Apple today unveiled the Apple Watch Series 9, featuring significantly improved performance thanks to the S9 Apple silicon chip, a "Double Tap" hand gesture for interacting with the device without touch, Precision Finding for iPhone, and more.
The Series 9 has been internally redesigned, including an entirely new Apple silicon chip. It has 60% more transistors and is 30% faster than the S8 chip. It also has a four-core neural engine for 2x faster neural tasks.
Siri requests are now processed on the Apple Watch, making them faster and more secure, and the voice assistant can also access health data for the first time. Dictation on the Series 9 is also up to 25% more accurate than the Series 8 thanks to secure on-device processing. It retains the same 18-hour all-day battery life.
With Ultra Wideband support, the Apple Watch Series 9 can use Precision Finding for an iPhone for the first time, just like the iPhone can with an AirTag. It is also more deeply integrated with the HomePod. When an Apple Watch user gets within four meters of a HomePod playing audio, Apple Watch Series 9 will automatically launch Now Playing to control the media. If nothing is playing on HomePod, media suggestions will appear at the top of the Smart Stack.
The Series 9 also features a brighter always-on Retina display that can now go up to up to 2000 nits, twice the brightness of the Apple Watch Series 8. It can also reduce to just one nit of brightness for use in theatres or at night.
The Apple Watch Series 9 can be controlled with a new hand gesture called "Double Tap," where the user taps the thumb and index finger together like with a Vision Pro headset. Using this gesture, users can interact with the device without touching the screen for tasks like answering or ending a call, stop a timer, snooze an alarm, pause of play music, bring up the Smart Stack, and more. It does this by looking for tiny changes to movement and blood flow using the accelerometer and blood oxygen sensor.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is available in a new Pink color option, alongside Starlight, Silver, Midnight, and PRODUCT(RED). The stainless steel version is available in Silver, Gold, and Graphite.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is made with more recycled materials and comes in a smaller, more environmentally friendly box. A new version of the Sport Loop band also uses 82% recycled yarn. Leather will no longer be offered on any new Apple Watch bands, but Apple is offering a range of new "FineWoven" bands, as well as bands from Hermès and Nike.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is the successor to last year's Series 8, which introduced body temperature sensing and cycle tracking, a more powerful gyroscope and high dynamic range accelerometer, and Crash Detection.
Apple's "Wonderlust" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the iPhone 15 lineup, updated Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models, a USB-C case update for AirPods Pro, and perhaps some other announcements.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
Intel today announced Thunderbolt 5, the next-generation version of the connectivity standard present on all Macs and iPad Pro models, promising significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth.
Thunderbolt 5 delivers 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth and, with Bandwidth Boost, can provide up to 120 Gbps for video-intensive usage. This enables considerably better display support, allowing for more and higher-resolution displays with higher refresh rates. Thunderbolt 4 has maximum speeds of 40 Gbps, making Thunderbolt 5 a significant improvement of at least double the bandwidth.
The latest specification also features double the PCI Express data throughput and double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking. It also uses a new signaling technology, PAM-3, to increase performance with printed circuit boards, connectors, and passive cables.
Thunderbolt 5 continues to be built in industry standards such as USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4, enabling it to be compatible with previous version of Thunderbolt and USB. Computers and accessories that use Intel's Thunderbolt 5 controller are set to become available starting in 2024. It is highly likely that Thunderbolt 5 will come to future Apple devices.
Apple's "Wonderlust" media event kicks off at 10:00 am Pacific Time today with members of the media in attendance for what is expected to be another pre-recorded presentation. We know that some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event as it's being broadcast are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until the event video is available for on-demand viewing so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with a direct link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Apple's recent virtual events have been made available to view almost immediately following the conclusion of the broadcasts, and we expect similar timing for today's event.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events as they occur refrain from making any posts about Apple's announcements in this thread.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will feature 8GB of memory and an A17 Bionic chip fabricated with TSMC's N3E process, according to Jeff Pu, a tech analyst at Hong Kong investment firm Haitong International Securities.
In a note to investors seen by MacRumors, Pu noted the significant RAM increase for the standard iPhone models next year and the switch to LPD5 memory. Apple's standard iPhone models have had 6GB of memory since 2021's iPhone 13. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to continue the trend. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to be the first iPhones to feature 8GB of memory, meaning that both the A17 Bionic and 8GB of memory from 2023's Pro models will trickle down to the standard models a year later.
Pu added that the A17 and A18 Bionic chips used in the iPhone 16 lineup will be fabricated with TMSC's N3E process, its enhanced 3nm node. The A17 Bionic used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to be Apple's first chip manufactured with a 3nm fabrication process, resulting in major performance and efficiency improvements over the 5nm technique used for the A14, A15, and A16 chips.
The A17 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly be manufactured using TSMC's N3B process, but according to Pu, Apple will switch to N3E next year when the chip is used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
N3B is TSMC's original 3nm node created in partnership with Apple. N3E, on the other hand, is the simpler, more accessible node that most other TSMC clients will use. N3E has fewer EUV layers and lower transistor density than N3B, resulting in efficiency tradeoffs, but the process can provide better performance. N3B has also been ready for mass production for some time longer than N3E, but it has much lower yield. N3B was effectively designed as a trial node and is not compatible with TSMC's successor processes including N3P, N3X, and N3S, meaning that Apple will need to redesign its future chips to take advantage of TSMC's advancements.
Interestingly, this mirrors a rumor shared on Weibo in June. The move was said to be a cost-cutting measure that could come at the expense of reduced efficiency. At the time, it was thought unlikely that Apple would make such a drastic change to the A17 Bionic. The A15 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is a higher binned variant with one additional GPU core than the A15 used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, so some cross-generational differences despite outwardly featuring the same chip would not be unheard of, but this would be effectively retaining the same name on a fundamentally different chip.
Apple was originally believed to be planning to use the N3B for the A16 Bionic chip, but had to revert to N4 because it was not ready in time. It may be the case that Apple is using the N3B CPU and GPU core design originally designed for the A16 Bionic for the initial A17 chips, before switching to the original A17 designs with N3E later in 2024.
New iPad models are unlikely to be introduced before the end of the year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuotoday said.
Kuo did not provide any further information about Apple's upcoming tablets. While the next-generation iPad Pro models have consistently been rumored to launch in 2024 rather than this year, reports around refreshes of the iPad mini and iPad Air have been mixed.
Most recently, a reliable Weibo leaker said that the sixth-generation iPad Air should launch in October as the only iPad refresh of 2023, with "no mini and Pro this year." On the latest episode of The MacRumors Show podcast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that there is a new iPad Air with improved specifications in the works and the device is apparently "coming soonish," likely in October. Given Kuo's latest statement, the launch of a new iPad Air in October now seems to be in doubt.
Last week, Kuo said that Apple likely no longer plans to release any new MacBook models with M3-series chips this year. All in all, following its "Wonderlust" event to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple's potential releases for the remainder of 2023 may be dwindling.
Samsung appears to have secured a monopoly in the supply of iPhone 15 displays this year, after Chinese-based BOE once again failed to get formal approval from Apple to mass produce the required OLED panels.
BOE, which was supposed to be supplying OLED displays for the standard iPhone 15 and larger iPhone 15 Plus, was awaiting conditional approval from Apple in March, but it was delayed after the manufacturer experienced problems with light leakage around the portion of the OLED display where the pill and hole cutouts secure the space necessary for the TrueDepth camera and Face ID.
However, the issues appear to have been so entrenched that Apple ended up dropping the order, leading BOE to miss its chance to become one of the initial suppliers. According to Korea's ETNews, the amount originally allocated to BOE has been transferred to Samsung Display.
LG Display, which is supplying OLED panels for both iPhone 15 Pro models, has received conditional approval only for the smaller iPhone 15 Pro, with formal approval for the iPhone 15 Pro Max still expected this month. That leaves Samsung as the only current supplier of OLED panels for all four iPhone 15 models, with its production volume a lot bigger than originally planned.
As a result, Samsung is said to be increasing orders for related materials and parts, placing 20% more orders for September and October than it did in August alone.
Samsung is supplying low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) panels for the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, suggesting that the more affordable devices will continue to lack ProMotion support and an always-on display option like Apple's Pro models have.
Meanwhile, the higher-tier iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are using low-temperature polycrystalline (LTPO) TFT OLED panels. The LPTO panels feature 120Hz ProMotion support and a 1Hz refresh rate capability that enables an idle Lock Screen to stay visible without significantly impacting battery.
Along with the Dynamic Island coming to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, one rumor in February suggested that all iPhone 15 models could be equipped with a more power-efficient OLED display driver chip manufactured on a 28nm process, allowing for reduced power consumption that could ultimately lead to improved battery life across the board.
While iPhone 15 Pro models are still expected to feature improved battery life thanks to the inclusion of a faster A17 chip built on the new 3-nanometer production process, it is not known whether a new display driver is contributing to the Pro models' improved power efficiency.
As for BOE, an unnamed official in the display industry told ETNews it remained uncertain whether the manufacturer's quality approval will be made in 2023, and even if it was approved, very few quantities would be allocated this year, given Samsung's supply dominance in this area.
Apple's online store is now down ahead of the company's annual September event, which begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today. The store is routinely taken offline ahead of major Apple hardware events, primarily as a marketing tactic for the company.
At today's event, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, a USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro, and an assortment of more eco-friendly iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands.
Four new iPhone 15 models are expected — all with a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island. Additional features are rumored for the two Pro models, including a lightweight titanium frame, customizable Action button, faster A17 chip, thinner bezels around the screen, Wi-Fi 6E support, up to 6x optical zoom for the Pro Max, increased RAM, and more.
Apple should also provide a release date for the iOS 17 software update, compatible with the iPhone XS and newer.
MacRumors video producer Dan Barbera will be attending the event live at Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Stay tuned for in-depth coverage of Apple's announcements.
In a departure from leather, Apple is expected to unveil an all-new line of FineWoven Apple Watch bands made from artificial materials, and these images are said to be our first look at what one of the official bands look like.
Sourced by prototype device collector and leaker Kosutami, the images allegedly show one of Apple's official bands, which are described as being lightweight, thin, and smooth.
The bands are allegedly made from recycled nylon and polyester, with a twill weave pattern. Apple may have chosen these materials in an effort to appear eco-friendly, while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint through the use of fabric-based leather substitutes.
According to Kosutami, the bands are also set to feature a splash-resistant coating, although the bands themselves are not fully waterproof.
According to the leaker, Apple created six color options for the FineWoven watch bands, but is only set to announce three of them during the special event today. The exact colors remain unknown at the time of writing.
Kosutami also clarified that the FineWoven bands would be made by the same manufacturer that makes bands for the AppleWatch Ultra, with the materials allegedly being sourced from Japan.
Previous rumors have suggested that Apple will be removing leather options from its assortment of iPhone cases. Similar to the rumored FIneWoven Apple Watch bands, rumors claim that Apple also plans to release iPhone cases made from an artificial leather material under the same "FineWoven" moniker.
Information on the iPhone cases originated from DuanRui, a leaker who sources information from Chinese social media platforms.
Kosutami previously told MacRumors that Apple plans to discontinue all silicione accessories, and now claims that Apple intends to replace most of its leather accessories with ones made from more eco-friendly materials.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanrecently said that Apple began offering Hermes leather accessories to its employees at discounts of up to 90% last month in an attempt to clear remaining inventory. He also added that he expects Apple to move away from leather on its Apple Watch bands, in addition to phone cases.
For more on what else Apple is expected to reveal at its "Wonderlust" event in a few hours, be sure to check out our latest roundup.
Hitting the Like button causes the logo to disperse into pieces, before changing back into the typical love heart. The brief animation reflects the Apple logo graphics used to promote the Apple event – a the multi-colored Apple logo made up of metallic particles – possibly being a subtle nod to the upcoming titanium frame on the iPhone 15 Pro. The colors used for the Apple logo also match the expected color options for the 15 Pro, with varying shades of silver, gray, black and dark blue.
Apple began using unique Twitter "like" animations to promote its events three years ago, with the first occasion being for 2020's September "Time Flies" event.
Once again, Apple has also used a custom Twitter hashtag with its logo for the "Wonderlust" event, just as it did for WWDC in June.
The event is expected to headline the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and possibly other products. MacRumors will have in-depth coverage of Apple's event, including a live blog on our website and tweets via @MacRumorsLive on Twitter.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will introduce a new Action button that will replace the traditional Ring/Silent switch – a staple of the iPhone since it launched in 2007. Here's what you can expect to do with it.
Like the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra, the new Action button that will be exclusive to Apple's premium iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models is expected to be a mechanical push button giving users with the ability to manually enable one of several customizable functions.
Based on code found in the iOS 17 beta by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, the Action button will be able to turn on the following options, which users can customize in Settings and assign to different actions.
Accessibility: Access to various accessibility settings, such as VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, and more.
Shortcuts: Run a shortcut created in or downloaded from the Shortcuts app, such as sending a message, playing a playlist, or controlling smart home devices.
Silent Mode: Like the Ring/Silent switch on existing iPhone models, toggle silent mode on or off, which will mute or unmute the ringer and alerts.
Camera: Launch the Camera app and/or take a photo or video with a single press of the Action button.
Flashlight: Turn on or off the flashlight on the back of the device.
Focus: Activate or deactivate a Focus mode.
Magnifier: Activate the Magnifier app to use the iPhone's camera as a magnifying glass to zoom in on small text or objects.
Translate: Launch the Translate app and start a conversation or text translation with a single press of the Action button.
Voice Memos: Start or stop recording a voice memo with the Voice Memos app.
The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are expected to keep the traditional Ring/Silent switch, making the "Action" button one of the key differentiating features of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max that will also make the new models stand out from their predecessors.
Apple's unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup is just hours away. The company's "Wonderlust" event begins Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Alongside the iPhone 15 series, Apple is expected to announce Apple Watch Series 9, a second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and potentially other products during the event.
For more details on what to expect, check out our rumor roundup pages for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and stay tuned for our in-depth coverage of Apple's announcements throughout the week.
YouTube Music may soon be available directly on the HomePod and the HomePod mini through Siri integration, according to code hidden in the YouTube Music app that was discovered by software miner @aaronp613.
There is a section in the YouTube Music app that is labeled "Connect With HomePod," which suggests that integration could be coming at some point in the future. Apple has supported a handful of third-party music services on HomePod for the last couple of years, so this functionality is already available with Pandora, iHeartRadio, Deezer, and TuneIn Radio.
Music services like Spotify have not adopted this option even though Apple made the SiriKit Media feature available in iOS 14, so it remains limited in scope. With the direct play function, users can set a third-party service as a default music option, and when Siri on HomePod is asked to play content, Siri will play music from the selected service.
If YouTube Music does indeed add support for playing music directly on the HomePod, it could make the streaming service more appealing to Apple users.
Over the past few months, we've heard multiple claims about the storage and RAM of the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro, with seemingly contradictory information.
MacRumors has now confirmed that Apple tested the following storage configurations for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max:
128 GB
256 GB
512 GB
1 TB
For the storage options, Apple is using NAND from a few different vendors:
SK Hynix
Western Digital
Kioxia
Samsung
Though there were rumors of a 2TB storage configuration from Naver user Yeux1122, MacRumors has seen no evidence that it was considered. A Weibo leak also suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro would start out with 256GB of storage, but that appears to be incorrect as well. Storage options will align with the storage tiers of the iPhone 14 Pro, according to our findings.
As for RAM, MacRumors has learned that Apple plans to use LPDDR5 DRAM for the iPhone 15 Pro, the same RAM type found in last year's flagship devices. Two RAM configurations were tested -- 6GB and 8GB, with the RAM supplied by the following companies:
Samsung
Micron
SK Hynix
It is currently unclear which of these two RAM configurations Apple chose for the final mass production units. One possible explanation is that the RAM will vary depending on the storage capacity of the phone, with higher storage capacity models receiving 8GB of RAM rather than 6GB. According to a recent report from TrendForce, Apple will offer 8GB on the iPhone 15 Pro, so it's possible that the 6GB configuration has been scrapped.
Apart from RAM, the iPhone 15 Pro will use an upgraded A17 SoC built using TSMC's new 3nm manufacturing process. The A17 is expected to feature an additional GPU core, allowing for better graphics performance. Additionally, the performance cores will feature an increased clock speed of 3.70 GHz, up from the from the 3.46 GHz of the A16.
Other improvements expected for the iPhone 15 Pro include an all-new titanium frame, USB-C, and a periscope zoom lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The $180 Reliefband Flex is an anti-nausea accessory that is designed to attach to an Apple Watch, allowing for a single wrist-worn device that is able to cut down on or eliminate motion sickness, migraine nausea, pregnancy nausea, and more.
You might be wondering what an anti-nausea device has to do with Apple, but many VR headsets cause motion sickness in people who are prone to feeling ill from motion, and Apple's own VR headset is set to launch in the not too distant future. The Apple Vision Pro won't be coming until 2024, so it's not yet clear if it will cause the same motion sickness in vulnerable people that other headsets cause, but if it does, the Reliefband might be a solution for some.
I am prone to motion sickness, so I thought I'd give the Reliefband a try. I get ill from car rides, 3D rides (and sometimes movies), VR headsets, boats, and first-person shooter video games - basically anything where my brain gets signals that I'm moving while my body is stationary. I've always had this problem, so I'm familiar with various treatments.
The Reliefband uses electrical pulses targeted at the underside of the wrist. It targets the median nerve in the wrist, and the pulses stimulate the nerve to interrupt nausea signals traveling to the brain. There are several similar products on the market, and there have been studies that suggest this kind of acustimulation is effective for nausea, but there have also been studies that suggest it is not, so keep that in mind here.
The Reliefband Flex that I tested looks like a medical device. It's not at all sleek, and in fact, it's bulky on my small wrist. It's made from a plastic material with a button and pulse level indicators on the front and two metal plates on the back. It has watch straps and can be worn alone with a nylon band, but it is also designed to attach to an Apple Watch.
Reliefband provides a special band that attaches to both the Apple Watch and the Reliefband hardware, so the Apple Watch goes on the top of the wrist and the Reliefband goes at the underside of the wrist. With this setup, you don't have to wear a device on both wrists if you need the benefits of the Reliefband.
I have small wrists so there's not a lot of space between the Apple Watch and the Reliefband, and it's not the most comfortable setup, but it can be better than having two separate devices. The band that Reliefband provides is reasonably comfortable, and it reminds me of Apple's woven bands, but again, there's a lot of bulk on a small wrist with the dual-band setup. The band is made of a soft velcro-like material with velcro fasteners to size it. The Flex version uses replaceable batteries, so it does not need to be charged. Batteries need to be swapped at around the year mark, though that varies based on usage.
To get the Reliefband to work properly, it needs to be precisely positioned. It has to go a half inch or so above the crease of the wrist, and it needs to be in the middle of the wrist. When it's turned on and in the proper spot, the pulses are felt in the palm and the middle finger. To use the Reliefband, conductivity gel is required, and a small tube comes with the device. The gel needs to be applied before use and also refreshed if it wears off because it makes the pulsing less uncomfortable and more effective.
There are five levels of power with the Reliefband Flex, and the idea is to set it on the lowest level that you need to address nausea. To me, it feels a little bit like getting a small shock. I did not find levels 1-3 to be too painful, but levels four and five really get my attention. With the lower levels, the pulsing can kind of fade into the background, and I think on someone with a larger wrist, the higher levels would too.
So does it work? For me, yes and no. I experimented with the Reliefband several times, in the car, when I had nausea from a migraine, playing a first-person video game, and using an Oculus, which always makes me ill. If I put the Reliefband on before I anticipated getting motion sick, it kept it at bay. Putting it on when I was already feeling nauseous did not work as well.
I think part of the reason for that was because I didn't like setting the power above a level three, and I needed a higher power to distract from the nausea. I did meet with the Reliefband team, and they said that it's common for people to need some customization and help with optimal settings. They advised me to use extra conductivity gel to make more of a barrier between the band and my skin, which did help, and they also helped me figure out that I could kick it up to a 4 or 5 for a short period of time and then drop it back down. Their customer service team is accustomed to helping people troubleshoot.
If you look up the Reliefband, you'll see a lot of comments about how it works, plus a lot of comments about how it's snake oil or a placebo. In my experience it wasn't perfect, but it did help with my motion sickness on several occasions, and it's something I plan to try again if Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset causes me to become motion sick when I use it.
When I'm in a situation where I know I am going to have intensive motion sickness over multiple days, I get a prescription patch with scopolamine. Day to day, I have used the acupressure bands with the plastic nubs that dig into the wrist, taken high-dose ginger pills (my preferred anti-nausea option), used benadryl, taken dramamine, and more, so I am used to trying all kinds of unusual things. I don't care for dramamine and benadryl so it is nice to have a more functional alternative when the ginger pills are unavailable or aren't working.
Bottom Line
I don't know that the Reliefband Flex is going to work for everyone, but if you have the kind of intense motion sickness that I do, you're probably willing to experiment.
The $180 price on the Reliefband seems high for the all-plastic build and the clunky design, and it's definitely expensive enough that it will put off some buyers. There is a 14-day return policy, so there is an option to test it out just for the cost of shipping, and it can also be bought on Amazon for a simpler return process.
Samsung has record low prices on the new Smart Monitor M8 today as part of its "Discover Samsung" fall sale. Both the 27-inch and 32-inch versions of the Smart Monitor M8 are available at record low prices during this event.
The 27-inch model has hit $549.99 ($100 off) and the 32-inch model has hit $579.99 ($120 off), and both have multiple colors available on sale. The Discover Samsung sale is set to end later in the week, so be sure to check out Samsung's website for even more discounts on other monitors, storage accessories, and smartphones.
Regarding the 32-inch model, the last time we tracked a sale on that monitor was the first week of August, and it was only at $100 off. This makes Samsung's new deal the best discounted price we've seen to date. Samsung launched this refreshed version of the Smart Monitor M8 back in June, including updates like HDR10+ support and a portrait orientation option.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Nanoleaf in June launched the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit, which is an LED gradient light strip designed to go behind a television set. It uses a camera to detect what's on the screen, matching the colors of the light strip to the content on the TV.
The light strip comes in two sizes, one that fits TVs and monitors up to 65 inches and one that fits TVs up to 85 inches. Either one can be cut to the ideal size for the TV or computer monitor that it's being used with. I tested with an 85-inch TV, so I didn't need to do any trimming, and in terms of size, the light strip was able to wrap almost the entire way around the TV.
There are 10 color zones per meter, so the light strip can display several different colors at once, and like other LED light strips on the market, it supports more than 16 million colors. Nanoleaf designed the light strips specifically for TV sets and monitors, and these are meant to be used for backlighting.
A camera attaches to the top of the TV with a mounting stand or it can be positioned at the bottom of the screen, and the colors detected by the camera are relayed to the light strip so that it can match what's displayed. Both the light strip and the camera attach to a controller unit that itself plugs into a power outlet.
Because of the way my TV is mounted, I have a small power strip at the back of it where I plugged in the light. I used adhesive to attach the controller, so all of the cords are hidden behind the TV. The design of the light does facilitate a setup where all of the cords can be hidden, but you will need some strong adhesive. The controller unit has options to turn on the lighting effect, so you might want to place it in a reachable location unless you're able to always use the app for control purposes.
So far, the adhesive on the light strip has kept it up on my TV, but there are a couple corners where it's coming loose. Nanoleaf included some corner mounting hardware to route the 4D Lightstrip around corners, but the exterior design of my Sony TV didn't work with the hardware. I had to use the light strip alone, and I didn't have a good way to do the corners so they're always going to be angled in an odd way.
The main feature of the Nanoleaf 4D is the setup's ability to mirror the colors on the display to the LEDs on the light strip so the backlighting matches the TV content. There are HDMI boxes like the Hue Sync that do this, but with Nanoleaf's method, you don't need to have everything plugged into a central box and there are no limitations like no support for HDMI 2.1.
Backlighting that matches the content on a TV set or display adds to the immersiveness of what's being viewed, and it's a fun addition to a home theater or gaming setup. Not having to route accessories like my consoles and Apple TV through a secondary box is a major plus of the method that Nanoleaf is using to get this effect.
It's a little odd to have a camera at the top of the TV, but it blends into the background quickly enough and I don't notice it now. Nanoleaf included a privacy cover for the camera for when it's not in use, but the camera does not capture content and is only used to relay color to the light strip.
Nanoleaf has four "Mirror Modes" that affect the intensity of the light and the frequency of the color changes. There's 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D. 1D is a plain white lighting effect, 2D is a single color that matches one of the colors on the screen, 3D is multiple colors, and 4D is similar to 3D, but the colors shift more often. I prefer 2D or 3D mode over 4D, which can be a little too distracting. My partner, who does not care for behind-the-TV lighting, did not have a problem with 1D or 2D mode. I definitely appreciate Nanoleaf providing options, because it ensures the Lightstrip can suit a wide range of tastes.
There are two modes to control the saturation of the color. Cinematic is more subtle, while vivid is more saturated. For movie content, I prefer Cinematic, while games work well with Vivid, but there's also an option to choose your own settings for saturation, dynamic range, and white balance. A rhythm mode can be enabled to time the colors to the sound coming from the TV, but the colors change so frequently that I wouldn't recommend this mode if you're actually watching the TV. It's nice for if you have music on in the background and want matching ambient lighting.
To match the colors of the light with the appropriate part of the TV content, there is a calibration process done through the Nanoleaf app. You mark each corner of the Nanoleaf Lightstrip once it's been applied to the TV, and then you use the camera view to adjust what the camera can see. You need to make sure it only has a view of the TV and not anything in the surrounding area, because this will determine the colors you get.
The size of my TV (or maybe the position) seemed to be an issue for the camera and I wasn't able to get it to align accurately with each corner. I had to cut off a bit of the bottom corner, but I'm not sure how much of an impact this has on the colors that are displayed.
Color vibrancy will depend on the saturation of your TV, the lighting in the room, and what's behind the TV. If you have your TV a foot or two in front of a blank wall with a high-quality TV, you'll see bright, vivid colors depending on the content that you're playing. My TV is mounted above a brick fireplace with shelving on either side so I don't have the most ideal setup for a light strip, but even in this scenario, it throws off a lot of light and casts color over much of the area behind the TV.
A lot of TV shows and movies have subtler colors than you might imagine, so colors are not always super saturated and bright even in 4D mode. For black shades, the Nanoleaf seems to default to red, which does not always match, and I also seem to get a lot of green when there doesn't seem to be much green on the screen. Sometimes the camera is also choosing a dominant color like white instead of an accent color like blue or green, which would look better with the scene, so there may be some work to do on whatever algorithm Nanoleaf is using.
I thought there might be some lag between what the camera picks up and the colors that are relayed on screen, but the 4D setup seems to be quick at shifting colors. The colors match and blend with the background for the most part rather than becoming distracting, and that's especially true of the more subdued modes.
I think the camera method works well overall and I've enjoyed the Lightstrip's color effects as a person who likes TV backlighting, but where something like the Hue Sync might have an edge is the color interpretation. The Sync Box is pulling color from video signal instead of using a camera and I feel that it gives me a more vibrant overall look, but it's hard to compare because they are two different lighting systems.
Like the Philips Hue setup, you can pair other Nanoleaf lights to the Nanoleaf 4D kit. If you have Nanoleaf Light Panels, bulbs, or light strips around your TV area or in your gaming setup, all of those will also automatically sync with the colors being picked up by the 4D Camera. There is a calibration process where you can choose where each light is in the room for the best color syncing.
Being able to sync Light Panels and bulbs to the Nanoleaf 4D is great for gaming, but I think it might get a little overwhelming when watching TV if the panels are on the same wall. I don't have Light Panels in my living room where I tested the 4D, but I did bring some out to test the syncing, and it definitely adds another layer of depth to the system. Nanoleaf has so many different lighting options at this point, including the Lines, Light Panels, bulbs, and light strips, that you can create an incredible entertainment area. Later this year, the Skylight ceiling panels are coming for even more flexibility.
The Nanoleaf 4D setup is controlled through the Nanoleaf app, where you can set the Mirror Mode, choose a color shifting scene that has nothing to do with the content on the TV, or set a solid backlighting color. As with all of Nanoleaf's products, you can create your own lighting scenes too.
You can control the Nanoleaf 4D with the Home app, but it can only be turned on or off or set to a static color, so this is an accessory where you need to have the Nanoleaf app.
Nanoleaf 4D Bottom Line
At $100, the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Lightstrip Kit is a solid deal for what you're getting. It's an all-in-one hassle free Lightstrip that goes on the TV and a matching camera for color syncing, so you can have a whole entertainment setup for $100 and 10 minutes of time.
Comparatively, the 4D kit is a lot more affordable than something like the Hue Sync Box, which is priced at $250, making it a much easier lighting ecosystem to get into. I wouldn't recommend this if you have a whole setup of Hue lights in your Living Room because it's designed to work solely with Nanoleaf lights, but if you're starting from scratch or already have Nanoleaf panels, it's a must buy.
Nanoleaf's Ultra Black Hexagons
Alongside the Nanoleaf 4D, Nanoleaf also introduced Shapes Ultra Black Hexagons, which join the Ultra Black Triangles that we reviewed last year. The Ultra Black Hexagons are identical to the standard Hexagons, but are made from a black plastic material that better matches darker-colored decor schemes when not activated.
The Hexagons are probably my favorite panel shape, and the black color looks better than the white color. With the darker plastic, the edges that connect the hexagons better blend into the background, and it's an overall sleeker look. The Black Hexagons look better on the wall when the lights are off, and when turned on, the color brightness is the same. If you've ever wanted Nanoleaf panels but were put off by the stark white plastic look when the lights aren't on, the black panels are an excellent alternative.
As with all of Nanoleaf's Light Panels, the Hexagons can be set to any color, paired with the triangles, and synced with content on a TV or display. There are thousands of patterns and colors available through Nanoleaf's app, or you can create your own. The major downside to Nanoleaf's Ultra Black Hexagons is the price - these are $220 for a set of nine, like Nanoleaf's other products.
Given the amount of light these put off, you can use them in place of a standard lamp, and the color options are second to none for those who like accent lighting. I don't think people who are intrigued by the light panels will be disappointed, even at the price point. Nanoleaf has bundles and sales that can make them slightly more affordable, so it may be worth waiting for a discount.
How to Buy
The Nanoleaf 4D and Lightstrip Kit for up to a 65-inch television set is priced at $100, while the Nanoleaf Lightstrip Kit for an up to an 85-inch TV is priced at $120. There's also a camera-only kit for $80, which can be used with an existing light strip.
Apple today released new iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates that are aimed at iPhone, iPad, and Mac users who are still running older versions of operating systems and are not able to upgrade to iOS 17 or macOS Ventura.
The macOS Monterey 12.6.9 and macOS Big Sur 11.7.10 updates can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences.
iOS 15.7.9 and iPadOS 15.7.9 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
It is likely that these software updates include the same security fixes that Apple provided last week in the iOS 16.6.1, iPadOS 16.16.1, watchOS 9.6.2, and macOS Ventura 13.5.2 releases.
The software addressed security vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to gain access to an operating system through a PassKit (Wallet) image. The vulnerabilities are part of the BLASTPASS exploit chain that has been used to deliver the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to devices owned by government officials, journalists, and more.
The iPhone 15 Pro is widely rumored to feature an all-new titanium frame. Over the past several months, a variety of credible sources such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple analyst Jeff Pu, and leaker ShrimpApplePro, have all claimed that Apple would be switching to titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro, finally replacing stainless steel.
MacRumors has confirmation that Apple intends to use Grade 5 Titanium as the exact material for the chassis of the iPhone 15 Pro and the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Grade 5 Titanium, also known as Ti-6Al-4V, is a titanium alloy consisting of titanium along with small amounts of aluminum and vanadium. Most commonly known for its excellent corrosion resistance, Grade 5 Titanium is used in a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, racing, and prosthetics manufacturing. The light weight, strength, and hardness of the material could explain why Apple decided to use Grade 5 Titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple has a history of using titanium for its products – from the PowerBook G4 Titanium in 2001 to the Apple Watch Series 5, down to the Apple Watch Ultra. Apple's decision to use titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro models may have been influenced by the Apple Watch Ultra, as the new Pro iPhones are also set to adopt the multi-purpose Action Button from the high-end Apple Watch.
The use of titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro also brings with it a change to the chassis finish. Previously, all Pro iPhones used heavily polished stainless steel with a mirror finish as the chassis material. The iPhone 15 Pro will have a brushed finish that is considerably less reflective than the finish of previous Pro iPhones. The image below is perhaps the most accurate representation of the new brushed finish, closely resembling the finish found on prototype devices.
The new brushed finish is expected to reduce scratch visibility. Early in the development of the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple experimented with a mirror finish for the device for the titanium frame, in appearance very similar to the iPhone 14 Pro. The versions of the iPhone 15 Pro with mirror finish, however, were found to be prone to scratches and dents – both of which were immediately noticeable on the frame. Because of this, the mirror finish for the device was seemingly quickly abandoned in favor of the new brushed look.
While titanium in combination with the brushed finish will allow for better fingerprint resistance and fewer visible scratches - durability issues may still be a potential concern. Although titanium has a higher hardness compared to stainless steel, it's also lighter, making it more prone to dents. To be more specific, the devices may be especially affected by corner dents, which can result in the color coating flaking off, revealing bare metal underneath. This phenomenon has been seen on prototype devices, although it is unclear if improvements have been made since.
The introduction of titanium also influenced the selection of color options planned for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Back in early July, we revealed Apple was testing four different color options for the iPhone 15 Pro:
Blue
Space Black / Space Gray
Titanium Gray
Silver
With the removal of the gold color option, we can expect a switch to more gray tones for the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple is expected to replace gold with a color option known internally as "Titanium Gray." Titanium Gray, as the name implies, is a color option similar to the color of natural titanium - darker than Silver, but lighter than the Space Black option.
More recently, Apple issued invitations to its September 12 event with the tagline "Wonderlust." The accompanying image and animation feature a multi-colored Apple logo made up of metallic particles, which many consider a subtle nod to the upcoming titanium frame on the iPhone 15 Pro. Furthermore, the colors used for the Apple logo match the color options for the 15 Pro, with varying shades of silver, gray, black and dark blue.
The titanium chassis is also expected to lead to lighter devices. According to information obtained by MacRumors, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are expected to be lighter than their respective predecessors by 18 grams, which is a reduction in weight by around 10 percent.
To sum up, these are the key benefits and changes titanium is set to bring to the iPhone 15 Pro:
Brushed finish
Scratches will be less visible
Improved fingerprint resistance
Device weight reduced by 18 grams
New color option – Titanium Gray
For more details on what to expect, check out our rumor roundup pages for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15.
