Apple’s new trailer for its upcoming film, “F1” starring Brad Pitt offers unique haptic effects when viewed on an iPhone.
The trailer makes use of the iPhone’s Taptic Engine to create vibrations that are synced with the trailer’s on-screen action. The intensity of the haptic effects match what’s happening on the screen, meaning in scenes when F1 cars are racing around the track, you’ll actually feel the vibrations of the engines while holding your iPhone in your hands. The effects range from heavy vibrations when engines rev, down to smaller effects when Pitt is bouncing rubber balls off of a wall.
I’ve viewed the trailer on my iPhone 16 Pro Max and the gimmick is quite entertaining. But, it’s just that, a gimmick, much like Sensurround in theaters back in the 1970s.
Your iPhone needs to be running iOS 18.4 or later to appreciate the effects and the trailer can be found in the TV+ tab of the TV app.
The film promises to be a blockbuster summer tentpole film, as Brad Pitt stars as an F1 driver who was an up-and-coming talent, until an accident on the track nearly ended his career in the ’90s. Thirty years later, Pitt is invited to join a former teammate’s struggling F1 team.
Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
The film is said to be Apple most expensive film to date, with a production budget of over $300 million and hits U.S. theaters on June 27. Following its theatrical run, F1 will be available for streaming on Apple TV+.
