Like every year, the 2018 Apple September launch event had fans of the manufacturer glued to their screens to see what the newest addition to Apple’s product line-up would be.
While it certainly wasn’t as exciting as last year’s iPhone X launch with all its bells and whistles, Apple users will be excited by the launch of not one, but three new devices, including the iPhone Xr, a mainstream alternative to the hugely popular, but rather pricey iPhone X. The iPhone Xs is the successor to last year’s iPhone X, and the iPhone Xs Max is the higher-end version of the new flagship model.
You might be wondering what sets the new devices apart from their predecessor, and here’s a quick breakdown of how this trio is better.
Display and camera
When the iPhone X released last year, it came with a 5.8-inch screen, and a screen resolution of 2,436×1,125 pixels. The newly released iPhones all compare favourably, albeit that the budget iPhone Xr has a lower screen resolution (1,792×828 pixels) with an LCD display measuring 6.1 inches. The iPhone Xs matches the iPhone X in terms of its screen resolution and display size of its Super Retina OLED screen. The higher-end iPhone Xs Max has the biggest display ever in an iPhone, with a 6.5-inch Super Retina OLED display and a resolution of 2,688×1,242 pixels.
The cameras on the new offerings match the iPhone X, with both the iPhone Xs and Xs Max sporting a dual 12-megapixel camera. The iPhone Xr has a single 12-megapixel camera. All the new phones have a front-facing 7-megapixel camera that supports Face ID, just like the iPhone X does, and all support 4K video capturing.
Battery life
The battery power of the latest addition to Apple’s line of iPhones has not been officially announced, but Apple claims that the battery of the iPhone Xr lasts 90 minutes longer than the iPhone 8, while the iPhone Xs and Xs Max respectively last 30 minutes and 90 minutes longer than the iPhone X.
Fingerprint sensor
Just like the iPhone X, all three new phones lack the home button and don’t use a fingerprint sensor, but rather unlock using Face ID.
Special features
Most notably, the iPhone Xr, Xs and Xs Max all have dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM. All three new models are water-resistant and support wireless charging, Face ID and Animoji.
Size
The new iPhones are bigger than ever. The iPhone Xr measures 5.9×3.0x0.33 inches, the Xs measures 5.7×2.8×0.3 inches (that’s just a little wider than the iPhone X’s 5.7×2.79×0.3 inches) and the iPhone Xs Max measures a whopping 6.2×3.0x3 inches.
The new iPhones will be available in South Africa from 28 September 2018. Contact Smartcom to find out when you can pre-order yours.