Apple Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 announced with Double Tap and new chipsets

The world's most popular watch just got better. Apple Watch Series 9 brings a new S9 system in package (SIP) with 60% more transistors than the outgoing S8 series chip. It boasts a 30% faster GPU and a new 4-core NPU. This will obviously speed up the OS with faster animations and it's claimed to offer 18 hours battery life.

Apple Watch Series 9

But that's not all the S9 SiP allows Siri requests processed on the device, which means much faster results as they don't go to the cloud and back. Apple also promises 25% more accurate voice dictation. Siri can also now access your Health data making it easier than ever to check up on your key metrics.

Double Tap is arguably the killer new feature on the Series 9. This is a new pinch gesture using your thumb and index finger similar to how you operate the Apple Vision Pro headset. It works by sensing changes in your blood flow and wrist movement via the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. Double Tap allows you to play/pause music, snooze alarms, scroll through widgets, pick up or hang up calls.

Apple also announced a new FineWoven material watch strap which - a smaller carbon footprint than leather. The Watch 9 series is also completely carbon neutral. Apple will also match your electricity bill by investing in renewable energy sources around the world.

Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 with pre-orders later today while open sales kick off on September 22 in the first wave of countries.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets the same new Apple S9 SiP and Double Tap gesture controls alongside the new UWB chip for improved location tracking. It's still a tower of watch with its 49mm casing and 1.92-inch LTPO OLED display which now cranks out up to 3,000 nits peak brightness.

Battery life is rated at 36 hours just like its predecessor but it can now extend to 72 hours in low-power mode. Watch Ultra 2 gets a Modular Ultra watch face which provides users with the most amount of info by taking use of the display's outer edge. Night mode can now use the ambient light sensor to activate automatically

WatchOS 10 covers the software front and you can now connect with cycling peripherals like power meter pedals via Bluetooth for accurate results.

Apple Watch 2 comes in at $799 with pre-orders starting today. Open sales kick off on September 22. Apple also added new band colors for the Alpine Loop (blue, indigo, olive), Trail Loop (orange/beige, green/gray, blue/black) and Ocean Band (blue, orange).

Motorola Edge 40 Neo With Dimensity 7030 SoC, 144Hz Display Debuts Globally

Motorola has launched a new Edge smartphone in the global markets. It is the Edge 40 Neo as previously rumored. It is the third variant in the Edge 40 series that already includes the pro and standard models that debuted earlier this year. The Edge 40 Neo also arrives as the successor to the Edge 30 Neo announced last year. Additionally, Motorola also confirmed that the latest smartphone will launch in India next week.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo boasts a 6.55-inch 10-it POLED display with curved edges. It bears an FHD+ resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, 1,300 nits peak brightness, and is also HDR 10+ certified. The screen is integrated with a fingerprint scanner. The smartphone has a slim profile and the back panel has a square camera module. The device is also IP68 - certified dust and water-resistant.

On the imaging front, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo features a 50MP primary sensor with support for OIS for shake- free videos. There is a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens with 120-degree FoV. It can also be used to take macro photos. Up front, there is a 32MP selfie snapper. The smartphone is equipped with stereo speakers tuned by Dolby Atmos.

Under the hood, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo is powered by a Dimensity 7030 processor coupled with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage onboard. It is backed by a 5,000mAh battery unit with support for 68W fast charging via a USB-C port. Software-wise, the smartphone runs on Android 13 OS with Moto Connect and Ready For features out of the box.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo carries a starting price tag of EUR 399. It is up for sale in EMEA markets and offered in PANTONE Black Beauty, PANTONE Soothing Sea, and PANTONE Caneel Bay colors.