This week Apple held its big annual iPhone launch event and managed to cram in seven devices for us to get excited about, including four new iPhones.
We also finally get the debut of Spotify Lossless. Better five years late than never.
To catch up on all of this and more, scroll down for our recap of the week’s seven biggest tech news stories.
7. We tried the Nikon ZR
The new Nikon ZR camera landed as the first in a new line of Nikon / RED cinema cameras, and it instantly makes Nikon a major new player in this space – a competitor that is even capable of going toe-to-toe with big names like Sony and Canon in the category.
It packs a bunch of Nikon Z6 III tech, including the same 24MP partially stacked full-frame sensor, 5-axis image stabilization, subject-detection tracking autofocus and more into an extremely compact, weather-sealed cinema camera body.
It boasts some fantastic features to boot, and to make things even better it costs just $2,199.95 / £2,199.99 / AU$3,499 – yes that’s a lot on its own but know that no other cinema camera comes close to the ZR for video features at this price point.
6. Bose dropped new headphones
Stop what you’re doing: the best Bose noise-cancelling headphones (and arguably the best ANC cans around, period) now have a successor. Behold! The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).
Aside from choice new colorways including ‘Driftwood Sand’ and ‘Midnight Violet’, Bose’s new flagship cans will now work with their USB-C cable for 16-bit/44.1kHz or 48kHz audio quality (and with the 2.5mm audio jack on the older model) just like the recent AirPods Max update.
Elsewhere, a total of ten (10!) microphones placed inside and outside each ear cup are now combined with an improved ActiveSense algorithm for “more precise adaptive noise cancellation and natural sound”, and Bose has upped the stamina to a claimed 30 hours with ANC deployed for the updated model (although it’s still 23 hours with Immersive Audio on, ie. ANC and various degrees of spatial audio added to the mix) or 45 hours with ANC turned off.
Pricing? They’re expensive, but only 2023 expensive…
5. Dolby Vision got a sequel
Dolby announced Dolby Vision 2, the next generation of its HDR format. It’s set to have benefits for both cheaper TVs, where a new picture analysis engine will deliver even richer colors and better contrast in HDR, and more expensive TVs. In the latter case, there’s a second version of it, called Dolby Vision 2 Max. This brings tools for a more accurate picture from today’s super-bright TVs, and – for the first time – Dolby Vision will give TV/movie creators control over your TV’s motion smoothing settings. Yes, the director can tell your TV when to turn motion smoothing on and off, and can even do this second-by-second.
Which TVs will support this new HDR format? Well, that’s complicated – only Hisense is confirmed, and other TV makers are thinking about it.
4. Spotify finally found its Lossless music
Earlier this week, the day that millions of loyal Spotify fans have been waiting for arrived, and Spotify Lossless is finally launching to Premium subscribers. The rollout has already started for users and will expand to over 50 different regions in October.
The most surprising thing is that despite the rumors, Spotify Lossless is free, offering a bitrate of up to 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC, which is actually better than CD-quality. The streaming service added that Lossless will be available across ‘nearly every song’, but hasn’t provided an exact number.
Spotify Lossless will also be available across an array of devices from mobile, to desktop and tablet, offering compatibility with devices that support Spotify Connect including Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and more. When it comes to enabling Lossless, all you have to do is head to Media Quality in Settings, and then select Lossless under the Low, Normal, High, and Very High audio options.
3. Apple gave us new AirPods Pro
Alongside new iPhones we also just got brand new AirPods Pro 3 – which are a successor to the AirPods Pro 2 that, according to Apple, are the most popular headphones ever.
So does the new model do enough to convince folks to upgrade? Well among the new features are an in-built heart-rate sensor, which in combination with the built-in movement sensors can apparently track 50 workout types – no Apple Watch needed. They also get live translation. Apple says you’ll be able to pinch both stems to begin live translation, and ANC kicks in to reduce their voice a little when you’re getting the translation.
2. New Apple Watches reached further than ever
While the iPhone 17 series was big news, fitness wearables got a lot of limelight too. The Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 got an upgrade people were begging for – increased battery life – along with 5G capabilities, satellite messaging for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to connect from the wilderness, scratch-resistant screens and a much-vaunted hypertension detection feature designed to monitor blood pressure.
Meanwhile the Apple Watch SE 3 arrived to complete the range refresh, with fast-charging, the latest watchOS 26 features and the same powerful S10 chip as the other watches in the line, meaning it has access to neat current-gen tricks like gesture controls. All that and it’s still terrific value at $249 / £219 / AU$399, too.
1. Apple debuted 4 new iPhones
If we had to choose two words to describe the iPhone 17 launch, they would be “thin” and “orange”. Sure, we got four new iPhones across three different styles and varying sizes, specs, and capabilities, but people will be talking about the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and the quite thin and durable iPhone Air for a long time. And, no, that’s not a typo. Apple’s Plus replacement eschews the numerology and focuses on the stunning build, which is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever built. By the way, it does bend, but not break, and then bounces right back into shape (we have the video to prove it).
Aside from thinness and that bold new color, the lineup got new silicon in the form of the A19 and A19 Pro and new cameras that bring subjects closer than ever before. TechRadar is testing the phones, but you can read all of our first impressions.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
