Apple has unveiled a iPhone 15 Pro with a titanium case and faster chip that enables better cameras and mobile gaming, moves designed to respond to a global smartphone slump.
The new line-up includes iPhone 15 starting at $US799 ($1244, although Apple says it will cost from $1499 in Australia) and iPhone 15 Plus starting at $US899.
Apple chose not to raise prices during a tough period globally for smartphone sales.
For the Pro series, prices start at $US999 and the Pro Max at $US1199, the same prices as last year for the same levels of storage, available starting on September 22.
Both the Pro and other iPhone 15 models will have a brighter display and a 48-megapixel camera as well as 100 per cent recycled cobalt in their batteries.
Apple said the iPhone 15’s satellite connectivity could now be used to summon roadside assistance.
Apple said that USB-C charging cables – as the tech giant moves towards European Union rules on cable standardisation – were coming to its iPhone 15 and the charging case of its AirPods Pro devices, allowing the use of the same charging cables already used for iPads and Macs.
It will feature the same A16 Bionic chip inside that previously formed the brains of the iPhone 14 Pro.
Wednesday’s event at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters came amid lingering economic uncertainty, especially in China, Apple’s third-largest market. It faces challenges from expanded restrictions on using its iPhones in Chinese government offices and the first new flagship phone in several years from Huawei.
The announcements largely met expectations and shares were down 1.7 per cent after the first hour of the event.
Apple said the iPhone 15 Pro Max – the largest phone the company makes – will have a new camera lens with a longer optical zoom than previous models.
The lenses uses a series of prisms to emulate the performance of a longer lens.
Apple also said that the USB-C connector on iPhone 15 Pro models will allow videographers to record high-quality video directly to an external hard drive, making it easier to use the phone as a professional video camera.
Apple also said the iPhone 15 Pro can capture what it calls “spatial videos” by using two of the device’s cameras to capture a three-dimensional video.
Those videos will be viewable on Apple’s Vision Pro headset that is due out early next year, marketing chief Greg Joswiak said.
An Apple executive said the company used machine learning to detect a person in the frame, allowing users to turn a picture into a portrait immediately or later in the Photos app.
Apple also showed off a new Series 9 Watch with a feature called “double tap”. It allows users to tap their thumb and finger together twice, without touching the watch, to perform tasks such as answering a phone call.
It uses machine learning to detect tiny changes in blood flow when the user taps their fingers together, freeing up the other hand for other tasks like walking a dog or holding a cup of coffee, Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams said.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has features for cycling and diving and what Apple said is the brightest screen it has made.
The Series 9 starts at $US399 and the Ultra 2 watch at $US799. They will be available on September 22.
Apple will no longer use leather in any of its products, the company’s environmental chief Lisa Jackson said.
The company is replacing some of those products with a textile called “FineWoven” that it said felt like suede.