Everything you missed at the iPhone keynote

Apple's big September event (slogan: It's Glowtime) revealed a lot of new features. The company introduced new iPhones 16 and iPhones 16 Pro, the Apple Watch Series 10 with the first design change in a long time, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a new color, two new Airpods 4 and an update to the Airpods Max.

As usual, the company left out some details or glossed over some things you probably should know in its hour and a half presentation. After all, there is not enough time, er everything to cover.

Here are some of the interesting details we discovered while examining the specs and features of these products.

All iPhone 16 models support Wi-Fi 7

Although it wasn't announced, it was on the “feature card” in the presentation: The iPhone 16 (standard and Pro) supports Wi-Fi 7. What's that good for? Better speed, less radio congestion and lower latency. In other words, a more powerful Wi-Fi, and most importantly.

You probably don't have a Wi-Fi 7 router yet, but your iPhone is future-proof. You can learn more about Wi-Fi 7.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max lasts a long time

Apple promised longer battery life – the longest ever, in fact. Is that an extra hour? Six hours? 12 percent? They didn't say.

The specs give us an idea, though. We'll cover the extended battery life claims for all iPhone 16 models in this article, but the short answer is that with typical daily use, you should get a good hour more battery life—and if you upgrade to an iPhone 16 Pro Max, you'll get a whopping four hours more.

Macworld

Macworld

Macworld

You still have to wait for the coolest feature

Many of the things Apple has talked about won't come with the launch of the products. Many will come later this year in the form of software updates, and others are even further away.

We've already talked about how Apple Intelligence will be rolled out gradually, starting with some features in iOS 18.1 (coming in October) and more in iOS 18.2 and 18.3. A big disappointment for German-speaking customers: While Apple has promised its AI for French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese by the end of 2025, German is not on the list. In this country, you'll have to wait until the end of 2026 or even later.

The new hearing test and hearing aid features for the 2nd generation Airpods Pro? Also coming later this year.

Airpods Max come with a 5-year-old chip

Apple has finally updated the Airpods Max, but they aren't called the “second-generation Airpods Max” or “Airpods Max 2.” The Airpods Max have received the same treatment as the Airpods Pro 2 last year: Apple just updated the connector from Lightning to USB-C – it's a little different, but mostly the same.

It mainly means that the Airpods Max won't get the newer H2 chip that's in the Airpods Pro and Airpods 4. They won't get a new design or new features either. All new buyers got are new colors and a USB-C port instead of Lightning, which is only for charging. And you'll still have to pay 579 euros for the device.

Apple

Apple

Apple

Faster wireless charging has its pitfalls

Apple has announced faster wireless charging for the iPhone 16, but there are some prerequisites.

Qi2 charging and regular Magsafe charging are limited to 15 watts. Only if you have a 30 W USB-C power adapter and If you have one of the new Magsafe chargers, you can charge wirelessly with up to 25 watts. At least the charger is now available in both a 1-meter and a 2-meter version (for ten euros more, of course).

Old bracelets still work with the new Apple Watch

The new Apple Watch Series 10 has a new design. It is thinner, lighter and slightly larger, with a larger display and rounded edges.

Apple didn't mention it in its presentation, but the strap connectors haven't changed. Any (or most) Apple Watch bands you've collected over the years will work just fine with the Series 10.

Apple

Apple

Apple

Where is JPEG-XL?

According to a rumor, Apple wanted to support the new JPEG XL format in the new devices, but it was missing from Apple's presentation.

According to Macrumors, code in iOS 18 suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro will support taking pictures in JPEG-XL (in addition to all the other expected formats). Oddly, this isn't on Apple's spec sheet, so we wouldn't expect it until Apple officially announces it.

No mmWave 5G outside the USA

All four variants of the iPhone 16 support the superfast mmWave 5G networks in the US, but Apple is expanding support for this aspect of 5G still does not apply to other countries.

While there are mmWave networks in limited locations in Japan, Singapore, Australia, and other countries, the new iPhones will not support them. However, sub-6GHz 5G networks are supported everywhere in the world.

Emergency SOS via satellite is still free

When Apple introduced satellite emergency calling with the iPhone 14 in 2022, the company promised two years of free service. Last November, Apple extended the service for another year, until November 2025. With the iPhone 16, the service is available for free for another two years—but at some point, the bill will come. Apple has never said how much it will cost, but with several new features—including sending photos and videos—it could be a rude awakening.

No cable with the new Airpods 4

The packaging of the new Airpods 4 will probably be quite light and small, for a simple reason: Unlike other headphones, Apple does not include a USB-C cable with its Airpods. If you look at the comparison page for the new Airpods, you will see the note “USB-C cable sold separately” in the “Scope of delivery” paragraph.

Apple Watch SE 2 has become cheaper again

Apple has put the Apple Watch SE 2 back on the pre-order list, although nothing has changed about the watch – except for the price. In Germany, the smallest version is 30 euros cheaper, the price has fallen from 279 to 249 euros. The larger version is at least 20 euros cheaper – from 299 euros to 279 euros.