News

Everything Apple Announced At Yesterday’s iPhone 15 Event

Most of the circulating rumors proved accurate, but despite any major surprises, the new iPhone lineup still looks stunning.

Published

3 years ago

September 13, 2023

Nour Nasir

everything apple announced at yesterday's iphone 15 event

Yesterday, Apple held its yearly iPhone event, where the Cupertino company revealed four new smartphones, along with updates to its line of Apple Watches and a new version of iOS.

Most of the rumors about these hotly anticipated devices proved to be accurate, with upgrades ranging from USB-C ports to titanium frames. Let’s check them out:

The iPhone 15 & 15 Plus

Like the iPhone 14, the base model of Apple’s smartphone comes in two screen sizes: a standard 6.1-inch version and a larger 6.7-inch plus model.

Broadly speaking, the base iPhones are now comparable to last year’s Pro models, with improved cameras, better performance, and the novel Dynamic Island that does away with the dreaded notch.

However, the handsets now sport USB-C ports, along with a slightly tweaked chassis featuring rounded edges that look a little like those of the Apple Watch. In addition, color options have been changed for this model, which now ships in blue, green, yellow, pink, and black.

The iPhone 15 starts at $799, while the Plus starts at $899.

iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max

For the Pro versions of the iPhone 15, Apple chose to use titanium for the chassis, resulting in a lighter handset that comes in natural, blue, white, and black metallic hues. The screen now sports a smaller bezel, while the frosted glass back remains.

The two Pro handsets have 48-megapixel cameras with larger sensors for improved low-light photography. In addition, the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera remains but is now joined by a game-changing 5x optical zoom on the Pro Max. Last but not least, the Pro model cameras gain the ability to record spatial video that can be viewed on Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset.

One final feature worth noting is that both Pro iPhones have ditched the mute button and replaced it with an “Action Button”, which is customizable via the Shortcuts app.

The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, while the Pro Max starts at $1,199.

iOS 17

Apple gave few details about updates to its mobile operating system but did announce that iOS 17 would arrive on Monday, September 18, presumably to tie in with the iPhone 15.

Apple Watches

Both Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra smartwatches received an update, too. The series 9 is now carbon neutral, comes in new colorways, and sports a touch-free feature called double tap. Meanwhile, the premium Ultra watch has an upgraded processor, improved battery life, and more accurate health readings.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.