Apple event LIVE: New iPhone 13 officially launched alongside Apple Watch 7 and iPad range

OVER AND OUT!

That’s it from me, Sean Keach, for tonight’s Apple event.

I’ll be handing this blog over – it will be updated through the night with the latest Apple news.

Expect more details about the iPhone 13 and other gadgets to emerge in the coming hours and days.

For instance, we just found out that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the most expensive yet thanks to a new 1TB option that costs £1,549. A high price, but for a high reward!

Thanks for following along, and keep checking in on the blog for the latest.

IT’S A WRAP!

Apple has made all of its announcements, and the keynote is now over.

We’ve seen a host of announcements, targeting most of Apple’s biggest product lines.

There’s a new iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

We’ve got a new Apple Watch 7, a new entry-level iPad, and a new iPad Mini that supports 5G internet.

It’s a blockbuster event for gadget fans, who will no doubt be clambering to snap up these new products when they launch next week.

PRO GO!

The iPhone 13 Pro has a 6.1 inch screen, rising to 6.7 inch for the Pro Max.

It starts at $999, or $1,099 for the Pro Max.

This year, there’s a new 1TB storage option – in addition to 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options.

Pre-orders are live from Friday for the iPhone 13, all of which are available from September 24.

Here’s the new iPhone line-up…

POWER UP

According to Apple, you’ll get an additional 1.5 hours of usage with the iPhone 13 Pro versus the 12.

And that rises to a bonus 2.5 hours if you buy the Pro Max model.

FILM FIRST

Apple says the iPhone 13 Pro supports Dolby Vision HDR video recording.

It shows off the focus-changing Rack Focus feature in Cinematic Mode we saw on the iPhone 13.

Example footage looks great – it’s so good, it’s actually hard to believe it’s shot on iPhone.

You can even film in Macro mode, which is cool.

SUPER SNAPPER

Apple is talking up huge improvements in low-light photography.

That means “you’ll get beautiful photos in any situation”, according to Apple.

There’s also better astrophotography when shooting the night sky with a tripod, as rumoured.

Apple has also added a new Macro Photography mode, letting you magnify subjects with a minimum distance of 2cm.

Example photos looked great.

I-CAN’T BELIEVE IT!

The iPhone 13 Pro sounds seriously impressive.

It’s got Pro Motion tech, so the screen has a 120Hz refresh rate for very smooth scrolling and navigation.

And it uses Apple’s Super Retina XDR display tech too.

PRO MOVES

There are four colour options – including a new blue option.

The notch is smaller thanks to a reduction in the Face ID module, giving you more screen to enjoy.

There’s IP68 water resistance, a new display, and an improved camera system.

It’s also powered by Apple’s powerful new A15 Bionic chip – as seen in the standard iPhone 13.

GOING PRO

Apple is now moving on to the iPhone 13 Pro.

That’s the more premium version of the iPhone 13, which Apple chief Tim Cook is calling Apple’s “most pro iPhone ever”.

LUCKY 13

The iPhone 13 Mini starts at $699, while the iPhone 13 costs $799.

That’s identical to last year’s pricing.

Base storage is doubled to 128GB up from 64GB – that’s a big coup for buyers.

And there are 256GB and 512GB options too.

APPLE JUICE

You’ll get 1.5 hours more usage from the iPhone 13 versus the iPhone 12.

Apple says this battery life boost is partly thanks to the new A15 chip.

That’s great news! Who doesn’t like better battery life?

5G GOODNESS

The iPhone 13 supports ultra-fast 5G mobile speeds – just like iPhone 12.

But the new model works on more bands, to get better support and speeds around the world.

SNAP HAPPY

Apple says the iPhone 13 has the most advanced dual-camera system yet.

The snapper gathers 47% more light, apparently.

Apple showed off some examples of low-light photography that looked very impressive.

The camera system also includes an ultra-wide snapper, for those really broad shots.

On video, there’s a new Cinematic Mode.

This lets you adjust focus between people and objects while filming in a very cinematic way – this is called Rack Focus.

The examples look extremely good.

Also, here’s a quick recap on the new A15 chip…

SPEED BOOST

The new iPhone 13 is powered by Apple’s brand new A15 processor.

It’s a custom built chip with a 6-core CPU (four of which are high-efficiency cores).

And the processor is built on a 5nm process, which means more transistors can be squeezed onto the chip.

In fact, Apple says it’s got 15billion transistors – they’re the tiny electronic switches that allows computing to happen.

More transistors on a chip generally means more computing potential.

So expect the iPhone 13 to be wildly fast. Even speedier than the very nippy iPhone 12!

I-SEE!

Face ID now fits into a 20% smaller space – slightly reducing the notch.

There’s a bigger battery (thanks to some internal re-engineering).

Apple has also created a smaller version of the iPhone 13 called the iPhone 13 Mini.

This is a similar format to last year’s iPhone 12.

Peak brightness on the iPhone 13’s screen is 1,200 nits – making outdoor use easy, even on sunny days.

Apple says the display has a high contrast ratio, so you can see true blacks.

That’s courtesy of a custom-built Apple OLED screen.

NEXT TOP MODEL

Apple has officially announced the iPhone 13.

As expected, it looks very similar to last year’s iPhone 12.

It’s got a Ceramic Shield front, and a dual camera system.

There are five new colours including (as leaked) a new Pink option!

PHONE ZONE

We’re now on to the iPhone!

It’s looking likely that we’ll get four new iPhone 13 models.

FITNESS FIRST

Apple is talking about Apple Fitness+.

That’s the subscription service that gives you workout regimes from world-class personal trainers.

It’s built for people with an Apple Watch – which connects to Fitness+ and tracks your calories.

Pilates is coming to Fitness+, with new workouts coming each week.

Guided meditation is also being added.

COLOURING IN!

There are new Apple Watch 7 colours.

For aluminium, you’ve got Midnight, Starlight, Green, Blue and Red.

For stainless steel, there’s Silver, Graphite and Gold.

And in titanium, you get Natural and Space Black.

Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399.

TOUGH STUFF!

Apple says the new model is the most durable so far.

There’s a new crack-resistant crystal cover.

And it’s dust-proof and water-resistant – more so than any other model.

SEVENTH HEAVEN

The Apple Watch 7 is OFFICIAL!

It looks similar to the previous generation, at leat from a design perspective.

But there’s a new Retina display with 20% more screen (and 50% compared to the Series 3).

The borders have been reduced by 40%, but the overall dimensions haven’t been changed significantly.

The case has a slightly more appealing curve that wraps into the display.

WATCH IT!

Apple chief Tim is now talking about Apple Watch.

That means – as rumours suggested – we’re probably about to see the Apple Watch 7.

MINI MAX

The new iPad Mini starts at $499, which is more expensive than the entry-level iPad.

It’s coming next week.

SEEING IS BELIEVING!

Just like the new iPad, the refreshed iPad Mini has a 12MP ultra-wide front camera.

This means it also gets Centre Stage support – automatically adjusting the screen depending who is on it during video calls.

It’s a feature that works brilliantly on iPad Pro, so it’s great to see it coming to lower-end devices.

The iPad Mini also supports the Apple Pencil, helping to make this device extremely versatile.

Impressive so far.

C ME!

Apple has switched iPad Mini to a USB-C connection.

This is in line with the iPad Pro and MacBooks, and is an increasingly common cable.

It means the iPhone is looking increasingly isolated with its Lightning connector.

AND the new iPad Mini supports 5G internet – if you pay for a cellular model. Huzzah!