With the announcement of the new iPhones of course comes the details of the new Apple Watches and Airpods. Looking to upgrade your tech and what to know what's new? Here are the most important changes to the Apple Watch 10 suite and Airpods.

 

Apple Watch

It's thinner and lighter

The Apple Watch 10 is officially the thinnest Apple Watch ever - we're talking nearly 10 per cent thinner than Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Series 9. But even though it's thinner, there's no compromise on battery life. You still get your all-day 18-hour battery life.

It's lighter too. According to Apple, the aluminium cases weigh "up to 10 per cent less than Series 9" and the titanium cases are "almost 20 per cent less than stainless steel Series 9".

 

Larger and More Advanced Display

Even though the footprint of the watch only slightly bigger - 42mm for the small and 46mm for the large - the displays are much larger thanks to the wider aspect ratio. We're talking 30 per cent more active screen area compared to Apple Watch Series 6. Practically this means you can see an extra line of text when using the Mail or Message apps.

New wide-angle OLED technology means the screen is easier to read at a glance. This is because the new tech means the display is up to 40 per cent brighter than its predecessor when viewed from an angle.

And a new display size of course means new watch faces. The Flux and Reflections designs help take up the new screen real estate and complement the new case materials.

Introducing 'Vitals' and 'Training Load'

For those who use their Apple Watch as a fitness tracker, Watch OS11 (the new Apple Watch software) comes with an exciting new app. It's called Vitals, and it's designed to provide a quick overview of overnight health metrics like heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration and blood oxygen. When two or more metrics are outside your normal range, Vitals can send you a notification informing you of what this means practically. So if your sleep duration was lower than normal, Vitals could inform you about how this may affect your day.

Another new app, Training Load, can help measure the intensity of your work outs. Feel you pushed hard in your most recent reformer class? Training Load can tell you exactly how hard you trained compared to other classes. It can also measure the impact of this intensity over time.

 

Charging is Faster

For those of us who have a habit of forgetting to charge their Apple Watch overnight, know that you now only need a quick charge to top up. The Apple Watch 10 can charge to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

 

There Are New Colours and Finishes

Introducing Jet Black, the newest colour to the Apple Watch family. This black aluminium case also has a matching Milanese Loop band for fans of that seamless look.

There are also three polished titanium finishes. These aerospace-grade cases replace the previous stainless steel cases and come in natural, gold and slate. And yes, there are matching Milanese Lip and Link Bracelet options for all these too.

 

New Water Sensors

Apple Watch 10 has a swim-proof design that has a 50-metre water resistance rating . A new depth gauge can measure six metres down, which assists with activities like snorkelling or shallow diving.

Plus, the water temperature sensor can tell the temperature of the water once Apple Watch has been submerged. You'll now truly have proof of how cold your morning swim was.

 

Sick Days in Activity

This was already announced at WWDC but it's worth mentioning again. You can finally pause some days on your Activity in a week if you’re sick or need a rest day. No more losing that streak over a bad day.

 

New Audio Playback

Apple Watch 10 can now play audio through its in-built speakers.  Listen to sound from apps like Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books, and third-party apps via the watch on your wrist.

There's also new voice isolation tech to improve the audio of phone calls when you're in noisy environments.

 

Apple Watch Ultra 2

For adventurers who love the Apple Watch Ultra, you've not been left out. The new black finish also comes to Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the form of a black titanium case with matching bands. It's scratch-resistant and durable.

There's also been a bunch of new enhancements to support all terrain activity. This includes a brighter display and better GPS accuracy. An 'Action' button makes it super easy and quick to start a workout and switch between workout types. There's also a new app called Tides that helps Apple Watch users swim and surf in a safer way, providing up to date info on ocean conditions.

Apple Watch 10 is priced from $649 and Apple Watch Ultra is from $1399, they're available from 20 September.

 

AirPods

AirPods 4

There are two new models: the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 Pros. Both have been redesigned for comfort. Aesthetically, they have a similar shape to the first generation of AirPods, abandoning the soft silicon ear pieces of the predecessor. It's an open-ear design, which Apple says is far more comfortable.

There's an extra five hours of listening time on the new models up on the previous AirPods. Although this comes down to an extra four hours if you're listening with noise-cancelling engaged the whole time. This means there's 30 hours of listening time in single charge.

If you are a fan of the noise cancelling, know that changes to computational audio allow better noise cancelling and adaptive volume based on your environment. Plus, a new chip called the H2 allows for better range, audio quality, call quality and more.

As for controls, there's a stem sensor for volume control on the headphones and “pinch control”. And cases can now charge either wirelessly or with an Apple Watch charger.

 

 

Of course, they're dust, sweat, water resistant. But don't take this to mean waterproof, because they're not.

Priced at $299 for the noise-cancelling Pros or $219 for the regular AirPod 4, they're available from 20 September.

 

AirPods Max

AirPods Max have received a lighter touch on improvement. But what has changed is for the better.

 

 

They're now compatible with USB-C charging, so all your chargers are now consistent. There's also an array of new colours: midnight, starlight, blue, orange and purple

Priced at $899, they're available from 20 September.