Here's your quick walkthrough of the September 7 Apple Event!

This one was, for sure, a subtle Apple Event.

Not too many releases, just some specific ones.

So the event, as always, commences with the mandatory Tim Cook speech, and then I got to see the most unique Apple Watch lineup so far.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch Series 8

This year's model features two new temperature sensors – on the back and under the display. Also, this enables ovulation period tracking for women, which Apple calls 'retrospective ovulation estimates'. Other than that, Apple claims the watch can detect minor temperature changes as well; as low as 0.1 degrees Celsius, and will check the temperature every 5 seconds.

For better safety, there's a new 'Crash Detection' facility that detects a crash and lets you do emergency calls, but only when driving a car.

And finally, there's a new low-power mode for Apple Watch Series 4 and above running watchOS 9, that temporarily disables the always-on display and some other features whilst keeping the essential ones activated. This mode can deliver up to 36 hours of battery.

The Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 (US) and ?45,900 (India).

Apple Watch SE 2

Keeping all the essential Apple Watch features and adding the same Crash Detection and S8 chip from the series 8, the 2nd generation of the budget-oriented Apple Watch SE is cheaper than its predecessor.

Other minor upgrades include colour-matched back cases and emergency SOS.

The Apple Watch SE 2 starts at $249 (US) and ?29,900 (India).

Apple Watch *Ultra*

An entirely new addition to the series, the Apple Watch Ultra sports many breathtaking features (no pun intended, read on to know how!)

So this one's designed for them extreme sports athletes. There's a rugged 49 mm titanium case that's built for durability, and to withstand extreme conditions, and a customisable (orange) action button to transition between sports.

The digital crown is bigger and sees some design changes that lets you use it with your gloves on.

There are many other new sports features, including

• The most accurate GPS in a smartwatch, thanks to a dual-frequency (L1+L5 GPS)
• Up to a whopping 36 hours of battery life on a single charge. With an upcoming battery optimisation feature, you'll be able to extend the same to 60 hours
• An extra speaker for better and louder audio
• Three microphones with wind detection
• EN 13319 certification for diving
• 'The most technical' Apple Watch face ever, called Wayfinder, with crucial details like latitude, longitude, and compass. Can be modified to use in mountain, ocean, or trail settings.

You get some new, innovative watch band options with the Watch Ultra as well.

Please note that all Ultra models come only in the GPS + Cellular variant.

The most rugged and capable Apple Watch Ultra starts at $799 (US) and ?89,900 (India).

AirPods Pro 2

I'd say there are a few good improvements with this AirPods Pro successor.

The first one's a new H2 chip for better audio. Plus there's higher bandwidth connectivity for "breakthrough audio experiences", and an upgraded Personalised Spatial Audio.

Instead of the older pressure sensors, you now get touch controls that support multitouch swipes.

The AirPods Pro 2 starts at $249 (US) and ?26,900 (India).

iPhone 14 & 14 Plus

Boring – if you ask me!

But what's a USP with Apple is their chips. The A15 bionic is still unrivalled in front of its Qualcomm and Mediatek counterparts, and this is how they're gonna get away with this year-old SoC in both iPhones.

There are some decent upgrades in the camera department with a larger main sensor with a faster aperture and a 49 per cent improvement in low-light images. The selfie camera is a new TrueDepth sensor with autofocus for better low-light shots.

Apple ditched the minis for the new Plus variant that packs a huge 6.7-inch screen. Good move from a business POV.

The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus start at

• $799 (US) and ?79,900 (India)
• $899 (US) and ?89,900 (India), respectively.

iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max

Oh, man. The teaser.

That in itself got me amped up. Ain't no kidding!

And then, not to my surprise, the gap between the Pro and non-Pro models is more than ever. This was pretty much evident from the rumours and leaks.

First things first, I want to talk about this new Dynamic Island feature. This is how you shrug off an ugly hardware feature (the new camera bar) with a software integration that's intuitive and innovative.

With software, the camera bar shrinks and expands to show alerts and updates, access playing music, and more. Am I the only one who thinks this feature takes inspiration from the Touch Bar in the MacBook Pro?!

The successor A16 bionic chip carries a 4 nm process with 40% improvement in performance, and GPU and efficiency improvements as well.

The display has a better LTPO 2.0 technology that enables the best always-on display (AOD) on a smartphone so far. It'll show you time, widgets, and dimmed lock screen wallpaper, whilst maintaining the dimmed colours of all these elements.

I'd also like to add here that the bezels are thinner on the Pro models. A subtle upgrade!

What's even more intriguing is the new camera system that looks very promising on paper. The main sensor finally gets its awaited upgrade, from 12 to 48 MP. In addition, the sensor is quad-pixel, coupled with a 2nd gen optical image stabilisation and a 2x zoom option. The ultrawide and telephoto sensors have gotten better as well, with a larger sensor on the former. Finally, the flash is twice as brighter as the iPhone 13 Pro.

All in all, the Pro models should be a delight to use for almost every user out there. Let's see what the reviews have in store for us!

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max start at

• $999 (US) and ?1,29,900 (India)
• $1,099 (US) and ?1,39,900 (India), respectively.

Final words

The Apple Event, as always, is a visual delight. No compromises on that.

For me, the iPhone 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra are the most interesting releases off of the special day.

That said, what's also sad is that the Pro models are gonna burn a hole in our pockets!