Apple, at its Glowtime event on Tuesday, announced the launch of new accessories including the Apple Watch Series 10 and two new AirPods 4 models. Further, new colour options for Apple Watch Ultra 2 and AirPods Max were also announced alongside new features for users’ hearing health in AirPods Pro. New straps for the Apple Watch series were also launched.
Apple Watch Series 10: Price, Features
Apple Watch Series 10 will be available starting September 20 and can be pre-ordered today. Its pricing is as follows:
Aluminium models:
- Rs 46,900 42mm GPS
- Rs 56,900 42mm GPS + Cellular
- Rs 49,900 46mm GPS
- Rs 59,900 46mm GPS + Cellular
Titanium models:
- Rs 79,900 42mm GPS + Cellular
- Rs 84,900 46mm GPS + Cellular
Apple Watch Series 10 is available in aluminium and titanium, in various colours and finishes. Jet black is a new polished aluminium finish that is distinctively reflective and sleek, while new titanium cases are available in natural, gold, and slate. Apple Watch Series 10 is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes. Apple Watch Hermès is available in 42mm and 46mm sizes in silver titanium and is designed to match the stainless steel of previous generations.
Apple Watch Series 10 is nearly 10 percent thinner than Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Series 9 while offering features like 18-hour runtime. The metal back integrates the Antenna into the device’s housing, combining the two layers into one.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by Apple’s new S10 SiP, paired with a built-in 4-core Neural Engine allowing for intelligent features including the double tap gesture, on-device Siri, dictation, and automatic workout detection; important safety features such as Crash Detection and Fall Detection; and the updated Smart Stack, the redesigned Photos face, and the Translate app in watchOS 11.
The Watch also gets a bigger display, offering up to 30 percent more active screen area than Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6, and up to 9 percent more than Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Series 9. This improves readability and usability: In apps like Messages, Mail, or News, users can see an additional line of text or increase the font size without sacrificing content. The larger display also makes it easier to type a message, pause a workout, or enter a passcode.
Watch series 10 is the first Apple watch to sport a wide-angle OLED display, which optimizes each Pixel to emit more light at wider angles. As a result, the display is up to 40 percent brighter than Series 9 when viewed from an angle, making it easier to read at a glance. The wide-angle OLED display is also more power efficient, enabling a faster Refresh Rate when the Apple Watch is in always-on mode, going from once a minute to once a second. As a result, users can now see a ticking second hand without raising their wrists on select watch faces.
The new metal back integrates a larger and more efficient charging coil, making Series 10 the fastest-charging Apple Watch ever.
Furthermore, Apple Watch now offers a feature to help identify signs of sleep apnea. The watch uses the Accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, tracked by a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances.
The new sleep apnea algorithm analyzes breathing disturbance data, so Apple Watch can notify a user if the data indicates consistent signs of sleep apnea. The notification will include the time period when potential sleep apnea occurred and educational materials on the importance of seeking treatment. It will also include a PDF providing three months of breathing disturbance data, notification details, and additional information to reference during a conversation with a healthcare provider.
According to the company, the sleep apnea detection feature is expected to receive marketing authorization from the FDA and other global health authorities soon. Sleep apnea notifications will be available in over 150 countries and regions this month, including the U.S., the EU, and Japan.
Next, the Apple Watch Series 10 gets a depth gauge and water temperature sensor. The former can measure down to 6 meters beneath the water’s surface, and the new water temperature sensor measures the temperature of the water once the Apple Watch has been submerged.
The watch runs on watchOS 11, with support for the new Vitals app, a Training load feature, even more, customisable activity rings, and additional support for the Oceanic+ app with new snorkelling features. Audio can now be played back through the built-in speaker on Apple Watch Series 10. Just like with phone calls, users can listen to audio from a range of apps, including Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books, and third-party apps.
Apple Watch Series 10 also uses a new voice isolation neural network running on the 4-core Neural Engine to suppress background noise during phone or FaceTime audio calls.
Apple Watch Ultra 2: Now available in Black Titanium
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is now available in a new Black Titanium shade and will be available from September 20. It costs Rs 89,900, while the model with the new Titanium Milanese Loop Band costs Rs 1,04,900.
The new Titanium Milanese Loop is the first metal band for Apple Watch Ultra, inspired by mesh historically used by divers and stylish enough for any occasion. Running on watchOS 11, there’s also an all-new Apple Watch Hermès Ultra 2 which combines the durability and features of Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a nautically inspired watch band and an exclusive Hermès watch face.
Apple AirPods 4, AirPods 4 ANC: Price, Features, Availability
The AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 ANC will be available starting September 20 via Apple stores both offline and online. Customers can now pre-order the AirPods 4 for Rs 12,900 and the AirPods 4 with ANC for Rs 17,900.
AirPods 4 feature an entirely new acoustic architecture, low-distortion driver, and high dynamic range amplifier. They also add Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for the most immersive media experience. With the H2 chip, AirPods 4 support features like Voice Isolation and Siri Interactions, allowing users to simply nod their heads yes or gently shake their heads no to respond to Siri announcements.
For even more control, AirPods 4 also feature a new force sensor on the stem to play or pause media and mute or end calls with a quick press. Thanks to the H2 chip, AirPods 4 also low wireless audio Latency and excellent voice quality for gamers when they are chatting with teammates and other players, including support for 16-bit, 48kHz audio.
The charging case of the AirPods 4 now offers USB-C charging and is more than 10 percent smaller in volume than its predecessor — all while still delivering up to 30 hours of battery life. In addition to a USB-C charging cable, customers that choose AirPods 4 with ANC can charge using an Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger, and at just 50mm wide, “the charging case is the smallest in the industry with wireless charging capabilities,” as per Apple.
The ANC model of AirPods 4 brings Active Noise Cancellation for the first time to AirPods with an open-ear design. AirPods 4 with ANC also introduces intelligent features like Transparency mode to keep users aware of their environment; Adaptive Audio, which dynamically blends Transparency mode and ANC based on the conditions of a user’s environment; and Conversation Awareness, which lowers the user’s media volume when they start speaking to someone nearby. Apart from these, the rest of the specs of the two AirPods 4 models remain the same.
AirPods Max: New Colours, USB-C support
AirPods Max headphones are now available in five new colours: midnight, starlight, blue, orange, and purple. Additionally, they feature USB-C charging capabilities, instead of Apple’s lightning port.
Customers can now pre-order AirPods Max with USB-C charging for Rs 59,900, with availability beginning from September 20.
AirPods Pro 2: New Health Features
The AirPods Pro 2 are gaining new hearing health features, including Hearing Protection. The ear tips of the AirPods Pro help to provide passive noise reduction, while the H2 chip helps to actively reduce louder, more intermittent noise at 48,000 times per second. On by default, across all listening modes, Hearing Protection is helpful in various loud settings. Plus, there’s an all-new multiband high dynamic range algorithm, so sounds at live events like concerts remain natural and vibrant.
Apple is also introducing a scientifically validated Hearing Test feature with AirPods Pro and a compatible iPhone or iPad, allowing users to quickly check their hearing from the comfort of their home in minutes.
AirPods Pro also adds an innovative, over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss. Using the personalized hearing profile from the Hearing Test, this new feature transforms AirPods Pro into a clinical-grade hearing aid. After setup, the feature enables personalized dynamic adjustments so users can boost the sounds around them in real-time. This first-of-its-kind software-based hearing aid feature gives users the ability to fine-tune their experience at any time, says Apple.
After taking the Hearing Test, users can also use their hearing profile to personalize the AirPods Pro listening experience.
The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorization from global health authorities soon and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, and Japan.
The new hearing health features will be available this fall for AirPods Pro 2 customers in a free software update when paired with iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18. AirPods Pro 2 can be bought for Rs 24,900 in India.