Apple just announced the new iPhones (XS, XS Max, and the XR) and the Apple Watch Series 4.
The world’s most valuable company today unveiled new products in the Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s brand new Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), along with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Williams announced the launch of the new products from the stage to an audience that was on the edge of their seats.
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
The iPhone XS is water-resistant and comes with a 5.8-inch OLED screen — the same dimensions as last year’s iPhone X. The new handset is the sequel to the company’s 10th anniversary iPhone X announced at last year’s product event, and further adds to the company’s high-end product line.
The iPhone XS offers a new processor, storage space up to 512 GB, improved display for better colour representation and a new gold colour.
Apple is also rolling out its largest handset to date: the iPhone XS Max with a 6.5-inch OLED screen.
As rumours expected, the new models ditch the home button in favour of the iPhone X’s edge-to-edge display with Face ID facial recognition replacing the Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
Both phones have the company’s faster A12 Bionic processors as well as improved water resistance. Storage will start at 64GB of storage with other options available including a 512GB variety.
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple also unveiled a new Watch, the Series 4. It will ship with better fitness tracking and new health features, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams announced Wednesday. The screen is 30 per cent larger than the last Watch generation, core apps have been updated and redesigned, and users can customize a brand new watch face.
The new Watch comes with advanced heart monitors and can detect and alert emergency contacts when the wearer falls and doesn’t get up.
The new Watch Series 4 starts at $399 — $499 for a Watch with cellular connectivity — and is available to order starting Friday.
Apple’s Senior Vice President (SVP) Lisa Jackson announced that Apple is run on 100 per cent renewable energy, and said that Apple’s next goal is to use 100 per cent recyclable materials. “The company’s not there yet, but the XS includes some changes to push that way, like using tin in the logic board, and recycled plastic in the speaker enclosure”, she added.
iPhone XR
Apple later on, towards the end of the presentation announced the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR integrates breakthrough technologies from iPhone XS in an all-screen glass and aluminium design with the most advanced LCD in a smartphone featuring a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and six beautiful finishes.
iPhone XR brings the powerful A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine, the TrueDepth camera system, Face ID and an advanced camera system that creates dramatic portraits using a single camera lens.
According to Apple’s website, the iPhone XR will be available to pre-order beginning Friday, October 19 and in stores beginning Friday, October 26.
See below for the specifications and prices for the new iPhones
iPhone XS, XS Max Specifications:
- Two sizes: 5.8-inch (458ppi) and 6.5-inch (458ppi) with OLED HDR display (Super Retina displays)
- Colours: Gold, Silver and Space Grey finishes
- Camera: Dual camera 12-megapixel wide and telephoto lenses
- Front-facing cameras: the 7-megapixel camera will bring depth to portrait mode photos
- A12 Bionic chip, 7nm (nanometer) processor promises to launch apps 30 per cent faster than 2017 iPhones
- Storage options: 64GB, 128GB, 512GB
- IP68 water-resistance rating (two meters for up to 30 minutes in water)
- Battery life: iPhone XS should last 30 minutes longer than iPhone X; iPhone XS Max claims 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone X
- Dual-SIM card support through e-SIM technology
- Face ID promises to work faster at unlocking the phones
- 3D Touch pressure-sensitive screen
- Stereo sound with a wider stereo field than 2017 iPhones
- iOS 12 software
iPhone XR Specifications:
- 6.1-inch LCD screen with 1,792×828 resolution and 326ppi (Retina display)
- Aluminium body with glass black
- Single camera: 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, with IOS (same as iPhone XS)
- Storage options: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
- Portrait mode photos through software
- FaceID with same True-Depth camera system as iPhone XS
- A12 Bionic chip
- Battery life claim: 1.5 hours more per day than the iPhone 8 Plus
- IP67 water resistance
- No 3D Touch on iPhone XR. Instead, you get a haptic touch, like a trackpad
- iOS 12 software
- Colours: Blue, coral, yellow, white, black, Project Red
Prices
- iPhone XR: $749/64GB, $799/128GB, $899/256GB
- iPhone XS: $999/64GB, $1,149/256GB, $1,349/512GB
- iPhone XS Max: $1,099/64GB, $1,249/256GB, $1,449/512GB
