Apple on Wednesday unveiled its latest iPhones and Apple Watches at its first fall event under newly appointed CEO John Tarnas. The main event was the tech giant’s long-awaited first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. Apple also announced the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new AirPods, and more.
We have summarized all the announcements from today’s “Surprise and Shine” event.
iPhone duo
Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo features a 7.6-inch Retina display when unfolded, with an outer display measuring 5.4 inches. The company said the new device is “inspired by the versatility of the iPad.” The inner display features an “under-display” camera, giving users a full-screen feel.
Apple says the iPhone Duo can provide up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and up to 44 hours on the outer display.
The phone features a 48-megapixel fusion main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera with 2x optical zoom. Like other foldable phones, users can take selfies with the rear camera and see a preview on the outer display.
The Duo hinge is made from grade 5 aluminum and consists of over 100 specially engineered components designed to ensure smooth opening and closing.
iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 with 256 GB of storage and is available in two colors. Pre-orders for Apple’s new foldable device will begin on October 16th, and the devices will be in stores on October 23rd.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
The new iPhone 18 Pro lineup maintains the same design as its predecessor, but the biggest upgrade comes in the form of an enhanced camera.
The new Pro Series cameras feature a 48-megapixel sensor with a variable aperture controlled by six thin blades. This system is expected to improve low-light shooting as well as increase shooting speed. The camera software also introduces new Pro controls such as white balance, shutter speed, aperture, and histogram. Additionally, new Photo Styles allow for even more customization with texture and grain controls.
The new camera records 4K video in Dolby HDR Vision and allows you to apply cinematic effects after shooting the footage.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, $100 more than last year’s model. Pre-orders will begin on Saturday, and both devices will be officially launched on September 18th.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4
A new “Voice Recognition” feature can hear sounds such as sirens, alarms, doorbells, and babies crying, providing helpful alerts for people with hearing loss. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 don’t have major hardware updates, but they do have some important software updates.
Apple is targeting a wave of growth in AI-powered wearables with a new “audio intelligence” feature that can rewind moments and help users remember details of everyday conversations.
These smartwatches introduce a “Live Rewind” feature that displays the past 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet, and a “Siri Recap” feature designed to help you recall key moments from everyday conversations, such as key points from team meetings or parent-teacher conferences.
Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, and Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs $499. Pre-orders begin today and will be available in stores from September 18th.
airpods 5
The latest generation of Apple’s wireless earbuds, AirPods 5, introduce several upgrades, including improved sound quality, more powerful active noise cancellation, and expanded Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
Apple says AirPods 5 can reduce background noise by more than 50% than the previous generation. They also feature an on-stem volume control, which was previously only available on Apple’s more expensive AirPods Pro.
Transparency mode on AirPods 5 has also been improved, allowing users to hear nearby voices and sounds around them more naturally.
AirPods 5 provide up to 5 hours of listening with active noise cancellation on a single charge. The charging case provides up to 22 hours of total music playback.
AirPods 5 start at $129, while a version with a wireless charging case costs $149. Pre-orders start today, and the earphones are expected to arrive on September 18th.
Revamped healthcare app
Apple announced a redesigned Apple Health app that leverages Apple Intelligence to give you a better understanding of your health data.
This update introduces a new (Insights) tab with an overview of the most timely health information, providing personalized guidance, assessments, a new “Readiness” score, and a “Healthy Age” calculation. The update also introduces a new Longevity tab that uses metrics from your Apple Watch and iPhone to assess your overall health across factors such as sleep, exercise, and heart health.
The revamped Health app will roll out later this year, starting with US English.
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