Apple Inc. today introduced a new range of iPhones, including a top-of-the-line $999 iPhone X sporting an edge-to-edge “Super Retina” display that looks considerably different from previous iPhones.

And that wasn’t all, during a product-packed event in the new Steve Jobs Theater on Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, California. During the event, Apple also announced the launch of several other new products, including the Apple Watch Series 3, Apple TV 4k and the new iPhone 8.

The flagship iPhone X could be in very short supply, even into next year, so the impact on Apple’s business may not be immediate. But it’s still anticipated to be the driver for the biggest iPhone upgrade cycle in years.

“We still expect this to be a ‘super-cycle,’ meaning bigger than the previous biggest cycle (iPhone 6), and think that the new features and innovations will drive strong demand while allowing Apple to remain the preeminent smartphone brand on the planet,” Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter wrote in a note to clients.

Here’s the rundown on all the new products:

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

Cook began the iPhone presentation with a look back on the device’s 10-year history and how it helped usher in the mobile revolution, but the new iPhone 8 does not appear to be quite so groundbreaking.

The new iPhone 8 comes with 4.7-inch HD retina display, and the iPhone 8 Plus comes with a slightly larger 5.5-inch display. The new devices offer several improved hardware features, such as louder front speakers and higher-quality displays, and they now support wireless induction charging.

The iPhone 8 is powered by Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor, a six-core chip that can deliver up to a 70 percent improvement to multithreaded workflows — in short, faster apps. An integrated GPU not only boosts graphics fidelity, but it can also handle mobile machine learning tasks. The new 12-megapixel camera also comes with a few improvements, including a new color filter and a more sensitive light sensor, which improves image quality and reduces noise.

iPhone users already expect new versions to have a faster chip, a better camera, a more vivid display and so on, so while the new iPhone has plenty of improvements, none of its new features is particularly surprising or groundbreaking. Some of the new features, such as the use of machine learning to improve pictures, offer nice under-the-hood improvements, but they are a tough sell for the average users who might be on the fence between the iPhone or one of the flagship Android devices, some of which offer similar capabilities.

Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said that “Apple did do enough to warrant a full generational upgrade.” He also said that he believes the A11 Bionic chip “will be the fastest mobile SoC available.” But the iPhone 8, he noted, does not support gigabit LTE and will likely be 25 to 35 percent slower on networks compared to phones that do support it.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be open to pre-orders beginning Friday, Sept. 15, and will be available on Sept. 22.

iPhone X

The iPhone 8 may have been slightly underwhelming, but it was not the only iPhone announced today. Apple also unveiled the long-rumored iPhone X (pronounced iPhone Ten), a $999 iPhone with an edge-to-edge “Super Retina” display and no home button, which completely changes the look and feel of the iPhone.

The key feature of the iPhone X is Face ID, which uses a special depth-sensing camera to recognize and track a user’s face using more than 30,000 IR dots. This sensor works in low light, and it can recognize users through glasses, facial hair and so on.

According to Apple, the iPhone X uses neural networks to not only recognize users, but also to tell the difference between real faces, photos and masks, so it is hard to fool. With Face ID, iPhone X users can simply look at the phone and swipe up on the screen to unlock it, so the device does not need a home button at all. As impressive as this technology sounds, however, it is important to note that during Apple’s demonstration, it took three tries to unlock the iPhone X using Face ID. Oops.

Apple is also looking to revolutionize emojis on the iPhone X with something it calls animoji, which are essentially normal emoji that users can animate using their facial expressions. Yes, Apple is using the power of AI to make a better version of “Talking Tom.”

Aside from the screen-to-screen display and face recognition system, the iPhone X differs little from the iPhone 8 in terms of pure hardware, and the device uses the same A11 Bionic processor as the iPhone 8. The iPhone X also sports the same 12MP camera, but with a slightly different design that supports dual OIS (optical image stabilization), and Moorhead said this design may back up Apple’s claim that the iPhone X has “the best 4k video” ever. The battery life of the iPhone X is also two hours longer than the iPhone 7, which is surprising given the phone’s ridiculously expansive display.

“The iPhone X is truly an engineering marvel, especially when compared to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8, and is not just a late copy of the competition,” Moorhead said. “Apple did it their way by perfecting the experience, and on their timeframe.”

He noted that its “singular weakness” is not using the fastest gigabit LTE modem available. But that won’t keep people away, he said: “Even at a $999 opening price point, customers will wait in very long lines to get one.”

The iPhone X will start at $999 and will available for pre-order beginning Friday, Oct. 27, and it will hit stores on Nov. 3.

Apple Watch Series 3

Apple Watch Series 3 will have its own cellular service using the same phone numbers as users’ iPhones, meaning that they can go for a run without their phone but remain connected. The new watch also sports improved hardware to support both the new cell service as well as faster Wi-Fi and barometric pressure sensing. According to Apple, cramming all of these features into the watch without significantly increasing its size and weight required some clever workarounds, such as using the watch’s screen as its cellular antenna.

Apple Watch will be getting a few new software features in an upcoming update, including an improved heart rate app that offers more detailed analytics. After the update, Apple Watch will notify users if they have an unusually elevated heart rate when not exercising, which could represent a serious health condition. The company also announced the Apple Heart Study today, and a health study that will use Apple Watch data to study arrhythmia.

Last quarter, Apple Watch revenue rose over 50 percent compared to the previous year, and Cook said today that Apple Watch is now the No. 1 watch in the world.

Apple TV 4K

Apple TV is getting a 4k resolution upgrade, as well as a high-dynamic range feature that improves image color, shadows and details. The user interface has also been redone to take advantage of the new resolution, and Apple TV is getting a beefier processor to handle the higher resource requirements. Although more and more 4k devices are becoming available, 4k content still has not become the norm, but users who have purchased HD movies through iTunes will automatically get 4k versions, and Apple TV will also now support 4k sports live streams.

Apple kicked off the event by inaugurating the new Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s recently completed Apple Park campus. Chief Executive Tim Cook (pictured) opened the event by dedicating the theater to Jobs’ memory, saying, “Steve’s spirit and timeless philosophy on life will always be the DNA of Apple.” Cook said that the company will start moving into Apple Park later in the year, and he highlighted the project’s focus on sustainability, with its eco-friendly building materials, 100 percent renewable energy power, expansive green space and more.

Photos: Apple/event screenshot