Apple on Tuesday made several announcements at its September event, including pricing for Apple TV+, an updated Apple Watch with an always-on Retina display, a brand new iPad, and the iPhone 11 Pro. These are big announcements that we'll be talking about for weeks to come because there's a lot of exciting stuff to unpack.
But in the midst of all the excitement, there were a few announcements you may have missed. Did you notice that the Series 5 Apple Watch has 32GB of storage capacity, or that Face ID on the new iPhone 11 and Pro models is faster and can be triggered from a wider variety of angles? As you catch up on what Apple introduced today, here are some things you may have missed.
Apple Watch Series 5 has dynamic watch faces
One of the ways that Apple is able to keep the battery life the same for the Series 5 as it was for the Series 4 is in the improved ambient light sensor, which triggers the watch face to change from a bright face to dark-themed and disables certain power-hogging features, like the second hand on a clock face or the millisecond tracker on the Workout watch face.
With previous models of Apple Watch, if you wanted to see the time, you had to either tap the display or perform this exaggerated wrist rotation to turn on the screen. With Series 5, the watch face stays lit but adjusts depending on your movement. So now, if you're not moving or you put your wrist down, the watch face will switch to a dark theme and dim slightly. You can still see the time and all the info you want on the face, but it isn't super bright and some features automatically disable until you either tap the display or do that exaggerated wrist movement.
Selfie mode on iPhone 11 gets wider
That awesome zoom-out feature that comes along with the iPhone 11 Pro's three-camera system? There's a mini version of it on the front-facing camera of the entire iPhone 11 lineup, too. When you flip your iPhone to landscape mode while the front-facing camera is enabled, it'll automatically zoom out a little, giving you more room to fit you and your friends (or that celebrity you're pretending not to take a picture of) in the frame. You can manually trigger the wide-angle view by tapping the screen, too.
iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are Wif-Fi 6 certified
It may not seem like much to most people, but the new iPhones support the latest and fastest wireless connectivity, 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2x2 MIMO. This means that you'll be able to surf the web faster and use up less battery while you surf. Wi-Fi 6's multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) allows for more data to be transferred at one time. The Wi-Fi Aliance has more details about the speed upgrades over Wi-Fi 5.
Price of iPhone 8 and iPhone XR drop to hecka cheap
We were all glued to the screen when Apple announced the price of the iPhone 11 lineup but did you notice that the iPhone 8 has dropped in price to only $450? We're treading into iPhone SE territory here. If you're trading in an iPhone 7 in good condition, the price drops all the way down to $299.
Though the iPhone 11 replaces the iPhone XR in case size, the XR is still available to purchase and it's also $150 cheaper than it used to be at only $600. If you're trading in an iPhone 6s in good condition, mark that down to only $500. That's for the model iPhone that until today was the latest model iPhone!
Apple Watch Series 5 has a magetometer
It's how the compass app works. With the extra sensor, the Apple Watch can track your elevation, rotation, and everything in between. Not only does it show you True North, but thanks to the Compass API, developers can add magnometer (AKA: digital compas) features to their apps. Night Sky, for example, can show you the stars above (or below) when you raise your wrist. The Yelp app (my favorite use case so far) can help you pinpoint exactly where a business is. So, when you're nearby, but can't seem to find the exact location, use the Yelp app's compass navigation to point you in the right direction.
Video Zoom = audio zoom, too
The microphones on the new iPhone line appear to have a bit of directional functionality. When you zoom in while playing video, the microphone will attempt to isolate the audio coming from the subject you've zoomed in to. When you zoom back out, the microphone will capture all ambient audio in the area.
Apple Watch Series 5 has double the storage capacity
That's right. The fifth-generation Apple Watch comes with 32GB of internal storage. You'll have a hard time maxing out its capacity now. You could practically download movies for offline viewing if that were a possibility.
Face ID works with wider angles
Anyone that's been using Face ID for the past year or two know the woes of not quite being at the proper angle to trigger it to unlock our iPhones. With the iPhone 11 lineup, you don't have to sit up straight in bed or lift your arm over your head just to unlock it. Face ID is a little smarter, supporting more angles. It's also faster!
New software release dates
You'll soon be able to download new software for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. While iOS 13 is set to launch next week, Apple said iOS 13.1 will arrive at the end of this month. Apple didn't mention when macOS Catalina will be available.
Apple ditches 3D Touch
Apple is moving on from 3D Touch — at least in its latest iPhone models. Instead of 3D Touch, the company is opting for Haptic Touch, which was previously introduced with last year's iPhone XR. Think of Apple's Haptic Touch like a long press on Android; it's the same idea with a similar execution.
New fall Apple Watch bands are here
To go with your new Apple Watch Series 5, Apple is releasing several new bands for fall. New this year is a two-tone Sport Loop, which pairs two colors together for a stylish look. You can see every new watchband at the link below.
