The long-awaited Apple September event has come to a close and on its tail is a series of upgraded products for the year and a new fitness programme to add to its subscription ecosystem. Read on for a gist of everything Apple just announced.
iPhone 13
As the buzz and leaks predicted, the next in line for Apple’s smartphone category is the iPhone 13, alongside the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Like its predecessors, the smartphones come in the same sleek flat edge design and a Ceramic Shield front cover—a screen that’s tougher than any smartphone glass—but with some subtle changes. All four phones have an IP68 rating for water resistance to protect the phone from common spills. Plus, the notch on the front is now smaller but packs the same breakthrough TrueDepth camera system, including Face ID.
At its core is the new A15 Bionic—the fastest chip in a smartphone—complemented by a new 16-core Neural Engine, enabling incredible power for even the most demanding of tasks, efficiency, battery life improvements, graphics performance and more. Additionally, expect an advanced 5G experience with the customised design, allowing compatibility with more 5G bands, greater coverage, call quality, higher-quality video streaming, faster downloads and more.
We’ll break down the differences into two sub-categories below.
MORE: A review of Apple’s iPhone 12 line-up in 2 minutes
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
Build: 6.1-inch (iPhone 13 ) | 5.4-inch (iPhone 13 mini)
Casing: An aluminium frame with a Ceramic Shield display on the front.
Display: Super Retina XDR OLED display that has been improved for an incredible contrast ratio and increase in brightness.
Rear camera: The rear camera layout now places the lenses diagonally for an advanced dual-camera system (Wide and Ultra Wide) in terms of both hardware and computational photography. In addition, there’s a new Wide camera with the biggest sensor ever in an iPhone. The results: Less noise and brighter results in dim lighting conditions and steadier shots.
Video: Capturing videos on the iPhone gets more exciting with the introduction of Cinematic mode—think of it as Portrait mode for videos.
Battery:
The iPhone 13 — 2.5 hours longer in a day than the iPhone 12
The iPhone 13 mini — 1.5 hours longer in a day than the iPhone 12 mini
Colours: Pink, blue, midnight, starlight, and (Product)Red
Storage options: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB
Availability: Beginning October 8
Price in Malaysia: RM3,899 (iPhone 13) | RM3,399 (iPhone 13 mini)
MORE: 3 Malaysians share their experiences of switching to the iPhone
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Build: 6.1-inch (iPhone 13 Pro) | 6.7-inch (iPhone 13 Pro Max)
Casing: Ceramic Shield front cover, textured matte glass back with a surgical-grade stainless steel band. The rear camera part features a stainless steel trim surrounding each sapphire crystal lens.
Display: An all-new Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion and an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz.
Rear camera: The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max offer the usual triple camera system except with new Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto lens. Night mode comes to all three lenses, and in addition, the new 77mm Telephoto lens enables up to 3x optical zoom. Apple adds that macro photography is now possible with these upgrades.
Video: Macro videos are also possible, and the new Cinematic mode—the Portrait mode of videos—gives users even more opportunities to play with video-taking. With Night mode extended to all three lenses, you can expect all video modes to similarly offer better low-light capabilities with evident noise reduction.
Battery:
The iPhone 13 Pro — 1.5 hours longer in a day than the iPhone 12 Pro
The iPhone 13 Pro Max — 2.5 hours longer in a day than the iPhone 12 Pro Max
Colours: Graphite, gold, silver, and sierra blue (new)
Storage options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB (new)
Availability: Beginning October 8
Starting price in Malaysia: RM4,899 (iPhone 13 Pro) | RM5,299 (iPhone 13 Pro Max)
Apple Watch Series 7
Build: The Apple Watch Series 7 silhouette has been refined with softer, more rounded corners and a unique refractive edge. In addition, it’s more durable than before, with a stronger, more crack-resistant front crystal, an IP6X certification for dust resistance, and a WR50 water resistance rating.
Display: The reengineered Always-On Retina display—70% brighter indoors than the Apple Watch Series 6—now offers 20% screen area with thinner borders for better readability.
Battery: Up to 18 hours, with 33% faster charging
Health features: Electrical heart sensor and ECG app, a Blood Oxygen sensor and app, Fall Detection, a new Mindfulness app and more.
Cyclists-friendly: Cyclists will get more out of the Apple Watch Series 7 as it uses advanced algorithms to analyse GPS, heart rate, accelerometer, and gyroscope data to detect users who start riding a bike, prompting them to start an Outdoor Cycle workout. Those who use an e-bike too will receive more accurate metrics as it can measure active calories and whether users are riding with pedal-assist or with leg power alone.
Upgraded Fall Detection: Thanks to watchOS 8, the fall detection algorithms will be able to detect falls from a bike and other workout types.
Colours: Midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (Product)Red
Size options: 41mm and 45mm
*Previous Apple Watch bands are compatible with the new Apple Watch Series 7
Availability: “Later this fall”
Price in Malaysia: TBC
iPad 9th Gen (2021)
Display: 10-inch Retina display with True Tone
Performance: Housing an A13 Bionic chip, it’s 20% more powerful than its predecessor, 3x faster than the best-selling Chromebook, and up to 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet.
Camera: 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Centre Stage (currently available on the iPad Pro only)
Supports: Apple Pencil 1st Gen, Smart Keyboard
Colours: Silver and space grey
Storage options: 64GB and 256GB
Availability: “Soon”
Price in Malaysia: From RM1,499
iPad mini (2021)
Display: 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and an all-screen design
Performance: The new A15 Bionic chip sits at its core, delivering a whopping 80% faster performance than the previous generation
Camera: 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Centre Stage (currently available on the iPad Pro only) whereas on the back is 12MP lens with Focus Pixels and a True Tone flash
What else is new: Landscape stereo speakers; Touch ID now on the top button of the iPad mini; Apple Pencil 2nd Gen support which enables wireless charging by just attaching it magnetically to the iPad mini; 5G; USB-C port
Supports: Apple Pencil 2nd Gen, Smart Folio
Colours: Pink, starlight, purple, and space grey
Storage options: 64GB and 256GB
Availability: “Soon”
Price in Malaysia: From RM2,299
Apple Fitness+
On top of Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+ and Podcasts, there’s now something for the fitness enthusiasts. With Apple Fitness+, you’ll find new ways to work out in a group or alone, and it even offers guided meditation and Pilates. Another new feature coming to Fitness+ is ‘Workouts to Get Ready for Snow Season’ led by two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion Ted Ligety. Fitness+ is already available in some countries, but for those of us in Malaysia, it would be a welcomed programme with its unique features, star trainers and customised curations. For example, there is a feature where workouts are paired with workout playlists according to artists such as Billie Eilish, Calvin Harris and Nicki Minaj. If you prefer working out in a group (remotely), Group Workouts powered by SharePlay will offer support for up to 32 people at a time where everyone will be able to see (and hear) friends and family onscreen (via FaceTime on iPhone, iPad or Apple TV). Everyone will also be able to see how each other is progressing towards closing their Activity Rings and more.
Availability: Later this year
For more info, visit Apple’s website.
READ MORE:
- 9 Malaysian photographers, 27 amazing tips to take better photos with the iPhone
- How to take great videos with your iPhone, as answered by Malaysian and Singaporean Instagrammers
- How to use the iPhone 11 Pro’s camera like a pro
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