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Everything Apple announced during its ‘Gather round’ iPhone XS/XR & Apple Watch event

Chance Miller | Sep 12 2018 - 8:03 pm PT

After months of rumors and leaks, Apple today officially unveiled its 2018 iPhone lineup, as well as the Apple Watch Series 4. As always during an Apple event day, it was easy to become overwhelmed by the constant flow of news coming out of Steve Jobs Theater.

Read on as we recap everything Apple announced today.

Apple Watch Series 4

The first device unveiled today was the Apple Watch Series 4. While we already knew the device would feature a larger display, Apple had a handful of other tricks up its sleeve.

First and foremost, the Apple Watch Series 4 features what Apple says is a 30 percent larger display. With this display, Apple is showcasing a handful of new watch faces that show more information and stretch all the way to the edges of the display.

Apple also says the body of the Apple Watch is slightly thinner, with (almost) the same 18-hour, all-day battery life. The Digital Crown has been updated to add support for haptic feedback, which means as you scroll through lists, you’ll feel a slightly feedback as you move through each item.

In terms of health features, the Apple Watch Series 4 is a huge upgrade compares to its predecessor. There’s ECG support for measuring electrical activity of the heart, irregular heart rate detection, and fall detection – which calls emergency services if you suffer a severe fall.

Pricing starts at $399 for the GPS model and $499 for the cellular. Preorders start September 14th, available September 21st.

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Need a supercut of the iPhone Xs event? Check it out below!

iPhone Xs & iPhone Xs Max

Apple executive Phil Schiller then took the stage to announce two new iPhone models: the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max.

Both the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max feature improvements to water resistance, touting IP68 certification. The glass design has also been updated to be far more durable (at least according to Apple.)

Elsewhere, the iPhone Xs Max features a massive 6.5-inch display with a 2688×1242 resolution at 458 pixels-per-inch. Because of this larger display, the iPhone Xs Max supports landscape two-column applications like the iPhone 8 Plus and other ‘Plus’ model devices.

In terms of internal upgrades, the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max are powered by A12 Bionic processors, the first 7nm processor. There’s an upgraded 8-core Neural Engine.

The camera tech has also been updated with improved True Tone flash, a larger sensor in the 12MP wide camera, and a faster sensor in the 7MP front-facing camera. On the software-side of the camera, both the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max support blur adjustment – which allows adjustments to Portrait Mode after the image has been taken.

Last but certainly not least, the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max supports dual-SIM technology using eSIM across the world. In China, eSIM is not supported, so the SIM tray supports two physical SIM cards instead.

iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max up for pre-order on September 14 and shipping September 21. iPhone Xs starts at $999, and iPhone Xs Max starts at $1099, and things get really expensive from there with the introduction of a new 512GB model.

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iPhone XR

Apple rounded out the event by introducing the colorful and somewhat more affordable iPhone XR. This device serves as the cheapest way to get the iPhone X-design, and comes in 6 new colors.

The iPhone XR features an LCD display with a 1792×828 resolution with True Tone Technology – which Apple is calling ‘Liquid Retina.’ The display, however, lacks 3D Touch, with Apple instead opting for a long-press ‘Haptic Touch’ feature.

On the rear of the device is a single lens camera setup, which uses software technology to create Portrait Mode images like the dual-lens iPhones are capable of.

You also get wireless charging support, the same A12 Bionic chip on the inside, and Face ID authentication support. In many ways, the iPhone XR is a lot like the iPhone X and Xs, but the differences are notable.

Perhaps most feature of all, the iPhone XR is available in six colors: white, black, blue, yellow, coral, and (PRODUCT)RED. iPhone XR starts at $749 for 64GB of storage and will be available on October 19th, shipping on October 26th.

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Tidbits

Elsewhere throughout the day, Apple started pre-approvals through the iPhone Upgrade Program for the iPhone Xs, the company disclosed more details about its ongoing battery repair program, AirPower went without another mention, and much more.

Read all of the other news from today below: