Apple is perhaps the only tech company whose product announcements are inescapable. Even if you don't keep up with gadget blogs or follow tech sites on social media, there's a good chance you've at least heard that Apple announced some new iPhones and Apple Watches last week.

Still, you don't need to read thousands of words across multiple articles to understand what's new. I've got your reasonably short-and-sweet rundown right here:

The iPhone XS ($999 with 64 GB of storage, September 21 launch) is a minor upgrade to last year's iPhone X. It has the same starting price, the same edge-to-edge display (with a camera cutout at the top), and the same stainless steel frame.

The main difference is the A12 processor, which not only makes the phone faster and slightly more battery-efficient, but also improves photos by letting you fine-tune a photo's background blur after taking a shot and capturing more frames for HDR photography. The rear camera itself has a larger sensor, which can take better pictures in low light, and while the front camera hasn't changed, Apple says FaceID facial recognition is faster now. The iPhone XS is also more waterproof than its predecessor--it can survive up to two meters underwater for 30 minutes, rather than one meter--and there's a new gold color option along with the customary silver and dark gray. You can equip the phone with 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, though that adds $150 and $350 to the price, respectively.

The iPhone XS Max ($1,099 for 64 GB of storage, September 21 launch) is identical to the iPhone XS inside, but has a 6.5-inch display instead of a 5.8-inch one. This is by far the largest screen that Apple has ever shipped on iPhone, though the edge-to-edge display means the phone itself is a smidge smaller than last iPhone 8 Plus. The larger design also affords a bigger battery, which provides about an hour of additional web browsing or video viewing compared to the iPhone XS.

The iPhone XR ($749 for 64 GB of storage, October 26 launch) is Apple's attempt to offer the iPhone X's all-screen design at a lower price. It's wrapped in aluminum instead of stainless steel, and instead of an OLED display, it uses a 6.1-inch LCD panel, which is less vibrant and requires larger bezels around the edges of the screen. The rear camera has one lens instead of two, so it lacks the 2X optical zoom of its pricier siblings, and the phone is waterproof to one meter instead of two. The iPhone XR also lacks 3D Touch support, which lets you access hidden menu options by pressing harder on the screen. (You'll have press for longer instead.)

Still, the iPhone XR has the same A12 chip as the XS series, so it's just as fast and has the same background blur and advanced HDR photo features, and the front-facing camera is the same. The XR also has a couple unique virtues: Its battery lasts a bit longer than even the larger iPhone XS Max, and it offers some nifty color options such as blue and coral. There's no 512 GB option, but you can upgrade to 128 GB of 256 GB of storage for $50 or $150, respectively.

Apple will continue to sell the iPhone 7 for $449, the iPhone 7 Plus for $569, the iPhone 8 for $599, and the iPhone 8 Plus for $699. (Bad news for fans of smaller phones: The iPhone SE and its 4-inch screen are going away.)

That's a lot to take in, which has led some feelings of confusion over this year's lineup, but I wouldn't overthink it. Just figure out how much iPhone you can afford, then buy accordingly.

Or don't buy one at all. As I wrote for Fast Company last week, the last few years of iPhones have aged rather well, and today's launch of iOS 12 (more on that shortly) promises to improve performance on these older models. Apple has a knack for making its newest phones seem irresistible, but replacing your phone every one, two, or even three years isn't as essential as it once was.

In arguably the more interesting half of Apple's press event, the company announced a new design for the Apple Watch--its first since the product debuted in 2015. Both the small and large options getting bigger--38mm and 42mm models are giving way to 40mm and 44mm models, respectively--and the display occupies more of the front face, with rounded edges to match the watch's rounded body. The microphone is also more responsive for phone calls and Siri voice commands, and the internal speaker is 50% louder.

The Apple Watch Series 4 will also try to detect medical emergencies. If a user has fallen, the Watch can alert close contacts or emergency services if a minute of inactivity follows. And if the onboard heart rate sensor detects a low or irregular pulse, the Watch will suggest seeing a doctor. (It's unclear if these heart rate detection features will require a Series 4, seeing as Apple has run limited clinical trials on older models in the past. ZDNet's Jason Perlow recently write about how this saved his life.) Later this year, the Watch will also be able to take ECG readings, which can provide doctors with better information than the basic heart rate sensor on older watches. No other consumer smartwatch offers these features today.

Now for the bad news: The base price for the latest Apple Watch is climbing to $399, a $70 increase from last year's Series 3. If you want cellular connectivity, which lets you leave your phone at home, that'll cost $499, plus whatever your wireless carrier charges for an Apple Watch data plan. The Series 3, at least, will drop to a lower price of $279.

These aren't the only gadgets that Apple's reportedly been working on. Rumors suggest that the company will announce new iPad Pro models, a redesigned MacBook Air, and possibly new AirPods later this year. It might not be long before I'm running down a bunch of new Apple hardware news all over again.

As I mentioned earlier in the newsletter, iOS 12 launches today, and you needn't be squeamish about installing this one. While iOS updates have a reputation for wreaking havoc on older phones, Apple says iOS 12 will make those phones better with faster app launches under heavy loads, less loading time for the keyboard, and faster access to the camera from the lock screen.

I'll have a lot more to say about iOS 12 in the coming weeks, but one thing you should try right away is silencing or disabling pesky notifications.

From the Notification Center, swipe left on a notification, then hit "Manage." You'll see an option to either "Deliver Quietly" (which prevents them from appearing on the lock screen, showing pop-ups, or making a sound) or "Turn off" alerts entirely. You can also visit Settings > Notifications to make adjustments for all your apps.

Android users: If your device is running Android 8.0 Oreo or higher, you can swipe slightly to the right on a notification, press the gear icon to see some options for disabling that app's notifications.

Goodbye, Inbox: When Google revamped Gmail earlier this year, it brought over several features from its more experimental Inbox app, including a Snooze button for resurfacing emails you need to act on, computer-generated Smart Replies, and quick action buttons when you hover your mouse over an email. Although Google said at the time that it would keep Inbox around as a feature laboratory of sorts, now the company says it will kill off Inbox by next March.

As someone who will soon lose his own favorite email app--that would be Newton--I empathize with Inbox's mourners. Email is a deeply personal activity, and it's easy to get attached to a particular system and build habits around it. While much of the Inbox experience now exists in Gmail--especially if you enable Priority Inbox for smart sorting--some features, such as integration with other email providers on the web, have no Gmail equivalent. And without an experimental wing for Google's email efforts, I fear email will stagnate from here on, especially if more third-party clients keep dying out.

An optional upgrade for AppleCare+: In addition to insuring your iPhone against shattered screens and other accidents, Apple's extended warranty program now covers loss or theft--for an optional upcharge. AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss costs $299 for the iPhone XS and XS Max (instead of $199 without theft and loss coverage), $249 for the iPhone XR, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus (instead of $149), and $199 for the iPhone 8 and 7 (instead of $129). That's just for the coverage itself; if you actually need to replace the phone, t here's a deductible of $269 for the iPhone X series, $229 for the iPhone XR and Plus-sized iPhones, and $199 for smaller iPhones.

In general, I'm an extended warranty skeptic. For manufacturing defects, most tech products have a year of coverage included, and many credit cards provide an additional year of coverage at no cost. (I've been through one of these claims myself.) And while coverage for accidental damage is nice, that benefit is tempered by deductibles. Replacing an iPhone X display without AppleCare+, for instance, costs $279, which is only $50 more than the replacement cost with AppleCare+. Ultimately, you must weigh your personal tendency to lose or damage valuable items against the cost of coverage, but from decades of gadget usage I know I've come out far ahead by living more dangerously.

While Apple's new iPhones aren't cheap, you might be able to defray the cost by committing to a particular wireless carrier. Here's a roundup of those deals:

• Sprint: Pay $0 per month over 18 months an iPhone XS when you trade in an eligible phone. (After that, you'll either have to get a new not-so-free phone with Sprint or buy out the iPhone XS for your freedom.) Sprint will also give you a $100 prepaid card if you switch from another carrier.
• T-Mobile: Get up to $300 in bill credit with an eligible trade-in.
• AT&T: Buy an iPhone XS, get $700 off another when you add a new line.
• Verizon: Same deal as AT&T.