Apple launched its latest series of iPhone 15, which includes a faster chip and new titanium shell, but held on to its prices in response to globally muted smartphone sales.
The new iPhone 15 is available for pre-order from 4 PM on September 15 in the UAE and will be out in the market on September 22.
The iPhone 15 range
As expected, the iPhone 15 range will be available in four models – iPhone 15 (starting $799 in US and AED3,399 in the UAE), iPhone 15 Plus (starting $899/AED3,799), iPhone 15 Pro (starting $999/AED4,299) and iPhone 15 Pro Max (starting $1199/AED5,099).
All four models now feature USB-C charging instead of Apple’s proprietary Lightning port and have upgraded performance and cameras.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have displays of 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch respectively and will be available in five new colours – pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. Improved battery will give up to 26 hours of video playback on Plus, and 20 hours on iPhone 15.
The higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will use titanium instead of stainless steel for the sidebars and feature an ‘action button’ instead of the mute switch. This can be customised for a variety of functions.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have the A16 bionic chip, while the iPhone 15 Pro and the Pro Max will be powered by the A17 pro chip. These new chips have led to improved battery life and the GPU in A17 is built to deliver up to 20 percent faster graphics performance, which will improve everyday processing, video editing and gaming. Games like Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage are all set to come to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
The iPhone 15 Pro can capture ‘spatial videos’ by using two of the device’s cameras to capture a three-dimensional video. Those videos will be viewable on its Vision Pro headset which is due out early next year. The use of titanium makes the Pros lighter and stronger than previous models.
All new models feature a 48-megapixel main camera. The Pro Max will have 5X optical zoom and 3X telephoto capability. Apple said all models will shoot portrait photos with more detail and stronger colour and will also look better in low-light situations. More importantly, users won’t have to switch to portrait mode for such pictures.
Carbon-neutral Apple Watches
The company announced Apple Watch Series 9 and the second generation of Watch Ultra, starting from AED1,599 ($399 in the US) and AED3,199 ($799 in the US) respectively.
These watches come with the new generation S9 chip, capable of better animation and effects and marking the first processor upgrade since Apple released the Series 6 in 2020.
The Series 9 is the company’s first carbon-neutral product. Apple said that starting this year all watch manufacturing will be powered by 100 percent clean energy. Apple will also drop leather from all its products, including the watch bands.
In a statement, Apple said: “As our first carbon‑neutral product, Apple Watch marks a milestone in our plan to make all our products carbon neutral by 2030. We’re cutting the majority of emissions through innovations in materials, clean electricity, and low-carbon shipping. And we’re investing in nature-based projects to offset the small amount that remains.”
The Watches feature ‘double tap’, a new gesture feature to control the watch without touching its face, precision finding, blood oxygen and ECG apps, heart notifications, emergency SOS and improved dictation and brightness.
Ultra 2 gets improved battery life that lasts up to 36 hours on normal use and 72 hours on low-power setting.
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