Apple just held their keynote event on 12th September 2017, where they announced the new iPhone 8 range, the limited edition iPhone X, the new Apple Watch Series 3 and a 4K Apple TV. All the new iPhones will be released with iOS 11 installed as standard and the Apple Watch Series 3 will come with watchOS 4.
What can you expect from Apple’s new devices? Below is a breakdown of each device.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
The new iPhone 8 range has been announced as an upgrade to the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 has a 4.7-inch display, whereas the iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch display.
Some of the new features and improvements will include:
- Wireless charging
Apple’s wireless charging pad, AirPower, is yet to be released, but will be able to charge your iPhone 8 as well as other Apple products such as Watches and AirPods.
- Glass design
The iPhone 8 range has both a glass front and a glass rear, on a aluminium frame, and is water and dust resistant.
- Stereo speakers
The new stereo speakers offer an improved sound, with a 25% increase in volume and deeper bass capability.
- Retina HD display
Improved display offers a larger range of colours and better colour accuracy than the iPhone 7.
- True Tone Display
The display will adjust to the ambient light of the surroundings, ensuring the colours are more accurate and reducing eye strain.
- Improved power
The iPhone 8 range use the new A11 Bionic processor, which can be up to 70% faster than previous iPhones.
- Improved camera on the iPhone 8
While both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 have a 12MP rear camera, the new iPhone has the following improvements:
– new colour filter
– larger and faster sensor
– deeper pixels
– improved video quality which can record 1080p video at 240 FPS, or 4K at 60FPS
- Improved dual cameras on the iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus has two rear facing cameras, wide-angle and telephoto, just like the iPhone 7 Plus, however there are some improvements:
– calibrated for AR
– better low-light images
– new colour filters
– larger and faster sensors
– deeper pixels
– improved video quality which can record 1080p video at 240 FPS, or 4K at 60FPS
- Available colours
Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be available in 3 different colours: Silver, Space Grey and Rose Gold.
- How much storage is available?
Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be available in 64GB or 256GB versions.
iPhone X
Apple has announced the new iPhone X as a limited edition iPhone with plenty of new features.
Some of the new features and improvements will include:
- 5.8-inch edge-to-edge AMOLED display
Whilst the iPhone X is smaller than the iPhone Plus devices, the screen is bigger, due to less bevelling around the edge of the screen. The AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2436 x 1125 which means higher image quality. The display also supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
- Facial ID camera system
The IR camera and dot projector built into the iPhone X allow it to create a 3D model of your face. Apple claim this can prevent your phone being accessed using a photograph or a mock-up of your face. This facial recognition system is also used to combine your facial movements with emojis, using your facial movements to animate an emoji on screen.
- Improved cameras
The iPhone X has two rear facing cameras, wide-angle and telephoto, allowing you to take pictures with different perspectives. The cameras have Optical Image Stabilization, which help prevent blurry photos when the camera is shaking. Other improvements to the cameras include:
– new colour filter
– larger and faster sensors
– deeper pixels
– better low-light zoom
– a quad-LED flash which is 50% brighter than other announced iPhones
– improved video quality which can record 1080p video at 240 FPS, or 4K at 60FPS
- True Tone Display
The display will adjust to the ambient light of the surroundings, ensuring the colours are more accurate and reducing eye strain.
- Glass design
The iPhone X has both a glass front and a glass rear, on a stainless steel frame.
- Wireless charging
The iPhone X’s glass design allows for wireless charging. Apple’s wireless charging pad, AirPower, is yet to be released, but will be able to charge your iPhone X as well as Apple Watches and AirPods.
- No home button
The home button, which has been a key feature on all previous iPhone models, has been removed from the iPhone X. Instead of a button, you now swipe your finger up from the bottom of the screen to go to the home screen.
- Improved battery life and fast charging
Apple has announced that the iPhone X can last two hours longer than previous models, but can now also be fast charged. This means it can be charged to 50% within 30 minutes.
- Available colours
The iPhone X will be available in 2 different colours: Silver and Space Grey.
- How much storage is available?
The iPhone X will be available in 64GB or 256GB versions.
Apple Watch Series 3
The new Apple Watch Series 3 was also announced. It will come with watchOS 4 installed as standard.
Some of the new features and improvements will include:
- New cellular version of the watch allows it to work independently using an eSIM
There will be a version of the Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular functionality. This means you can answer calls, send messages and stream favourite songs straight from your Apple Watch, without requiring your phone nearby. Unlike a traditional SIM card, an eSIM is permanently soldered to the device. The eSIM removes the need of a physical sim card, whilst doing the same job. This is what allows the cellular version of the Watch Series 3 to work independently from your phone.
- Improved processor
The Apple Watch Series 3 comes with a new dual-core processor, which Apple claim to be 70% faster than previous models.
- Wireless charging
Apple’s wireless charging pad, AirPower, is yet to be released, but will be able to charge the new Apple Watch as well as the announced iPhones and AirPods.
- Barometric altimeter
A new feature, the barometric altimeter measures elevation.
- New heart rate app
Tied in with Apple’s announcement of the Apple Heart Study, it has also been announced that WatchOS4 will bring a new heart rate app. The new app can track your heart rate, resting heart rate and recovery heart rate, as well as notify you of unexpected spikes in heart rate.
- Available colours
The Apple Watch Series 3 will be available in space gray, gold and silver, but can be in a stainless steel or aluminium finish.
- How much storage is available?
The Series 3 (GPS) comes with 8GB storage capacity, but the Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) comes with 16GB storage capacity.