Apple iPhone 11, Watch Series 5 and new iPad

At the usual small gathering of close friends and family, the Cupertino firm has unveiled its iPhone 11 range of handsets. Naturally taking cues from its rivals, the new iPhone range features more cameras than ever before. Additionally, the new fruity phones pack an updated processor that’s faster yet more economical with power.

Apple iPhone 11

Apple stated at the show-and-tell that the two Pro models would last between four to five hours longer than their XS predecessors.

5G-less

An area where Apple has yet to catch up to the competition is by outing a 5G model. Granted, the 5G infrastructure is yet to be anything like useful at the moment, but, interestingly, companies such as Huawei can fit modems that are ready for full-fat 5G. Apparently, the lack of 5G is down to Intel not being able to develop the required modem in time. 

Personally, if I were going to be signing up to a three-year contract, I’d want to know that my smartphone was at least ready for next year’s tech.

The iPhone 11 sports a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, which is the same size as the screen on 2018’s iPhone XR. Also the same as last year’s model is the position and size of the notch.

The dimensions of the phone are 150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm, and it tips the scales at 194 grams.

You should be able to bathe with your iPhone 11 as it’s water-resistant, boasting an IP68 rating. 

Camera

On its glass-covered rear side, the new iPhones introduce an “ultrawide” camera, offering 2x optical zoom-out.

The Pro models add the new lens to the telephoto and standard lenses as per the last generation’s XS and XS Max, giving them three lenses. Some have likened the lens format to a fidget spinner while other reports say that the design has triggered people’s trypophobia (the fear of small holes).

The cheapest iPhone 11 rocks a dual-lensed rear with an ultrawide and standard lens.

Night Mode

Apple has watched Samsung, Google and especially Huawei sprint ahead in the low-light photography stakes and so proudly announced the iPhone 11’s new Night Mode.

The iPhone 11 Night Mode automatically brightens the image if needed as well as mitigates the digital noise produced as a result.

Deep Fusion

More interestingly, Apple’s Deep Fusion was touched upon. The sci-fi-sounding tech takes nine snaps with a variety of exposures and then sorts through them “pixel by pixel” finding the best parts from each to create a superior image.

The uprated camera tech also includes the ability to shoot slow-motion videos with the front camera as well as the rear.

Power

Under the hood, you’ll find the upgraded A13 Bionic processor.

Apple boasts that its CPU and GPU are both more potent than those featured in any Android phone.

Additionally, the chip’s “neural engine” has been optimised to handle matrix calculations better. Furthermore, they say its 20% faster than the A12.

No Poking

If you were fancying using the Apple Pencil stylus with the new iPhone 11, well, you can’t. Also, the new phones are not able to wirelessly recharge other accessories, unlike Samsung and Huawei’s premium phones.

iPhone 11 Price and Availability

The iPhone 11 starts cheaper than its XR forerunner in the UK, ranging between £729 and £879 depending on storage. That said, the Pro models are more spendy than the XS ones, with an asking price of between £1,049 and £1,499. 

The new iPhone 11 comes in Purple, White, Yellow, Green, Black and Product Red. 

You can pre-order the iPhone 11 from September 13, and it’ll ship (and be on the shelves) from September 20.

Apple Subscription services

Tim Cook announced that the upcoming Apple subscription services that would each cost £4.99 per month – Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

The Apple Arcade all-you-can-eat game service comes with a 1-month free trial. 

You also can get Apple TV Plus for free for a year if you buy an Apple device such as a set-top box or computer. This TV show and movie-streaming platform will carry exclusive content and make its first programmes available on November 1.

In the presentation, it wasn’t stated whether Apple would bundle these new services with the company’s existing cloud storage, and music offerings for a discount, as was previously rumoured.

The New iPad

The seventh-generation model has a 10.2in (25.9cm) Retina Display screen – making it bigger than before.

The new iPad runs on the new iPadOS and will also connect with a full-sized Smart Keyboard.

Powered by the A10 Fusion chip that promises impressive performance. This means that it should handle games as well as multitasking. On the subject of gaming, you can pair an Xbox Wireless Controller with Bluetooth, PlayStation DualShock 4 controller or MFi game controller with the iPad to create a portable games console.

Going on sale at the end of the month the new tablet will start at £349, a £30 increase on the earlier model.

Apple Watch Series 5

Apple has also revealed a new version of its smartwatch. The latest wearable features an “always-on” display.

The Series 5 Watch adjusts how often it refreshes the screen to as little as one frame per second. That way, it can retain the18-hour battery life as the previous version.

The new watch also adds a compass and sleep-tracking software to its skills. Also, there’s a new titanium case option.

The company added that it will keep selling its Series 3 model, which will cost £199. A nifty way of offering an affordable entry-level to Apple Watch ownership. The Series 5 Apple Watch starts at £399.