Meta has taken a step towards achieving its goal of making Horizon Worlds more accessible by bringing it to the web and to mobile devices. The company has announced that Super Rumble, the first game out of its in-house studio Ouro Interactive, is now available to a small number of mobile users through the Meta Quest app on Android. It's also making its way to the app on iOS devices in the coming weeks, while those who want to play on desktop can access it — or request access to it — through Horizon's official website. 

When Meta launched the first-person shooter, it said that Super Rumble would be one of the first worlds to be available when its new app comes out. It also said that the game will feature cross-platform play, so people can enjoy it with their friends, whether they're also on mobile, the web or a VR headset. It looks like Meta has stayed true to its word. The company also announced that it's rolling out more worlds over the next few months to give people a way to hang out, chat and even enjoy free concerts in the metaverse, regardless of what device they're using. 

Meta explained: "The metaverse should be available to everyone — no matter what device they’re on. And while Quest headsets are the most immersive way to access the metaverse, we believe there should be multiple entry points. Bringing Worlds to more surfaces is a step toward delivering on that vision and opening up the experience to more people."

Since each device has a different interface, though, Meta had to optimize the game's controls like mute and pause for mobile devices and computer. It's unclear how the experiences across platforms differ from each other, but Super Rumble on mobile and the web is still in the testing phase, so players could encounter bugs and other issues.

This week Apple introduced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lines which include the long-awaited switch from the company’s proprietary Lightning Connector to USB-C. And while the move may have been motivated more by EU regulations than a desire to increase usability, having all the major smartphone makers finally using the same port for data and charging is a positive development. Unfortunately, Apple’s transition seems to be bringing some additional confusion to the standard.

Now for those of you familiar with the peculiarities of USB-C, a bit of extra complexity probably doesn’t come as a big surprise. That’s because the USB-C really only refers to the connector itself (as opposed to the traditional boxy USB-A plug or the smaller trapezoidal microUSB jack aka USB Micro-B), while other standards dictate things like data speeds, power delivery and more. The good news is that now that all the big OEMs are using the same port, hopefully the days of asking a friend to borrow an iPhone charging cable or an Android power cord will soon be a thing of the past.

Apple

However, the way Apple is implementing USB-C on the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro is making things trickier. The first issue is that data transfers on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are capped at USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mbps), which is the same as what you get with a Lightning Connector. Meanwhile, Apple lists the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with support for “USB 3” data transfer of up to 10 Gbps, or around 20 times faster.

That’s a huge difference and I’m not sure why Apple limited the iPhone 15s to this degree – especially when you consider all the similarly priced Android phones like the Pixel 7 that feature data speeds of up to 10Gbps. To make matters worse, Apple’s use of “USB 3” to describe transfer rates on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro max doesn’t seem quite right. USB 3.0 (which is not the same thing as USB 3) is supposed to top out at 5 Gbps, which suggests that Apple is actually using USB 3.1 Gen 2 or USB 3.2 Gen 2 on its new phones (both of which go up to 10Gbps) and just labeling it as USB 3 for the sake of simplicity. Confused yet? This is one reason why the USB-IF (the group that governs the USB spec) would prefer for companies to state the data speeds of their devices instead of citing a USB version number.

Apple

On a more practical level, trying to purchase the right cables or adapters for your device might present a challenge. Currently, if you go to Apple’s website, click on the Accessories tab, choose to browse by product (in this case iPhone) and select the section for Power & Cables, you won’t actually find any double-sided USB-C cords on that page. There is a listing for Apple’s new USB-C to Lightning Adapter, which feels a bit pricey at $29, but as for cables, you’re looking at a bunch of USB to Lightning cords which are about to be outdated.

In order to find a cable that you can actually use, you’ll need to head over to the iPad or Mac sections where you can choose between a one-meter double-side USB-C cable for $19 or a longer two-meter option for $29. But even with this cable, things are a bit weird. That’s because the one-meter cord delivers charging speeds at up to 60 watts while the two-meter cable can handle up to 240 watts. That’s plenty given that all versions of the iPhone 15 top out with 27-watt charging. But, both cables only support data transfers of up to “USB 2 rates” aka 480 Mbps. More annoyingly, Apple doesn't offer specs for the wire that comes with the iPhone 15 Pro and it very well might be the same one-meter USB-C Charge Cable that’s capped to USB 2 speeds. That’s not great for anyone buying an iPhone 15 Pro who is basically hamstringing their very expensive handset with a slow bundled cord.

Apple

Furthermore, in the iPhone accessories section, the cheapest first-party USB-C power adapter tops out at 20 watts, which doesn’t take full advantage of the latest iPhone’s charging speeds. That’s a bit of a problem, because like a lot of phones these days, the iPhone 15 doesn’t come with a bundled charging brick. So unless you already have an adapter from a MacBook or iPad Pro, you’ll need to shell out extra for that while trying to figure out the wattage you actually need. It’s also unclear if the iPhone 15 supports USB Power Delivery with PPS (programmable power supply) that allows a device and charger to dynamically adjust voltage to achieve peak speeds and efficiency.

Granted, it’s still early and the iPhone 15 line hasn’t even gone on sale yet, so I’m sure Apple will be rolling out more options to support its latest devices. But for Apple – a company that long prided itself on making devices that just work – the debut of USB-C on the iPhone seems kind of messy.

September typically brings crisper weather and new iPhones, and this year is no different. Apple unveiled the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro today, and as rumors suggested, the company has finally done away with its storied Lightning port in favor of a USB-C connector. While iPhone 15 models now support the Dynamic Island and come in fun colors, the iPhone 15 Pro handsets sport titanium designs and the new A17 Pro processor. Apple also revealed the latest models of its wearable, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, both of which sport an upgraded chipset for better performance. Here's everything you need to know about how to pre-order the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, along with everything else Apple announced today.

Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

The latest iteration of the iPhone looks much the same as the previous model, with the biggest difference being the new USB-C charging port on its bottom edge that replaces the age-old Lightning socket. The USB-C ports support charging and data transfer, and practically, they allow users to power up most of their Apple devices — think MacBooks, iPads and now iPhone — using the same cable.

Another new feature for the base iPhones is Dynamic Island, which was previous only available on the Pro handsets. The floating black-pill section at the top of the iPhones' displays hides the front-facing camera and the FaceID sensor, while also showing things like alerts and animations unique to apps you're using.

Both the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have the same screen sizes as their predecessors: 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively, and they both have Super Retina XDR displays that can reach up to 2,000 nits of brightness. The revamped camera array includes a 48-megapixel main rear camera with a 12MP telephoto lens, plus a TrueDepth front camera. Both models run on Apple's A16 Bionic chipset, the same found in last year's iPhone 14 series, and will support an all-day battery life.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

As with the standard models, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max handsets eschew Lightning in favor of USB-C charging ports. But new for the Pro models only is a titanium design that makes both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max much lighter than their predecessors. Apple claims it managed to shrink the overall dimensions of both handsets without affecting screen size; you'll find a 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 15 Pro and a 6.7-inch screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Another noticeable design change is the new Action button that replaces the side mute toggle switch. Apple essentially made it a more customizable tool on the iPhone, allowing users to pick the action they want associated with a button press. Muting the iPhone remains an option, but you can change it so a button press allow you to quick access to your phone's camera, flashlight, accessibility tools and more.

As far as cameras go, the iPhone 15 Pro models have a 48-megapixel main camera with a larger sensor than that found on the standard iPhone 15 models, and it provides improved low-light performance and the ability to shoot higher resolution photos at different focal lengths. There's also a 12MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom capabilities, which is the most on any iPhone yet. The entire rear array can also capture spatial video, which Apple is billing as a perk for those who want to get the Vision Pro when it becomes available next year.

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on Apple's latest A17 Pro chipset, a new GPU and a dedicated USB controller that's not present on the standard models. The new GPU is noteworthy for its six-core design and hardware-accelerated ray-tracing capabilities, both of which should improve overall gaming experiences on the new iPhones.

Apple Watch Series 9

If you were expecting a lot of changes on the latest Apple Watch, you'll unfortunately be disappointed. The new Apple Watch Series 9 is almost identical to last year's version, but it runs on a new S9 SiP, which is the biggest chipset upgrade for Apple's wearable since 2020. It will provide a general performance boost and things like smoother watchOS 10 animations and quicker Siri request processing. The Series 9 also has a new four-core neural engine that should help process machine learning tasks more quickly, and enable new features like the Double Tap gesture. The Watch will also be able to ping your iPhone and help you find it with on-screen directions and haptic feedback (aka Precision Finding) thanks to the new, built-in ultra wideband chip.

Otherwise, the Series 9 will be available in the familiar sizes, 41mm and 45mm, and come in pink, starlight, silver, midnight and Product Red aluminum case colors.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Similarly to the Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra got an incremental update for 2023. The new model runs on the updated S9 SiP and features all of the perks of the Series 9, including on-device Siri command processing and Precision Finding for iPhone with the new, built-in ultra wideband chip. The externals are mostly the same, but Apple changed the display architecture here so the Ultra 2's screen can hit up to 3,000 nits of brightness. That should make it even easier to view watch faces, complications and more in direct sunlight.

Otherwise, the Ultra 2 is the same GPS + Cellular, 49mm wearable as it was last year, with the biggest screen on any Apple Watch and the longest battery life of any Apple wearable too.

Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C

Apple didn't spend much time talking about the newest version of its Pro earbuds, probably because the major upgrade here is USB-C. The new AirPods Pro have a charging case that now features a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, following the iPhones as another Apple gadget to ditch Lightning entirely. On top of the new connector, the upgraded earbuds will have improved dust resistance and lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro.

Farewell Lightning cable. I will miss you when I inevitably get rid of all my cables, only to forget my MacBook wireless keyboard and trackpad still need you. Yes, the iPhone is going USB-C for 2023. That’s true across the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. And AirPods Pro.

Apple

Apple hasn’t changed the screen sizes of this year’s iPhones. The base iPhone 15 and the Pro have 6.1-inch displays, while the Plus and Pro Max have 6.7-inch screens. All the 2023 family now get the dynamic island display cutout that debuted on last year’s iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 15 hardware has an all-new design with rounded edges. Apple has introduced a new camera system to the iPhone 15, which includes a 48MP main camera, but the most impressive imaging upgrades are just for the Pro phones.

Touching on the most-specced out device, thePro Max differentiates itself with some heady camera upgrades I’m very excited to try. You’ll get a 5x telephoto zoom lens with a 120mm focal length equivalent — a substantial jump from 3x zoom of the iPhone 15 Pro (and last year’s models). Apparently, this was achieved withtetraprisms.

On the side of the iPhone 15 Pro, there’s a new Action button that replaces the old Mute switch. This allows users to quickly access features like the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos and more. You can also configure it to activate your own shortcuts, with a new press-and-hold gesture, featuring haptic feedback and visual cues from the Dynamic Island, to ensure you know when a command goes through.

Both Pro phones will get a newA17 Pro chip, capable of ray tracing graphics, and Apple is teasing that AAA games, like Death Stranding, Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage (more on that one below), will come to the iPhone 15, running natively.

We’ve got more highlights from the event below.

— Mat Smith

You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Apple unveils the A17 Pro, a 3nm chip powering the iPhone 15 Pro

Apple discontinues the iPhone 13 mini, its last small phone worth owning

Apple is ditching leather

JackRabbit’s XG e-bike adds more range, power, fun and expense

Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 can handle Siri requests without your iPhone

The S9 chip and neural engine provide more power and longer battery life.

Engadget

Apple revealedtwo new watches this year. The Series 9 features overall performance boosts and a new processor, the S9 chip, which promises 18-hour battery life. Apple has also added a gesture to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2:Double Tap. This lets you control various system functions by tapping your thumb and index finger together twice quickly. You can use Double Tap to answer or end calls, snooze alarms, play / pause music or start and stop timers.

The hardware might not be entirely game-changing, but the software is shaping up to offer a more usable interface than ever before, at least according to my time so far with the beta version. The premiumApple Watch Ultra 2 offers a brighter screen (3,000 nits!) and, according to Apple, will top out at 36 hours of battery life on one charge.

Continue reading.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage preview

A throwback in the best of ways.

Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is blessedly billed as a return to the series’ leaner early days, when Ubisoft was restricted by PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 hardware. After a few hours of hands-on time across three sections of the new game, it feels like that’s the case. Mirage largely takes place in ninth-century Baghdad, a couple of centuries before the Holy Land setting of the original Assassin’s Creed, but around the same time as AC Valhalla (Mirage protagonist Basim made his first appearance in that game). Assassin’s Creed Mirage will arrive on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 5.

Continue reading.

iOS 17 lands as a free update on September 18

If you bought an iPhone after 2018.

The latest iPhone software update will be available next week, on Monday, September 18. The public preview for iOS 17 has been available since June and has already shown off a number of design refinements, which Apple recapped during its keynote. Those include user-definable outgoing call screens, so you can pick what people see when you call them, and an option to send incoming calls to voicemail and read a transcription of them instead. Users will also be able to send quick voice or video messages if someone doesn’t pick up their FaceTime calls. You can see our in-depthiOS 17 preview right here.

Continue reading.

Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 could be the cable upgrade we’ve been waiting for

The single PC cable dream lives on!

Up to three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4. Support for multiple 8K displays, as well as gaming monitors running at up to 540Hz. And 240 watts of charging power. These are key features of Thunderbolt 5, Intel’s latest stab at creating the ultimate PC cable. Great, so my iPhone USB-C cable is already going to be defunct in a year or two…

Continue reading.

​​

Fresh off of Apple’s “Wanderlust” event, Devindra and Engadget Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman dive into the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and the Apple Watch Series 9. We explain why Apple’s move towards USB-C on the iPhones has been a long time coming, and why we’re excited about even more emergency satellite calling capabilities. And while the Apple Watch Series 9 looks like a worthwhile upgrade, we’re more intrigued by the new double tap finger gesture.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Subscribe!

• iTunes

• Spotify

• Pocket Casts

• Stitcher

• Google Podcasts

Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Dana Wollman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Apple announced both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro during today's "Wonderlust" keynote event. Some of the numerousrumors about the new handsets have been confirmed, while others, like the possibility of an iPhone Ultra, didn't materialize. Like in years past, Apple reserved its newest mobile chip for the Pro model (giving last year's Pro-level chip to the new standard iPhone). The A17 Pro is the first "Pro" chip for an iPhone and sports 19 billion transistors. Apple claims its two performance cores are 10 percent faster than last years's A16.

The long-hoped-for conversion to USB-C charging has been confirmed for all models of the iPhone 15, but the Pro got a few perks that the standard model isn't getting such as the Action Button. Formerly the mute toggle, the button can be programed to quickly activate the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos, or your own Shortcuts. The new titanium case, fused to an internal aluminum frame makes this the lightest iPhone Pro yet.   

It starts at $999 which is actually the same price as the iPhone 14 Pro, and you can pre-order it on Friday. Before you dive in, you may want to take a moment to compare it to other high-end handsets on the market. Here's a side-by-side comparison highlighting how the specs of the new iPhone 15 Pro compare to Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google's Pixel 7 Pro.  

Apple iPhone 15 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.

Apple's 2023 iPhone event came and went almost in the blink of an eye. As always, the company had a bunch of new devices to show off during the "Wonderlust" showcase but thanks to long-standing rumors, there weren't too many major surprises. 

On the phone front, we have the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. There's no new iPhone SE just yet, unfortunately, while the rumored iPhone Ultra may join the lineup next year. Though it was widely expected, the biggest news is that Apple has ditched the Lightning port across the entire iPhone 15 lineup. USB-C is the way of things now. 

Elsewhere, we have an Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, along with AirPods that have a USB-C port in the charging case. In addition, we learned just when iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma will arrive. 

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

Apple

As mentioned, Apple is sending the Lightning port sailing into the sunset. After gradually phasing out the port in favor of USB-C on iPad over the last few years, the company is making a more immediate switch with the iPhone 15 lineup. The European Union has forced Apple's hand here, due to legislation that requires mobile devices sold in the bloc to have a USB-C charging port. 

On the downside, that means the collection of Lightning cables, dongles and accessories you've amassed over the years will become less useful. On the other hand, there should be far greater compatibility of cables and other devices with the latest iPhones. It'll probably be easier for you to find a charging cable when you need one — the same cable can power up your Mac, iPad, iPhone or new AirPods Pro case. Those who still plug their phones into computers may be pleased, since USB-C data transfer rates are far faster than what Lightning cables are capable of. In a pinch, you can also charge your AirPods case or Apple Watch from your phone.

Apple hasn't changed the screen sizes of this year's iPhones. The base iPhone 15 and the Pro have 6.1-inch displays, while the Plus and Pro Max have 6.7-inch screens. 

The iPhone 15 has an all-new design with rounded edges, Apple said. The most obvious consequence of that is the dynamic island that debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro is coming to this year's entire lineup. There's a 2,000-nit Super Retina XDR display in the iPhone 15 that's twice as bright as the one on the iPhone 14. You'll get up to 1,600 nits of brightness while viewing Dolby Vision video and other HDR photos and videos.

Apple has introduced a new camera system to the iPhone 15 that includes a 48MP main camera, an ultrawide lens and TrueDepth front camera. With the rear cameras, you'll be able to take more details "next-generation portraits," Apple says. You won't have to manually switch to portrait mode either, since the phone's machine leaning capabilities will be able to tell when you're focusing on a person, according to Apple. You can even switch the focus to a different person after the fact when you're editing the image.

The iPhone 15 runs on the same A16 chip as the iPhone 14 Pro and it has a second-gen ultra wideband chip. Apple says the latter can help you find your friends' exact location when you're looking for them in a crowded place. The company also claims that the latest iPhone does a better job of filtering out background noise on calls.

If you're in a remote location and need roadside assistance, satellite connectivity can help you contact who you need to. You'll be able to use satellite connectivity to contact first responders in an emergency too.

The iPhone 15 is available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black. It starts at $799 and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899. Pre-orders start on September 15. Both phones will arrive in stores on September 22.

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

Apple

Apple has a significant change in store with the iPhone 15 Pro designs this year too: a titanium body for durability. That also makes these the lightest iPhone Pro models to date. Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro has the thinnest screen borders of any iPhone as well. Another interesting thing to note is that Apple says an updated internal architecture makes the device more repairable. 

Perhaps of more interest to many folks, however, is the introduction of an Action button on an iPhone for the first time. You can think of it as an upgraded mute switch. While you can still use it to put your phone in silent mode, you simply hold it down to activate Action button mode. 

As is the case on the Apple Watch Ultra, you can customize the Action button. You might set it to launch the camera app instantly, activate a voice recording, turn on an accessibility function or even trigger a shortcut. 

A new A17 Pro chip powers the latest iPhone Pro models. It's a 3nm chipset that has 19 billion transistors. It has a six-core CPU with two high-performances cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with a six-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray-tracing that's four times faster than before, Apple claims. 

There's also a 16-core neural engine on the A17 Pro, along with dedicated ProRes engines, support for an always-on display. Video streaming should get an upgrade too, thanks to an AV1 video decoder. All of that power means that the iPhone 15 Pro can natively run modern AAA games such as Assassin's Creed Mirage, Death Stranding and Resident Evil Village.

As for the iPhone 15 Pro's camera system, that can capture 3D spatial videos that will be compatible with Apple Vision Pro headsets. What's more, if you opt for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you'll get a 5x telephoto zoom lens with a 120mm focal length equivalent.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max start at $999 and $1,199, respectively. Pre-orders open this Friday (September 15), and the phones will ship on September 22. We'll have a full review soon, but for now you can read some first impressions from Engadget's Deputy Reviews Editor, Cherlynn Low, who was on the ground in Cupertino on Tuesday.

Apple Watch Series 9

Apple

The major change in the Apple Watch Series 9 is an upgraded chipset. The S9 chip has 5.6 billion transistors and a GPU that Apple says is 30 percent faster than before. There's a four-core neural engine and machine learning capabilities that are up to twice as fast on those seen in the Series 8. 

These power more advanced Siri experiences, Apple says. Siri requests are now processed on-device, which should make them faster as Apple won't need to send them to the cloud and back. You'll be able to log and ask for health data with Siri too.

There's a second-gen ultra wideband chip to help you find a misplaced iPhone with more precision (as long as the phone has that chip too). The display reaches 2,000 nits, making it twice as bright as the Series 8 and as bright as the Apple Watch Ultra. The brightness can also drop as low as one nit, which should be useful for when you're at the movies and don't want to bother other people with the always-on display.

On top of that, Apple is introducing a new gesture called Double Tap. By tapping your thumb and index finger together twice, you'll carry out the primary action in an app — answering or ending a call, playing or pausing a song, stopping a timer and so on. The S9 chip's neural engine powers Double Tap (so don't expect to see it on earlier models) and the feature will be available in October. This builds on accessibility features that have been available on Apple Watch for some time.

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 for a GPS model and $499 if you want cellular connectivity. You can pre-order the new wearable today. It will ship on September 22. Cherlynn got hands-on with the two new watches, too — read her preview here.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the same S9 SIP, Double Tap, on-device Siri and ultra wideband features as the Series 9. It has the same battery life as the first Ultra (up to 36 hours and 72 on low-power mode). That's despite having a far brighter display.

The screen is 50 percent brighter than the previous model at 3,000 nits. An ambient light sensor will be able to automatically switch the display to night mode.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799 for GPS and cellular connectivity. Pre-orders go live today and it will ship on September 22.

Software

Apple

Those of you who aren't convinced about getting the latest iPhone or Apple Watch won't miss out on all the new stuff entirely. More features are coming to recent iPhones and Watches thanks to iOS 17 and watchOS 10, both of which will drop on September 18. 

That's not all, though. Apple has announced that iPadOS 17 and tvOS 17 will arrive on September 18 as well. As for those of you with an Apple desktop or laptop, you can upgrade your operating system to macOS Sonoma on September 26.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.

Apple's 2023 iPhone event came and went almost in the blink of an eye. As always, the company had a bunch of new devices to show off during the "Wonderlust" showcase but thanks to long-standing rumors, there weren't too many major surprises. 

On the phone front, we have the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. There's no new iPhone SE just yet, unfortunately, while the rumored iPhone Ultra may join the lineup next year. Though it was widely expected, the biggest news is that Apple has ditched the Lightning port across the entire iPhone 15 lineup. USB-C is the way of things now.

Elsewhere, we have an Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, along with AirPods that have a USB-C port in the charging case. In addition, we learned just when iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma will arrive. 

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

Apple

As mentioned, Apple is sending the Lightning port sailing into the sunset. After gradually phasing out the port in favor of USB-C on iPad over the last few years, the company is making a more immediate switch with the iPhone 15 lineup. The European Union has forced Apple's hand here, due to legislation that requires mobile devices sold in the bloc to have a USB-C charging port. 

On the downside, that means the collection of Lightning cables, dongles and accessories you've amassed over the years will become less useful. On the other hand, there should be far greater compatibility of cables and other devices with the latest iPhones. It'll probably be easier for you to find a charging cable when you need one — the same cable can power up your Mac, iPad, iPhone or new AirPods Pro case. Those who still plug their phones into computers may be pleased, since USB-C data transfer rates are far faster than what Lightning cables are capable of. In a pinch, you can also charge your AirPods case of Apple Watch from your phone.

Apple hasn't changed the screen sizes of this year's iPhones. The base iPhone 15 and the Pro have 6.1-inch displays, while the Plus and Pro Max have 6.7-inch screens. 

The iPhone 15 has an all-new design with rounded edges, Apple said. The most obvious consequence of that is the dynamic island that debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro is coming to this year's entire lineup. There's a 2,000-nit Super Retina XDR display in the iPhone 15 that's twice as bright as the one on the iPhone 14. You'll get up to 1,600 nits of brightness while viewing Dolby Vision video and other HDR photos and videos.

Apple has introduced a new camera system to the iPhone 15 that includes a 48MP main camera, an ultrawide lens and TrueDepth front camera. With the rear cameras, you'll be able to take more details "next-generation portraits," Apple says. You won't have to manually switch to portrait mode either, since the phone's machine leaning capabilities will be able to tell when you're focusing on a person, according to Apple. You can even switch the focus to a different person after the fact when you're editing the image.

The iPhone 15 runs on the same A16 chip as the iPhone 14 Pro and it has a second-gen ultra wideband chip. Apple says the latter can help you find your friends' exact location when you're looking for them in a crowded place. The company also claims that the latest iPhone does a better job of filtering out background noise on calls.

If you're in a remote location and need roadside assistance, satellite connectivity can help you contact who you need to. You'll be able to use satellite connectivity to contact first responders in an emergency too.

The iPhone 15 is available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black. It starts at $799 and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899. Pre-orders start on September 15. Both phones will arrive in stores on September 22.

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

Apple

Apple has a significant change in store with the iPhone 15 Pro designs this year too: a titanium body for durability. That also makes these the lightest iPhone Pro models to date. Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro has the thinnest screen borders of any iPhone as well. Another interesting thing to note is that Apple says an updated internal architecture makes the device more repairable. 

Perhaps of more interest to many folks, however, is the introduction of an Action button on an iPhone for the first time. You can think of it as an upgraded mute switch. While you can still use it to put your phone in silent mode, you simply hold it down to activate Action button mode. 

As is the case on the Apple Watch Ultra, you can customize the Action button. You might set it to launch the camera app instantly, activate a voice recording, turn on an accessibility function or even trigger a shortcut. 

A new A17 Pro chip powers the latest iPhone Pro models. It's a 3nm chipset that has 19 billion transistors. It has a six-core CPU with two high-performances cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with a six-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray-tracing that's four times faster than before, Apple claims. 

There's also a 16-core neural engine on the A17 Pro, along with dedicated ProRes engines, support for an always-on display. Video streaming should get an upgrade too, thanks to an AV1 video decoder. All of that power means that the iPhone 15 Pro can natively run modern AAA games such as Assassin's Creed Mirage, Death Stranding and Resident Evil Village.

As for the iPhone 15 Pro's camera system, that can capture 3D spatial videos that will be compatible with Apple Vision Pro headsets. What's more, if you opt for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you'll get a 5x telephoto zoom lens with a 120mm focal length equivalent.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max start at $999 and $1,199, respectively. Pre-orders open this Friday (September 15), and the phones will ship on September 22.

Apple Watch Series 9

Apple

The major change in the Apple Watch Series 9 is an upgraded chipset. The S9 chip has 5.6 billion transistors and a GPU that Apple says is 30 percent faster than before. There's a four-core neural engine and machine learning capabilities that are up to twice as fast on those seen in the Series 8. 

These power more advanced Siri experiences, Apple says. Siri requests are now processed on-devicem which should make them faster as Apple doesn't need to send them to the cloud and back. You'll be able to log and ask for health data with Siri too.

There's a second-gen ultra wideband chip to help you find a misplaced iPhone with more precision (as long as the phone has that chip too). The display reaches 2,000 nits, making it twice as bright as the Series 8 and as bright as the Apple Watch Ultra. The brightness can also drop as low as one nit, which should be useful for when you're at the movies and don't want to bother other people with the always-on display.

On top of that, Apple is introducing a new gesture called Double Tap. By tapping your thumb and index finger together twice, you'll carry out the primary action in an app — answering or ending a call, playing or pausing a song, stopping a timer and so on. The S9 chip's neural engine powers Double Tap (so don't expect to see it on earlier models) and the feature will be available in October. This builds on accessibility features that have been available on Apple Watch for some time.

The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 for a GPS model and $499 if you want cellular connectivity. You can pre-order the new wearable today. It will ship on September 22.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the same S9 SIP, Double Tap, on-device Siri and ultra wideband features as the Series 9. It has the same battery life as the first Ultra (up to 36 hours and 72 on low-power mode). That's despite having a far brighter display.

The screen is 50 percent brighter than the previous model at 3,000 nits. An ambient light sensor will be able to automatically switch the display to night mode.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799 for GPS and cellular connectivity. Pre-orders go live today and it will ship on September 22.

Software

Apple

Those of you who aren't convinced about getting the latest iPhone or Apple Watch won't miss out on all the new stuff entirely. More features are coming to recent iPhones and Watches thanks to iOS 17 and watchOS 10, both of which will drop on September 18. 

That's not all, though. Apple has announced that iPadOS 17 and tvOS 17 will arrive on September 18 as well. As for those of you with an Apple desktop or laptop, you can upgrade your operating system to macOS Sonoma on September 26.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.

After the usual flurry of rumors, we now know exactly what Apple is packing into the new iPhone 15. We also know models start at $799 and are up for pre-order starting this Friday with availability on September 22. The headline feature is the charging port: now all iPhone 15 models have USB-C instead of the old Lightning port (thanks, European Union). Other changes include the introduction of the Dynamic Island, previously reserved for Apple's Pro-level handsets only. Around back, the dual cameras incorporate a 48MP lens and a 12MP telephoto cam with a 2x optical zoom. And now Portrait Mode is enabled automatically, letting you apply the effect later, or not at all. It's all powered by the A16 Bionic chip, previously found in the iPhone 14 Pro models of the previous generation. 

If you're intrigued by that USB-C port and are in the market for a new iPhone, you may want to compare Apple's newest handset to the latest, most similar models: Samsung's Galaxy S23 and Google's Pixel 7. Here's a side-by-side comparison of all three of the major flagship phones: 

Apple iPhone 15 vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Google Pixel 7 

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.

The writing was on the wall for the iPhone mini series last year, when Apple went to a bigger Plus size of the iPhone 14 instead of the mini model it offered for the iPhone 12 and 13. But now, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 13 mini entirely, a tough blow for those of us who like smaller phones. 

First introduced in the fall of 2020, the iPhone 12 mini had the same specs as the bigger iPhone 12 but with a smaller battery and smaller 5.4-inch screen. People who love small phones rejoiced, as it's been increasingly difficult to buy a phone with a screen less than 6 inches — but analysts were quickly stating that iPhone 12 mini sales were not up to par. Apple still released an iPhone 13 mini in 2021, but last year decided that a bigger phone made more sense. 

The iPhone 13 mini stuck around for another year, but now has been stricken from the portfolio. The iPhone SE remains as a relatively compact device, but with a much smaller and lower-quality display than the mini offered. Maybe tastes will shift and we'll come back around to a time when a smaller phone is in demand, but my guess is it won't happen any time soon. 

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.