant and brilliant way to handle the camera cutouts, something that we’ve not seen before. I highly recommend checking out videos of the demonstration of how it works, it is slick.
The other big change display wise is that Apple is finally adding an always on display to the iPhone 14 Pro models. Always on Displays have existed on phones in some manner for years, with Windows Phones supporting the feature in 2013. Always On Displays allow phones to display limited information like the time and notification icons on an otherwise off display. Apple’s implementation shows the clock and lock screen widgets, as well as a dimmed version of the phone wallpaper.
Other big upgrades for the iPhone 14 Pro include the camara, with the new main camera sensor bumped all the way up to 48 megapixels. That sensor is then binned down to 12 megapixels for most images, allowing for sharper pictures and more light, something many Android phones have been doing for years. The 3x telephoto and ultrawide cameras have received smaller updates, but should produce better images as well. The phone features the A16 processor, which focuses on power efficiency and camera features this year.
All in all, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max look like really good upgrades to the iPhone 13 Pro lineup. I really want to see that Dynamic Island in action.
The iPhone 14 Pro will be available to pre order on September 9 starting at $1400 for 128GB of storage. The iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1550. Both phones hit shelves on September 16.
AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
Lastly we have the second generation of the AirPods Pro. The new model looks exactly like the first generation, with slightly better battery life (6 hours instead of 5), new touch controls on the stem (instead of only tap controls), and a charging case that features a lanyard hole, a speaker (for charging indication, as well as Apple Find My functionality), and the ability to charge the AirPods case with magsafe or an Apple Watch charger in addition to the Lightning connector. Yes, the AirPods Pro, along with all the iPhones today, still charge via Lightning.
The new AirPods Pro also feature a new “H2” chip designed to make Noise Cancelling and transparency mode better.
The AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) will be available for perorder on September 9th for $330, and will hit shelves on September 23