Skip to main content

The 5 biggest announcements from Apple’s September 2019 event

The 5 biggest announcements from Apple’s September 2019 event

/

From Apple TV Plus pricing to ‘slofies,’ here’s what you missed

Share this story

Apple’s big hardware event for 2019 has wrapped, and, as expected, it brought a bounty of exciting announcements. Of course, the iPhone 11 happened — and, yes, a version is really called the iPhone 11 Pro Max — but there were a bunch of other good moments that are worth talking about.

If you weren’t able to follow along with this year’s Apple fall hardware event or if you just want to relive it again, you can read the live blog to see the moments unfold as they happened or check out this brief recap on the biggest announcements.

Apple TV Plus one-year trial comes with every Apple device purchase

Apple TV Plus, the company’s original streaming service, will launch on November 1st. Apple also announced that it will cost $4.99 per month, sitting two dollars below the monthly cost of Disney+.

Another big surprise is that Apple will include a year-long subscription to Apple TV Plus for free if you buy a new Apple product, including new iPads, iPhones, laptops, or desktops.

The upgraded seventh-gen iPad has a 10.2-inch display

Apple announced an update for its budget iPad, and the new seventh-generation model is 10.2 inches, moving up from the standard 9.7-inch display size.

This model starts at the same price, $329, but it has a few improvements over the last-generation iPad. The seventh-generation model has an A10 Bionic processor, which originally debuted in the iPhone 7. It also has a Smart Connector, which will come in handy if you want to purchase one of Apple’s magnetically attachable Smart Keyboards.

Apple Watch Series 5 has an always-on display

The new Apple Watch Series 5 doesn’t look much different than last year’s model, but it houses a few new tricks inside. Most notably, it’s the first Apple Watch to support the always-on display function.

Instead of limiting what’s shown on the display to extend battery life, like most other smartwatches, the Series 5 dims the brightness, but it retains all of the same visuals you’d normally see while using it. It also has the same 18-hour battery life as the Series 4, which is an impressive feat.

The Series 5 costs $399 for the GPS model and $499 for the GPS + LTE model, so they’re the same prices as before. However, it’s the first Apple Watch to release with ceramic and titanium finishes, the prices of which weren’t shared onstage, so expect them to be pricey.

iPhone 11 improves on the XR in every way, costs $699

The iPhone 11 is the successor to the iPhone XR, and it features a 6.1-inch LCD display and Apple’s new A13 Bionic processor and GPU. It will debut at $699, which is $50 less than the iPhone XR debuted at last year.

The iPhone 11 has a dual-camera system, and one of the highlights of the iPhone 11 (which is also coming to all of the new iPhones) is the slow-mo selfie videos. Apple is calling them “slofies,” and they look amazing.

iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max: they’re here

The new iPhone headliners are the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Each has a three-camera system, complete with a telephoto, ultra-wide, and regular lenses. Apple touted that each of the three cameras is capable of shooting in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, and an onstage demo showed that upcoming software can record different subjects through each lens. My colleague Chris Welch wrote more about what these cameras might be capable of, if you’re interested in mobile photography.

The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch OLED, and the Pro Max has a 6.5-inch OLED. Both feature an impressive 1,200 nits of brightness. Like the iPhone 11, these phones have the new A13 Bionic processor and GPU. It will be available in four colors, and the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999.

The Verge on YouTube /

Exclusive first looks at new tech, reviews, and shows like In the Making.

Subscribe!