The Visual Summary — It’s Glowtime Apple Event
A sketchnote overview of Apple Watch 10 and iPhone 16
September is the traditional month of iPhone and Apple Watch updates; this year is no different.
This time around, we get quite some substantial updates to the “regular” iPhone as well as some solid improvements to the Pro model. While the Apple Watch 10 did not get the anticipated complete redesign, we do get a more sleek and modern-looking watch.
Let’s dive in… It’s Glowtime!!
Full Visual Summary
Access the high-res version of this Visual Summary here.
iPhone 16
If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, you’re in luck with this years “regular model” upgrade. The iPhone 16 gets several big upgrades: Action button, Camera Control button, Camera and Processor.
Two new buttons are featured on the sides of the latest iPhone: it inherits the Action button from the Pro model, which allows you to quickly activate specific shortcuts or a quick-option menu. The new Camera Control button is dedicated to, yes, controlling the camera. It allows you to quickly snap a picture — home-screen shortcut, time to make room for something else — and it’s touch-sensitive too! The latter feature allows for easy zooming or adjustment of specific parameters of your picture.
With great picture control comes a great camera: a decent upgrade to the main lens now enables 2x “optical” zoom.
With great picture control comes a great camera: a decent upgrade to the main lens now enables 2x “optical” zoom. The ultra-wide lens for macro and wide pictures gets autofocus and can capture more light. Spatial video AND photos are now an option, too.
Regarding performance, the model skips one generation and gets bumped to the A18. The main benefits are the ability to use Apple Intelligence and an improved gaming experience.
Apple Intelligence features will be rolled out in different stages, none of them readily available on the launch of iOS18 (we’ll have to wait for iOS 18.1). A recap of all Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC can be found here.
iPhone 16 Pro
This year iPhone 16 Pro feels like an incremental update. The design gets refined into a bigger screen (thinner borders), and we get the same Camera Control button as the baseline model. However, there are few interesting things going on here compared to the 15 Pro.
These updates seem to turn this model into what the 15 Pro should have been.
Owners of the 15 Pro complained about battery and heating issues, which now seem solved in the latest iPhone Pro iteration. A better thermal design and a battery that can last four hours longer (for video) seem to turn this model into what the 15 Pro should have been.
The 16 Pro also gets the 5x zoom from its Pro Max sibling, and we get higher resolution cameras, so the entire Pro line-up can now take the same stunning pictures.
Apple also demonstrated better video and audio capturing, positioning this device even more towards prosumer creators of high-quality content, potentially warranting the steep pricing point.
Apple Watch Series 10
For the 10th edition of the Apple Watch, many people expected a radical redesign of the Watch, potentially breaking compatibility with existing bands. Well, that didn’t happen.
Apple Watch 10: a light redesign: a more rounded body, thinner design, and bigger display.
Instead, we got a slight redesign: a more rounded body, thinner design, and bigger display (sadly leading to larger borders again). There is also a jet-black option and a titanium version in three colors.
We get a few new “aquatic” apps: for tide prediction, water depth, and temperature measurements. Next to that, Apple introduced sleep apnea tracking (by now, it’s FDA approved), which will also be available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
Overall, it's not a very big upgrade for many users, but it's a welcome incremental change if you’re in the market for a new model.
AirPods 4
The regular AirPods get a new version with Apple’s H2 chip. A better, more comfortable fit and a new acoustic architecture are the main upgrades to this model.
There’s now also an ANC variant: noise cancellation, Qi2 charging, and a FindMy speaker.
There’s now also an ANC (active noise cancellation) variant, which inherits quite some features from its Pro sibling with respect to noise cancellation but also includes wireless Qi2 charging and a FindMy speaker.
AirPods Pro/Max & Apple Watch Ultra 2
Besides the big updates, we also get some smaller ones: a software update for AirPods Pro 2, new colors for AirPods Max and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
A software update for AirPods pro and new colors for AirPods Max and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
The AirPods Pro 2 do get an interesting new software update to assist people with hearing loss. It will help prevent hearing loss by filtering loud sounds, create awareness with a new hearing test, and assist people by functioning as a hearing aid for phone calls, music, and movies. All of this will be adjusted to your hearing profile.
The AirPods Max were introduced four years ago and were due for an upgrade. We do get a small one: new colors and USB-C. This means the internal chip remains an H1 (as opposed to the H2 in Pro and regular AirPod models), which makes some of the latest noise cancellation options impossible on this model. Bummer…
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 does not get any design updates, apart from it being available in black titanium! There’s also a new titanium link chain band, but that’s it.
Personal Thoughts
With big hardware updates coming to the iPhone 16, we get a very solid regular iPhone model. The focus on the camera and it being ready for Apple Intelligence make this a very good choice at this price point. I don’t see big reasons for most people to choose the Pro model over this.
The non-max Pro model gets the same camera treatment as the Max this time, and people seem impressed with the results. While the Action button still feels a bit too generic, the new Camera Control button is something I’d love to try out myself — especially since the integration with the Camera app looks fluid.
I’m not particularly impressed by the Apple Watch updates, but as I bought a Series 9 last year, I’m ok with that. I’m happy Apple chose to make the sleep apnea detection available to my own Series 9 model and the Ultra 2. Good choice.
AirPods 4 sounds like a cool update; however, I don’t like the fragmentation of the model line-up. That being said, the AirPods 4 ANC look decent. I’m looking forward to seeing how people like them.
The Airpods Pro hearing loss update sounds super interesting. The fit of these earbuds could be better for me, so I have limited expectations here. I was also preparing my wallet for a new AirPods Max model, but I’m unsure whether this non-update would be worth getting (I don’t own the previous model). If you have experience with it, please let me know in the comments.
That’s it! Thanks for absorbing the Visual Summary of the latest iPhone event. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think about these new devices in the comments.
