Apple hosted an event on September 12, 2018, at the Steve Jobs Theatre in California to announce the launch of new iPhones. The company has launched three new iPhones this time around. Alongside the new iPhones, the company also unveiled the Apple Watch Series 4. here's everything you need to know about the Apple Event.
Apple iPhone Xs and Xs Max
One of the much-anticipated announcements was the Apple iPhone Xs and the surprise was the iPhone Xs Max. The iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max feature a 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays respectively. Both the displays are Super Retina and come with 120Hz touch sensor technology. The new displays now support Dolby Vision and HDR 10. These displays also come with up to 60 per cent higher dynamic range.
Powering up both of these smartphones is the company's latest Apple A12 Bionic chip which is built on an industry first 7-nanometer architecture. It is a combination of a 6-core CPU and a 4-core GPU and comes with 6.9 billion transistors for better performance and connectivity. The company claims that the A12 Bionic chip can deliver 15% faster performance while consuming 40% less power. One of the most interesting part about the new iPhones is that now they can support Dual SIM with the help of one physical SIM and a one eSIM.
On the optics front, both the flagship smartphones come with a dual-camera setup at the back. The dual-camera setup consists of 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. Both the sensors come with better OIS for better video stabilisation. up front, there is a 7-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.2 aperture. Apple has also added a bunch of new features including Smart HDR which brings in Zero Shutter Lag.
Also Read: Here’s how to get an iPhone X or Pixel 2 on rent at a starting price of Rs. 2,099 per month
Both the iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max will come with 64GB, 256GB or a whopping 512GB of onboard storage. The iPhone Xs will be available at a starting price of USD 999 (Rs. 72,000) while the larger variant will come at a starting price of USD 1,099 (Rs. 79,000). The new iPhones will be available in Gold, Silver and Space Grey colour variants. The smartphones will be up for pre-orders starting September 14. The shipping will start on September 21 for some countries while the other countries like India will have to wait till September 28.
Apple iPhone XR
One of the most exciting announcements at today's Apple event was the introduction of the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR is basically a cheaper iPhone with a bunch of compromises. Instead of an OLED panel, the iPhone XR sports a 6.1-inch IPS LCD Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 1792x828 pixels.
Though being a cheaper iPhone, the iPhone XR still retains Face ID and the 7-megapixel front-facing camera. However, the story is not the same when you flip the phone. The back of the iPhone XR gets a single 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with a f/1.8 aperture.
Also Read: Top 5 older flagship smartphones that can still perform well in 2018: From Galaxy S8 to iPhone SE
Apple iPhone XR will be available in 6 different colours at a starting price of USD 749 (roughly Rs. 54,000). There will be a 64GB, 128GB and a 256GB variant available starting October 26.
Apple Watch Series 4
Apart from the new iPhones, the company has also launched the latest Apple Watch Series 4. The most noticeable change on the new watch is the display. The display is now 35 percent larger than its predecessor and it is also curved from the edges to give a better overall look and feel. The smartwatch also comes with new watch faces and a 50 percent louder speaker.
The Apple Watch Series 4 is powered by the latest Apple S4 chipset which is a dual-core 64bit processor which delivers twice the performance when compared to the Watch Series 3. For health, the Apple Watch Series 4 introduces Electrocardiogram or more commonly known as ECG. This will allow users to have a better track of their heart. Also, the watch can trigger the SOS mode automatically if it detects a fall.
As for the pricing, the Apple Watch Series 4 will retail for USD 399 (Rs. 29,000) for the GPS only variant. The cellular variant will be available in limited regions at a price of USD 499 (Rs. 36,000). With the introduction of the new series, Apple has decreased the price of the Series 3 watch to USD 279.
Also Read: Apple updates MacBook Pro line-up: Here are some alternatives
The Updates
Apart from the products mentioned above, Apple has announced the rollout of software updates on major platforms. The compatible Apple iPhones and iPads will be updated to iOS starting September 17. MacOS Mojave is now set to roll out on September 24. An update for the Apple Watch, the WatchOS 5 will be rolling out on September 17. Even the Homepod and Apple TV will receive updates in the coming weeks.
