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- Apple unveiled new products, including the iPhone Air and Apple Watch Ultra 3, at an event on Tuesday.
- Several smaller details may have been overshadowed by the big product reveals.
- Those include access to a new Live Translation and Apple’s take on a crossbody strap.
Apple’s slim new iPhone Air dominated headlines after its fall event, but a handful of quieter reveals may have fallen under the radar.
The tech giant hosted its annual iPhone event on Tuesday. From the iPhone Air to the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple unveiled serious upgrades across several product lineups.
Some smaller details could’ve easily been missed during the roughly hourlong presentation, such as a new security feature and Apple’s latest iPhone accessory. Apple promised an “awe-dropping” event, and it largely delivered, even if some features didn’t get as much screen time as others.
Here’s what we noticed about Apple’s new offering after the event.
The iPhone Air external battery is sold separately
The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest phone yet, at 5.6 millimeters. The company touted it for packing the power of a Pro model into a lightweight frame. However, all that power comes at the cost of battery size compared to other new iPhones.
Although the iPhone Air’s battery life is meant to last a full day, Apple launched a MagSafe external battery alongside the new smartphone. The company showed off how thin the phone is, even with the battery attached. The external battery can add up to 65% of additional charge.
The battery pack is sold separately for an extra $99. It’s designed for the Air and can’t be paired with other iPhone models.
Live Translation isn’t just for the new AirPods Pro 3
During the presentation, Apple introduced Live Translation, an AI-powered feature that can translate languages in real time.
Apple demoed the feature on its new AirPods Pro 3, but it also works on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2, if paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running iOS 26.
Live Translation can listen to a language and translate it on your phone screen. If two people have AirPods Pro 3, they can each speak in their own language, and the other person will hear it in theirs.
As of Wednesday, Live Translation supports English (UK and US), French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
The AirPods Pro 3 is also a small in-ear heart rate sensor
If you forget your Apple Watch for your workout, the AirPods Pro 3 has you covered. Apple has upped the health features of its new earphones to include a built-in heart rate sensor.
The tiny sensor will help track your heart rate and the calories you burn while working out when paired with the Fitness app, Apple said.
Apple introduced a new memory security feature
Apple introduced Memory Integrity Enforcement, or MIE, which provides always-on memory safety protection for the core of its operating system by targeting spyware that could track communications across calls, texts, emails, and encrypted messaging apps. It’s built into the iPhone 17 family and the iPhone Air, Apple said.
The goal of MIE is “to make it immensely more expensive and difficult to develop and maintain mercenary spyware attacks” that would exploit vulnerabilities, Apple said in a blog post.
There’s a new accessory, too — a crossbody strap
Another accessory that’s coming separately from the new phones is a wearable strap. Instead of dropping your phone into the abyss of your purse or putting your new ultra-thin iPhone Air in your back pocket, Apple is giving you the option to wear it.
The new crossbody strap, which comes in a variety of colors to match the new cases that also launched, costs $59.
It’s not a new smartphone accessory, but it’s Apple’s signature minimalist take on it.
Read the full article here
