With the release of the Apple iPhone 6, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and many other products, 2014 has proven to be an exciting year for the technology world. Here are some of this fall’s highlights:

APPLE SMARTPHONES

On Sept. 9, Apple revealed the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

The new smartphones feature a brand-new design, parting from the flat edge design of the iPhone 5S, and opting in for a more rounded look, much like that of the iPod touch.

The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch display with a Full HD resolution, and is only 7.1 millimeters thick. The iPhone 6 has a spacious 4.7-inch “Retina HD” Display, which is crammed into a smartphone that’s only 6.9 millimeters thick.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also bring in a new eight-megapixel iSight camera. The new camera will take HDR (high dynamic range) photos automatically, which will provide brighter and crisper pictures.

The iSight camera contains new stabilization features, which will make images less blurry. It also has new video features, including recording in HD quality (1080p at 60 frames per second), slow motion, and a time-lapse mode.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are powered by Apple’s new A8 processor, which Apple claims is “desktop class.”

The A8 is joined by the M8 motion coprocessor, which measures data from the accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and barometer. This data is used in the “Health” app to track steps, distance, and changes in elevation.

The battery on the iPhone 6 has been improved slightly. Audio battery life has been improved by 10 hours, and 3G talk has been improved by four hours, but all other battery life benchmarks stay the same or have barely changed from how they were on the 5S.

The iPhone 6 Plus audio playback battery life is a whopping 80 hours, and 3G talk is up to 24 hours.

Other benchmarks are slightly above that of the iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are powered by Apple’s latest software, iOS 8. iOS 8 includes new features such as improvements to the user interface and keyboard, a new Health app, iCloud Drive, and notification enhancements.

The iPhone 6 starts at $199, and the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299. It will be available in silver, gold, and space grey.

So far, the iPhones have been selling extremely well. On the weekend of Sept. 19 to Sept. 21, Apple sold over 10 million iPhones – a record-breaker.

APPLE SMARTWATCHES

Apple also announced their first smart watch, the Apple Watch, which comes in three versions: the standard Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and the Apple Watch Edition.

Two of the three watches have sapphire displays, which will be very scratch-resistant.

The custom-made S1 processor will power the watch. Battery life has yet to be announced.

There will be several wristbands available upon release.

The smartwatch will start at $349 and will come in six different colors (including 18 karat gold, made exclusively for the Apple Watch Edition).

It will release in early 2015.

SONY DEVICES

Sony also announced new devices during Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), one of the world’s largest technology events.

The first notable device from Sony is their latest smartphone, known as the Xperia Z3.

The Z3 has a 5.2-inch display with a HD resolution. The Xperia Z3 packs this display into a surprisingly slim package, with the phone being only 7.3mm thin.

The phone is powered by Google’s latest operating system, KitKat 4.4. The Xperia Z3 uses Qualcomm’s blazingly fast Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor. The Z3 also has a 20.7-megapixel camera that can record video up to 4K resolution (4K is four times the resolution of standard HD).

It is completely waterproof for up to 4.9 feet, and can be submerged for up to 30 minutes.

Probably the most impressive feature is the phone’s battery life, which can last up to two days on average use.

Sony also announced a compact version of the phone, along with a compact tablet, and two new smartwatches.

SAMSUNG PHONES

Samsung, the well-known manufacturer of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note, also made announcements for new devices at IFA.

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note Edge, a large phone with a unique feature: a curved edge. The curved edge will be used as an app tray and controls for an app. Pricing has yet to be annoucned.

Samsung also announced the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, which features a 4.7-inch screen, Android 4.4 KitKat. The Alpha uses a metal frame instead of plastic, giving it a more “premium” feel.

The most exciting news for Samsung fans is the announcement of the Galaxy Note 4. The Note 4 has several new features, including a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, a fast Snapdragon 805 processor, and a 16-megapixel camera.

Though the Quad HD display sounds impressive, you would not be able to notice the difference in pixels on a device of this size. It is more of a bragging right than an actual feature.