Apple 'Wonderlust' event 2023: iPhone 15 series, Watch Series 9, and other annoucements

The 15 Pro with 128GB of storage starts at $999. The larger and more capable Pro Max with new 5x telephoto camera starts at $1,199 with 256GB of storage.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max come with a more advanced 48mp main camera with a larger sensor. This will offer better low light performance. You can shoot in 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm focal lengths with the main camera and can set one as the default mode. The ultra-wide camera has been improved with anti-reflective coating and better. There is a new 5x zoom telephoto camera at 120mm focal length. This new lens also supports Sensor Shift (multi-axis OIS). The telephoto lens is exclusive to the Pro Max model.macro mode. Apple has also introduced spatial video recording support.

Apple's new A17 Pro SoC has a "breakthrough new GPU." It is industry's first 3nm chip, packing 19bn transistors. It has a six-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. Neural Engine is faster too. The six-core GPU is 20% faster for peak performance and 4x faster at ray tracing than previous chip.

The new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max come with new contoured edges and have the thinnest bezels ever on an iPhone. The handsets have titanium frame and new internal architecture makes these iPhones more repairable, per Apple. The devices also have a new Action Button. By default, this button is a ring/silent switch toggle but it can be used to launch camera, voice recorder, or other accessibility features.

Apple's iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are here with the big upgrade being the Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14 Pro. They also get Type-C port. The handsets will ship in pink, yellow, green, blue, black colorways. The iPhone 15 also has an OLED display with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits in sunlight. The main camera sensor is a 48MP one, offering better photography and 2x zoom. The chipset is A16 Bionic, borrowed from the 14 Pro. The 15 and 15 Plus start at $799 and $899, respectively.

Apple’s latest high-end Ultra 2 smartwatch gets internal upgrades but keeps the large and rugged design of the first-generation model. It has a 3,000-nits bright display, an S9 chip, new cycling features, Double Tap gesture support, and 36 hours of battery life.

The Watch Series 9 is powered by the new S9 chip, with its CPU packing 5.6bn transistors (60% more than S8) and the GPU is 30% faster. Dictations is 25% faster on the new models than Series 8, thanks to the four-core neural engine on S9 SoC. The Series 9 also has a second-gen ultra-wideband chip that enables precision finding for iPhones that have that new chip. The display supports 2,000-nits of peak brightness—as high as Samsung's flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Apple is eliminating all plastic in packaging by the end of next year. It will stop making leather cases for iPhones and other products as well.

The Watch Series 9 gets a new 'Double Tap' gesture which has been enabled by neural engine in S9, which processes data from all the sensors and machine learning to detect the gesture. You can use the gesture to answer calls, snooze alarms, click photos, and more. It will be available next month.

The Watch Series 9 is powered by the new S9 chip, with its CPU packing 5.6bn transistors (60% more than S8) and the GPU is 30% faster. Dictations is 25% faster on the new models than Series 8, thanks to the four-core neural engine on S9 SoC. The Series 9 also has a second-gen ultra-wideband chip that enables precision finding for iPhones that have that new chip.

Apple's 2023 launch event is live. You can stream it here.

With a case size of 49mm and weight of around 61 grams, the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra is the company's biggest and heaviest smartwatch to date. It is also the company's most expensive wearable. Apple is ready to bring some upgrades with the new model. As per rumors, the Watch Ultra 2 will have a lighter case thanks to some 3D printed components. It will also get a new chipset, new health sensors, and a new U2 Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip for superior location precision. This chip will also be integrated into the iPhone 15 series and the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset.

Alongside the iPhone 15 series, Apple will announce the new Watch Series 9 as well as Ultra 2. The Watch Series 9 will retain the design of the existing Series 8. There will be a couple of updates though. The new smartwatches will pack a new version of the optical heart rate sensor and a U2 ultrawide-band chip to improve Find My capabilities. The wearables will be powered by the S9 chipset which will be based on Apple’s 5nm A15 SoC found in the iPhone 13 range.

Europe's 'common charger' rule is the reason why Apple has decided to adopt Type-C port for its iPhones. The rule makes USB-C charging ports a mandatory requirement in all smartphones sold in Europe by fall of 2024. The European Union is convinced that this change would have a major impact on the region's e-waste as around 11,000 tonnes of e-waste may be reduced annually when the law comes into force.

The one thing common across the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max will be the new charging port. Yes, Apple is making replacing its Lightning connector with USB Type-C port. The change should translate to faster charging and data transfer but there will be differences between Pro and non-Pro models. Apple will restrict charging and data transfer speeds for cables and accessories not part of its Made for iPhone (MFi) program.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will get a host of upgrades, including a new titanium frame and ultra-slim bezels. These models will likely set a new record for the thinnest bezels on any smartphone at 1.55mm. The handsets will also feature brighter OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rate, bigger batteries, 3nm-based A17 Bionic processor, and 8GB RAM. The Pro Max variant will sport a new telephoto camera with 6x zoom support. The 15 Pro models may come in Space Black, Silver, Blue, and Titan Gray colorways.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will sport 'Dynamic Island' which we first saw last year on the 14 Pro models. With this, the pill-shaped display cut-out will now be common across all models in the 15 line-up. The non-Pro handsets will get a new matte-like finish on the back side instead of glossy glass panels we saw on 14 and 14 Plus. Talking of upgrades, the 15 and 15 Plus will boast a new 48MP primary camera, an A16 Bionic chip, improved OLED displays but with 60Hz refresh rate, and bigger batteries.