Apple turns things up to 11
The new iPhone isn’t the only thing you’ll want to keep an eye out for
YOU might have heard the news – Apple has a new iPhone on the way, among other things. When the tech giant does anything these days, it’s big news all across the globe. But sometimes it’s hard to pick out the things that really matter when everyone is having their say.
Here, then, are the five things you really need to know about – all signal, and no noise…
iPHONE 11
THE new phone is the iPhone 11, and it’s all about the camera. It comes in three variants, just like last year’s iPhone.
The base model is the iPhone 11, and will start at £729 with 64GB of memory (you can pay more to upgrade to 128GB or 256GB ) – this is a bit cheaper than the phone it replaces.
For the first time, the low-end iPhone will sport a two-camera system on its back – a regular wide camera, and an ultra-wide one.
The ultra-wide camera offers 2x zoom out from the field of view of the wide – it can capture four times more scene.
Both have 12MP sensors behind them.
The depthsensing camera on the front of the phone has been upgraded – it too is a 12MP unit, capable of sensing depth in the scene to make unlocking the device with your face possible.
The phone doesn’t just have better cameras than its predecessor, it’s better in almost every way – a better and tougher 6.1in screen, and crucially, more processing power.
The A13 Bionic chip inside allows the software to take advantage of the new hardware’s capabilities to bring new features like night mode, which captures images in very low light, and “deep fusion” (coming in a later software update) – this allows pixel-by-pixel analysis of nine images snapped of the same scene at almost the same time. These are then knitted together in under a second to produce the best possible image. Apple says the new chip is 20% faster than last year’s.
The iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max are the high-end models and cost a little bit more than the XS and the XS Max they replace – the 5.8in-screen 11 Pro starts at £1,049, while the 6.5in-screen 11 Pro Max starts at £1,149 (you can upgrade storage from the standard 64GB to either 256GB or 512GB).
What do you get for your money? Everything you get in the iPhone 11, plus even better cameras and an even better screen.
The camera units on the Pro models have three cameras, wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto. All have 12MP sensors.
The Pros also feature the best screen Apple has made for a phone – an OLED unit that is brighter and offers more contrast than ever before.
The units are also more waterproof than their predecessors – they can stand up to 30 minutes in 4m of water.
Despite all of these new features, Apple says battery life is even better than previous iPhones – the Pro will last up to four hours longer than the XS, while the Pro Max gives five hours more than the XS Max.
All three new iPhones will feature iOS 13 (which itself brings numerous improvements to the experience) and can be ordered now for delivery on September 20.
iOS 13 will be a free upgrade for iPhone 6s and later on September 19.
APPLE TV+ AND APPLE ARCADE
WE ALREADY knew about Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade – Apple’s streaming TV service and its subscription games network for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
What we didn’t know was the price, and here is where Apple surprised us most – both will cost a lower-than-expected £4.99 a month.
The TV subscription in particular compares favourably with the other offerings out there.
TV+ will launch on November 1 with eight original films and shows, including the much-anticipated The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.
If you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV, you’ll get a year of free access to TV+ to go with it.
Apple Arcade will launch on September 19, featuring more than 100 new and exclusive games from some of the biggest and best developers. There will be a month’s free trial for new subscribers.
APPLE WATCH SERIES 5
TWO new headline features come to the fifth iteration of Apple’s smart watch. The first is that it sports a screen that is always on.
The previous models have activated the screen when you raise your wrist, but the Series 5 sports a dimmed screen constantly, upping the brightness when you tap it or raise your wrist, so you can always see the time. There’s also better navigation hardware, including a compass for better directions.
The watch comes in new finishes, too – there’s aluminium and stainless steel, of course, but now you can get titanium and ceramic too. Starting at £399 for the GPS aluminium version, and rising to £1,399 for the ceramic version, you can order now for delivery on September 20.
Apple Watch Series 5 also arrives with the latest watchOS 6 software, which will be available for free download for Series 3 and later on September 19.
iPAD
APPLE also released an upgrade for its base-level iPad.
The new iPad brings support for the first generation Apple Pencil, a smart-connector to attach Apple’s keyboard case, and a bigger screen – up to 10.2in. It’s a powerful machine, too, sporting the A10 Fusion chip. The new iPad, which is the cheapest and most popular iPad Apple makes, will start at £349 for the base level 32GB wi-fi model – you can pay more for more storage and mobile data capabilities. It will feature Apple’s new operating system for iPad – iPadOS. The iPad can be ordered now for delivery on September 30, while iPadOS will be available as a free download for iPad Air 2 and later on the same date.
U1 CHIP SHOWS THE WAY
ONE thing Apple didn’t unveil this week were widely rumoured tracking tags that can be attached to items so you can easily find them on your iPhone and iPad.
However, it did quietly reveal that the new iPhones include a new Apple-designed U1 chip that uses “ultra wideband technology”, the first ever in a smartphone, for “spatial awareness”.
This, Apple says, will mean better and faster wireless data transfer between devices using AirDrop, but it sounds to me like it could be used for other things as well…