Techtember is in full swing with Apple and Huawei kicking off their flagship device announcements.
Apple has announced its iPhone 16 line-up with built-in artificial intelligence at the company’s annual event held in California’s Apple Park as Chinese brand Huawei launched its first tri-foldable phone just hours later.
The company launched four models of its signature line-up — iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max — all of which will have Apple Intelligence and a new camera button.
The “personal intelligence system,” according to Apple, aims to combine generative models with “personal context” to make it relevant and useful to its customers.
Some of the usages of the AI model, which will also work closely with Chat GPT, will include supporting writing tools, writing mail and notifications summaries, and a better version of the company’s virtual assistant, Siri.
At Monday’s event, Apple introduced its new line of iPhones featuring the A18 and A18 Pro chips, alongside announcements for a new Apple Watch series, a new model of AirPods, and products in fresh colour schemes.
Apple had long been criticised for being “too predictable“, with new releases often resembling previous models and offering only incremental updates. The latest improvements focus on enhanced processors, battery life, and camera technology.
“The new models will have larger display sizes, new creative capabilities with innovative pro camera features, stunning graphics for immersive gaming, and more,” the company said in a statement.
Apple announced that the new embedded artificial intelligence model will be included in the upcoming iOS 18 software update, available for iPhone 15 and newer models. This update will initially roll out as a beta version in the US starting next month.
The new AI will also be available in other devices, such as iPad and MacBook as software updates, it added.
The iPhone will go on sale starting next week in the US and will start at $799 for its base model.
It is currently unknown when the new features, as well as the newly launched phones, will make their way to Qatar.
Huawei unveils tri-foldable phone
Huawei also unveiled its first tri-foldable device, Mate XT, on Monday at its headquarters in southern China just hours after Apple’s extravagant annual event.
The $2800 device has already received more than 3.6 million pre-orders in China, the company said, adding it will also be pre-loaded with generative AI.
“Today we bring you a product that everyone can think of but could not make. Our team has been working hard for five years and has never given up,” the company’s executive director Richard Yu said at the launch.
The generative AI will be supported by Huawei’s in-house Kylin chip and will rub shoulders with Apple Intelligent, performing similar tasks like summarising texts, live translation, and AI-powered image editing functions.
Huawei is currently the world’s biggest foldable smartphone brand, boasting 27.5 percent of the total market share, according to research firm IDC.
It also became China’s joint-biggest brand in the first quarter of 2024, seeing a 110 percent rise compared to a year earlier.
