Apple Event, iPhone 15 now using USB-C. One cable for all portable devices

Another Apple is done and here is the rundown. The main event is a new set of Apple Watches and of course, the new lineup of iPhones.

Apple Watch S9

• Battery life is still 18 hours.
• Siri requests are now processed on-device (on the watch).
• Finding your iPhone with your watch is now more accurate.
• The display is now twice as bright (2000 nits) and goes as dim as 1 nit for pitch-black scenarios.
• Double tap gesture allows you to control primary buttons in a running app. Double tap with the index finger and thumb. It works for calls, alarms, and music playback. (Coming October 2023)

Apple Watch Ultra 2

• Display brightness now 3000 nits
• 36-hour battery life (72-hour low power mode)
• -500 to 3000 meter altitude detection range

Price

• Apple watch SE US$249
• Apple Watch S9 US$399
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 US$799

iPhone 15s

• Dynamic Island now available on the whole iPhone 15 range
• 6.1″ and 6.7″ screen sizes
• 2000 nits peak brightness
• 48MP main camera that can take full res 48MP images and 24MP images
• UWB 2.0 is now 3 times more powerful and more precise for location-sharing
• The charging and data port is now USB-C. The lightning port is officially dead.

Price

• iPhone 15 128GB: $799
• iPhone 15 128GB: $899

iPhone 15 Pros

• Titanium body which is stronger than stainless steel but lighter
• Customizable action button to replace the mute switch. It can now be mapped to other shortcuts or apps like quick launching the camera or starting a voice recording.
• Always on display still only for Pro iPhones
• Apple renames their CPU to A17 Pro (3nm)
• Desktop games coming to iPhone
• USB-C port with USB 3.0 (10Gbps data transfer speeds)
• New 5X telephoto camera
• 48MP main camera has full res 48MP mode as well as 24MP mode
• A new spatial video capturing mode is available to shoot videos that can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro.

Price

• iPhone 15 Pro 128GB: $999
• iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB: $1199

Thoughts

I love the introduction of USB-C, What might not really play out for a lot of people who do not do a lot of creative work with a smartphone camera is the many changes Apple has brought to the iPhone camera that make it a lot more fun to play with.

The 48MP sensor only took binned 12MP photos on the iPhone 14s. Having the option to take full-res 48MP and half-res 24MP photos as well is a step in the right direction. For the 15 Pro’s, the 5x telephoto was definitely way overdue as well as macro mode using the ultrawide camera. Just having all this shooting options available is a definite win in my book.

Looks like the regular models are now getting previous year chipsets with the latest and greatest ones reserved for the Pro’s. Personally if that is the case, I feel the regular models should be even cheaper