Decoding the Apple AirPods 4, Watch Series 10 & iPhone 16: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

It’s September 2024, and the biggest tech event of the year just happened in Cupertino. It used to be called “One More Thing”. This event turns everyone around the world into tech enthusiasts, shifting dinner table conversations from fruits to the latest Apple devices. Like every innovation, Apple is late to the AI party, but whenever they join, they come fully prepared with no work-in-progress tech. This also means that foldable smartphones will have to wait another year or two, and lately, improvements to the iPhone have been incremental without anything groundbreaking. For the average user, not much changes in your daily life if you’re using a 12 Pro or a 15 Pro. Hopefully, in the coming years, there will be some big design improvements, as honestly, the design has become boring, much like Henry Ford saying, “You can have any colour in your car as long as it is black”.

Let’s start with the Watch Series 10 first. Here are the top 10 things you should consider before upgrading or buying the Apple Watch 10:

1. It has 30% more screen area, which is good news.
2. The display and case have more rounded edges.
3. Wide-angled OLED display.
4. Aluminum finish in jet black is a welcome addition.
5. It’s the thinnest Apple Watch at 9.7 mm.
6. You can play media directly through the watch speakers, which is fantastic.
7. Fastest charging Apple watch ever. The charging time has not been specified yet.
8. Polished titanium replaces stainless steel.
9. The translate app comes to the watch with sleep apnea integration.
10. Depth app for water temperature and tracking the depth in the pool up to 6 feet. Great for snorkelers, but for 99% of people, no one will ever use this more than once a year.

So, while there’s nothing earth-shattering, playing music directly from the watch without needing AirPods is an exciting feature, along with the increased screen size and thinness. Should you upgrade? It can be missed; it will still show the same time. My ideal innovation for the Watch series 11 would be the ability to house the AirPods directly behind the screen, much like the Honor watch. But thats wishful thinking !!

Let’s discuss AirPods 4 and the four features that caught my attention.

1. Being able to say yes or no to Siri while speaking is cool, but I don’t think Apple realizes how much Indians nod during our conversations. Ask any European or American, who is forever confused by our contradictory nods, which are the opposite of what we say.
2. The charging case has become smaller, and its 30 hours of battery life, along with the Type-C and wireless charging, are great features.
3. The clinically proven test for hearing aid disorder seems like Apple is mocking ENT doctors by testing ear impairment on AirPods. However, it’s pretty thoughtful, considering that most of us unknowingly have hearing issues. Thank you, Apple. You finally nailed the acronym “An Apple a Day keeps the doctor (ear specialist) away.”
4. My take on the AirPods 4 is to go for the upgrade because the world needs more battery time.

Now, let’s talk about the real deal—the Apple iPhone 16 series. The iPhone is the reason Apple is a trillion-dollar company. Let’s dive deep into the 16 features of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which should be considered before making the decision to stand in line outside the Apple store.

1. It’s made of 85 percent recycled material, which is excellent for the environment, but may not be a major consideration for most consumers.
2. The glass ceramic shield is 50 percent tougher and two times more durable, which is a nice improvement.
3. The customizable action button is a new feature that should have been available since the iPhone 15 Pro.
4. Controlling the camera simply by sliding your finger is an innovative feature, but its practicality needs to be evaluated through reviews.
5. The Apple A18 Pro chip is an upgrade, but its performance compared to the A17 Pro chip remains unclear.
6. The 30 percent faster speed compared to the existing iPhone may not be a significant factor for everyone, but it could benefit gamers considering it can be used to play AAA game titles.
7. Apple intelligence and private cloud commute are features that will likely be rolled out to all iOS devices with atleast 8GB RAM in the future.
8. Private Cloud Compute platform focuses on ensuring data privacy for each iPhone user
9. Apple’s commitment to using 100% renewable energy in its servers and data centres is commendable, although it may not be a decisive factor for consumers.
10. The ability to create your own emoji by typing is a fun and creative idea, but it will soon be available as an update on all iOS devices.
11. The ability to type to Siri and give commands like deleting duplicate photos is a valuable addition, especially for those who struggle with voice commands.
12. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a larger 6.9-inch display compared to the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which may justify the investment for some users.
13. The camera of the iPhone 16 Pro has notable improvements, including a 48MP Fusion sensor, 48MP Ultra Wide sensor(compared to the 12MP in the 15 Pro), and a 12MP Telephoto camera.
14. The iOS 18 update will include new features, such as spatial photos and videos and the Clean Up feature in pictures.
15. The water resistance remains at a depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes with an IP68 rating, which is similar to the iPhone 15 Pro.
16. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly taller, wider, and heavier than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It also offers 4 hours more of video playback.

The big question is, should you upgrade? If you are using the iPhone 12 Pro or 13 Pro, it’s definitely worth considering. If you have the iPhone 14 Pro or 15 Pro, it could be skipped unless you are into photography and video, in which case the 48MP ultrawide camera could be a compelling reason to upgrade. In terms of size, it’s a little bigger now, but otherwise, everything remains the same. It is a good feature to have but not a must-have.