Apple introduced three new iPhone X models including an iPhone Xs Max, with a super large 6.5-inch screen that approaches the 6.8-inch and 7-inch screens used in AV car radios.
But while the iPhone XS Max has a full 1-inch larger screen than the iPhone 8 Plus (at 5.5 inches), the overall size of the new phone is smaller.
There’s also a new iPhone Xs with a 5.8 inch screen, again smaller than the 8 Plus overall, even though the screen is larger.
And the same is true of a new lower cost iPhone XR aimed at a broader audience that starts at $749.
The XR uses an LCD screen instead of an OLED, but the display goes edge to edge. It measures 6.1 inches on the diagonal, so it gives you a bigger display than the 8 Plus but with a smaller form factor. It has many of the same key X iPhone features like Face ID, although it has a single rear camera instead of two.
The new Xs phones have better speakers and a wider sound stage. They have a higher waterproof rating, now at iP68, so you can drop your phone in the water for up to 2 minutes.
Apps now launch up to 30 percent faster, and you can create shortcuts by asking Siri to perform a series of commands.
The iPhone is actually the world’s most popular camera. A recent cover of Time magazine was taken with an iPhone. Dual cameras in the back of the new Xs phones include a 12MP wide camera and a 12MP telephone camera. The wide camera has more pixels and new sensors. The front camera is 7MP.
New photo editing now lets you change the depth of field After you take the photo to change the background.
There’s a new Smart HDR feature that uses the neural network to create zero shutter lag.
All three phones use a new neural engine with 8 cores and machine learning. The new processor can handle 5 trillion operations per second compared to 600K in the earlier version. You now get twice the internal storage as the previous phones at a new 512GB.
The iPhone Xs has 30 minutes more battery life and the Xs Max gets an hour and a half longer battery life.
Both phones provide better cellular roaming capability and can now accept dual sim cards so you can have two phone numbers in one phone for those who need a work number and a home number. You can also use two different phone plans.
The iPhone Xs starts at $999 and Xs Max starts at $1099. Pre-orders start September 19 and availability begins September 26. Pre-orders for the iPhone XR start October 19 with availability on October 26.
Apple also made major improvements to its Watch, which is the best selling watch of any type, not just smartwatches, said CEO Tim Cook. The new Series 4 can detect when you have taken a fall and automatically place an emergency call if you don’t move for a full minute. It also now includes electrodes on the back so it becomes an electrocardiogram. And it can run a heart monitor in the background to alert you if your heart is in an irregular rhythm. It also registers when your heart rate is too slow. These features have also received approval by the FDA.
The Watch has improved cellular reception and the face is 30 percent larger but the watch itself is slimmer.
More information can now fit on the Watch face, like pictures of four of your friends that you can tap to call at any time.
The Watch’s speaker is now 50 percent louder. And the Watch runs on a new dual core, 64 bit processor with 2X faster performance. Battery life remains the same at 18 hours, despite the addition of new features. The Series 4 starts at $399 and the celluilar 4G LTE Watch starts at $499. The Series 3 now starts at $279. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 14 and sales begin on the 21st.
