Apple’s fall 2022 event products: Reviews of iPhone 14, iOS 16, Apple Watch Ultra, AirPods Pro 2 and more

Bloomberg
Bloomberg

Summary

  • The company’s busy season brought new phones, watches and earbuds—plus a free iPhone makeover for existing owners. Our reviewers tested it all.

Every fall, Apple unveils many new devices, software and services. Some of the offerings are incremental updates to what came before, but others break new ground.

After the company’s marketing glitter settled, we tested the new products to see whether they can truly help you—and if they’re worth your cash. Here’s how our columnists have assessed the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple Watch Ultra, iPhone and Apple Watch crash detection, and more.

iPhone 14 Review: Go Pro or Go Home

After testing the new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, senior Personal Tech columnist Joanna Stern says the choice is clear: If you want a new iPhone, you should buy the new $999-and-up Pro.

As she writes, “This year—more than in the past—Apple’s top-of-the-line phones do more to justify their $200 price bump." To find out why, check out her video and review.

Make Your Old iPhone Feel New With iOS 16

If you’re not planning to buy a new device this year, there’s a way to make your old phone feel new. You can (and frankly, should) download iOS 16 to tap into Apple’s latest iPhone features and security updates, especially since it has worked out some early bugs. iOS 16 works on smartphones as old as 2017’s iPhone 8.

The new software comes with “a million ways to customize your lock screen," Joanna writes, as well as numerous other updates to make your iPhone feel fresh. You can set up medication reminders, as detailed by Family & Tech columnist Julie Jargon, or even unsend an iMessage.

The best part? Apple’s software updates are free.

Apple Watch Series 8 and SE Review: Life Saving and Baby Making

Apple’s newest regular smartwatches, the Series 8 and SE, look like their predecessors. But they pack hardware improvements under the hood that “can possibly save your life," Personal Tech columnist Nicole Nguyen writes. And the more premium model, the Apple Watch Series 8, includes temperature tracking that could help you conceive a baby.

The most noticeable improvements for most users, though, come with the newest Apple Watch software, Nicole says. WatchOS 9—which adds a medication reminder, sleep-stage information and more—is also available for recent Apple Watch models going back to the Series 4.

Apple Watch Ultra Review: Better Battery Life, but Not Quite Extreme

If regular fitness tracking isn’t enough for you, Apple has another option: the Apple Watch Ultra. The more rugged—and heftier—smartwatch was designed with extreme athletes in mind.

Nicole put it to the test during a two-day hike in the mountains. She found that it delivers on Apple’s multiday battery-life claims, but “leaves something to be desired for those accustomed to premium athlete-focused GPS watches."

Does Apple’s Crash Detection Work? We Totaled Some Cars to Find Out.

With this year’s new iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple made an unusual pitch: Buy these devices to stay safe. It included car-crash detection in all new models and a soon-to-arrive satellite-powered SOS connection in the new phones, to get you emergency help when you’re out of cellular range.

Joanna didn’t just take Apple’s word that it works: She tested the new crash-detection feature at a junkyard with a demolition-derby champ and a few cars that were headed to the scrapper. The results were well worth the effort.

AirPods Pro 2nd-Gen Review: Better Noise Canceling, Easier to Find When Lost

You wouldn’t be alone in thinking the new AirPods Pro are no different from the old AirPods Pro. After all, they both have the white bud-and-stem design. But the differences are apparent as soon as you put the new AirPods in your ears, writes Nicole.

“They do sound better than the originals—and they block sounds better, too," she says. If you lose your AirPods (a pretty common occurrence for many earbud owners), they’re also easier to locate. Read the full review to find out if they’re worth the upgrade.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text

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