Apple unveils iPhone 13, new Watch, camera features

Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Apple unveiled its latest lineup of iPhones with a more powerful processor, brighter display and redesigned camera Tuesday during its annual event.

Apple introduced the new offerings from its world headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., staged entirely online due to COVID-19.

The new iPhone 13 series didn't have a major physical redesign compared to the last iteration -- the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 will be available in 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch Mini versions and the iPhone 13 Pro will be available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Max versions.

All four versions of the phone will feature Apple's new A15 Bionic processor, which includes 15 billion transistors and can complete 15.8 trillion operations per second. The company says its CPU is "50% faster vs. competition."

The chip also powers the phones' cameras, all of which now include night mode. The iPhone Pro cameras include new 77 mm telephoto lenses for 3x optical zoom and and improvement in low-light in wide and ultra-wide pictures.

Apple also added macro mode for taking up-close photos within 2 cm in ultra-wide mode.

On iPhone Pro video, a new cinematic mode allows the user to choose the focus later and allows focus to change as subjects come in and out of the frame.

Director Kathryn Bigelow, who took part in the event, said the cameras on the iPhone 13 Pros "will change the language of cinema."

Apple said it also improved the battery life on all four phones. The iPhone 13 Mini lasts 1.5 hours longer than the 12 Mini, the iPhone 13 lasts 2.5 hours longer than the 12, the iPhone 13 Pro lasts 1.5 hours longer than the 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max lasts 2.5 hours longer than the 12 Pro Max.

The iPhone 13 will be Apple's first iPhone since the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, which experts say might increase demand. It will also be the second iPhone with 5G capabilities, following the iPhone 12 a year ago.

The iPhone 13 Mini will start at $699 and the iPhone 13 will start at $799, and both will be available in three sizes -- 128GB, 256GB and 512 GB. The iPhone 13 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will start at $1,099, and both will be available in four sizes -- 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and for the first time, 1TB.

For the new Apple Watch Series 7, the display is slightly bigger, going nearly all the way to the edge of the case. Because of this, it will now support a full keyboard and 50% more text on screen.

The watch itself is also bigger, coming in 41mm and 45 mm sizes, 1mm bigger than the Series 6. The watch comes in five colors -- black, gold, blue, red and dark green.

There's now a new outdoor cycling feature as well as fall support to connect the user to emergency services.

The Series 7 will start at $399 later this fall.

Apple also unveiled a new low-cost iPad and iPad Mini, both of which will include a USB-C port and 5G. Both will also support the new Center Stage, a camera feature that automatically detects people and moves the frame to follow them.

Finally, Apple is introducing its Fitness+ workout app to 15 more countries and is allowing group workouts using SharePlay.