Thanks to prior leaking and largely accurate rumors (including from our own Dean), Apple have surprised pretty much nobody in the tech world and announced 3 new iPhone models and a new Apple Watch at their annual hardware event. Granted, not everyone read the rumors beforehand so let’s run through everything exciting that Apple have announced to tempt us into chucking in our old phones & watches for shiny new ones.
iPhone XS & XS Max
Keeping with the tradition that iterative updates get the “S” naming convention, Apple have kept the iPhone X moniker from last year and appended an S, pronounced “Ten S”. The iPhone XS has a 5.8 OLED display which is the same sized display as the iPhone 8 Plus but in a smaller sized body. The iPhone XS Max comes with a 6.5 OLED display which as comparison is the same physical size as the iPhone 8 Plus but with a much bigger display. Both phones will be available in Gold, Silver & Space Grey colours.
It may be an “S” year cycle but there is still plenty of new technology loaded into this year’s new models. Some of the highlights include –
- A12 Bionic 7nm(nanometer) Chip, 15% faster.
- New storage options – 64GB, 128GB, 256GB & 512GB.
- Camera – Improved sensors on back & front cameras. Smart HDR software with A12 chip which Apple claim will produce much better photos.
- Face ID now faster.
- Better Battery – XS is 30 mins longer, XS Max is 1hr 30 mins longer.
- Dual Sim option via eSim technology. China will have physical dual sims.
- IP68 protection
Pre Orders in Ireland are available on the 17th September with deliveries from 21st September onwards.
Pricing starts at €1,179 64GB XS Model, €1,279 64GB XS Max Model.
iPhone XR
Apple also announced a new lower cost model (relatively speaking) called the iPhone XR. So called because R comes before S in the alphabet, in case your wondering. Yes we are confused too but who are we to doubt Apple’s marketing savvy.
Looking almost identical to the more expensive iPhone XS, it has similar innards but wrapped in an aluminum frame coupled with a 6.1” LCD screen instead of the more premium OLED display. This means slightly thicker bezels but really your unlikely to notice much. It has the same notch design which holds the Face ID true depth camera system from the XS model.
It is available at launch in 6 new colour options – Red, Yellow, White, Coral, Black and Blue.
New storage options include 64GB, 128GB & 256GB.
It doesn’t have 3D Touch but comes with the same A12 Bionic chip as the XS and a battery which lasts an hour & half more than iPhone 8 Plus.
Pre Orders begin on October 19 with deliveries from October 26.
Pricing starts at €879 for 64GB model
Apple Watch Series 4
Billed as “An Intelligent guardian for your health” the new Apple Series 4 watch further enhances Apple’s deep dive into Health monitoring & screening. The display is now over 30% larger with rounded corner at the edges and a thinner body than the previous Series 3 watch model. The overall size has increased slightly to 40mm & 44mm cases.
The big selling point is the introduction of 3 new monitoring features –
- Fall Detection – It can detect if you have fallen via upgraded accelerometer & gyroscope chips. It then will notify emergency services and your next in kin contact number.
- Electrocardiogram(ECG) monitoring via a new electrical sensor.
- Optical Heart Sensors – Low Heart Rate notification & Heart Irregular Rhythm.
Some other highlights include –
- New complications and watch face.
- Digital Crown with Haptic feedback.
- Black ceramic and sapphire crystal. Better cellular connection.
- New S4 chip now a 64bit. Up to x2 as fast.
- Same battery life as before (18 hours).
- All existing straps will connect to Series 4.
Pre Orders begin on September 14th with deliveries from September 21st.
Pricing starts at €439.
Anything else ?
You bet, we also got the date for iOS12 (Sept 17th ), Watch OS 5 (Sept 17th) and MacOS Mojave (Sept 24th). Arguably best of all however, Apple invited Bethesda’s Gaming director Tom Howard on stage to showcase their new Elder Scrolls game called “Blades”, coming soon to iOS & Android mobiles. Hopefully very soon or even better this Friday, in time for the weekend.
Fancy hearing our thoughts?
Just in case you didn’t know we have our very own podcast where every week or so a couple of us sit down to chat about the comings and going’s in the tech world. Search for TechYurt on any podcast platform (other than Spotify) and hear us have our say on this years Apple Event!
Or click on the link below and listen now:
https://www.acast.com/techyurt/apple-special-event-2018-new-iphones-and-more
