Apple introduced several new products during its March “Peek Performance” event, emphasizing the use of recycled materials in each.
All the product presentations featured an “environment” subsection. While relatively short and lacking detail, it was refreshing to see a tech giant caring about how its products are manufactured and minimizing its environmental footprint.
The third-generation iPhone SE takes design hints from the iPhone 8 and features a physical “home button.” But unpacking this phone will be a different experience. The packaging won’t include the outer plastic wrap seen with many of the phones Apple released in recent memory.
The packaging was also removed for the iPhone 13, which was re-introduced in two new shades at the event. The iPhone SE also uses recycled material throughout the phone. The ‘Taptic’ engine, for example, uses recycled rare earth elements.
The new iPad Air also has a number of components made with recycled materials. This includes aluminum used for the enclosure and rare earth elements in the audio magnets. The display glass is also free of arsenic.
The Mac Studio is the only product where Apple offered a comparison, stating the device will use 1,000 fewer kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy in a year than a high-end PC desktop.
The Mac Studio also has 100 percent recycled rare earth metals in the magnets, and recycled tin is used in the solder of the logic board. The accompanying Studio display also uses recycled rare earth elements in its magnets.
Apple revealed the long-rumoured iPhone SE during its ‘Peek Performance’ event today.
With its latest A15 Bionic chip and an iPhone 8-like design, the new iPhone SE combines power with affordability.
The entry-level smarpthone will be available to pre-order starting Friday, March 11th and hits stores starting March 18th.
The new iPhone SE SE will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB variants in ‘Midnight,’ ‘Starlight’ and ‘Product Red’ colourways. The 2022 SE starts at $579 in Canada.
With the reveal of Apple’s 3rd-gen iPhone SE and the rumours leading up to it, I started to wonder if Apple’s only iPhone that still features a home button is actually the best budget device the company offers.
It has a place in the iPhone lineup, there’s no doubt about it, but I think the iPhone 11 is a better buy that offers a more modern smartphone appeal at a price that provides a similar value proposition. Value shifts from person to person, but to me, a phone that feels nice in my hand, has a large screen, lasts all day and can snap great pics, is the sweet spot.
It doesn’t need to be the fastest or flashiest smartphone, but anything extra on top of what I’ve already mentioned, like waterproofing is awesome. Jam all those features into a phone under $800, and my interest is piqued.
As the iPhone 11 slides down Apple’s release ladder, it’s moved closer to my heart – I just needed the new iPhone SE to release for me to really see it.
I <3 the iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 was released in late 2019, and I got my model pretty much right at the end of December of the same year. It was my workhorse smartphone for about a year alongside a Pixel 3 until I ended up with an iPhone 12 Pro sometime in early 2021. After that, my girlfriend Alex started driving this little yellow iPhone 11. Keep all of this in mind as I praise and criticize this aging iPhone.
Leading out of that, my iPhone 11 still has 92 percent battery health. Though it’s not giving me the full day and a half to two days that it was supplying at launch, I’m still getting a day of battery life and five or more hours of screen-on time per day. For a three-year-old phone, this is pretty good and I expect anyone who buys a new iPhone 11 will experience even longer battery life.
When I benchmarked my old model, it held up, and the RAM and CPU are running optimally. Sure, COD Mobile didn’t look as clean as it does on my iPhone 13 Pro, but even while gaming, the phone held up. However, gaming and using the camera do make the device’s battery drop quite a bit. I’ll also note that the speakers in more modern iPhones offer a wider sound stage than the iPhone 11.
The rounded sides of the iPhone 11 feel nice, but I like how the more squared-off iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 are narrower. Still, what really matters is that this phone is aluminum and glass, so it feels premium – and, of course, it’s available in several fun colours. For this price, you’ll be hard-pressed to get a phone that feels this premium elsewhere. The most comparable phone that comes to mind is the first OnePlus Nord. But even then, that phone felt considerably cheaper.
I’m somewhat ashamed to say that my iPhone 11has been subjected to way too many accidental drops, most with a case, and beyond a few minor scratches and scuffs, it’s still in relatively solid condition.
Does the iPhone 11 <3 me?
In day-to-day use, the iPhone 11 still holds up remarkably well, but when you compare it to some of the top phones available right now, it’s easy to see where the iPhone 11 falls behind.
For example, the LCD screen that looked a bit washed out in 2019, looks even worse in 2022. Compared to the Pixel 6’s screen, it’s not as punchy and the 60Hz iPhone 11 display is a bit grating to go back to after using 90Hz and above smartphone screens for the past year or so. I’m not sure if anyone with an iPhone that also has an LCD screen would really notice the quality difference, but once you make the jump to a higher-refresh-rate OLED panel, it’s noticeable when you go back.
When I began this test I restored my iPhone 11 with the backup from my iPhone 13 Pro and it was usable, but the lag I experienced was a bit heavier than I anticipated. After talking to Patrick O’Rourke, he suggested that perhaps restoring from the more modern smartphone was bogging the iPhone 11 down. After this, I reset the device again and started fresh. After an hour of manually reinstalling my most-used apps, I got back to my life.
This time, the iPhone 11 felt a lot zippier and navigating the interface was a much cleaner experience than it was before the reset. When I’m in my last five percent of battery with low-power mode on, things still get slow, but 95 percent of the time, it’s smooth sailing.
With the new iPhone SE, you also get the addition of 5G. The iPhone 11 is LTE only, but even living in Toronto, 5G has yet to impact my life in any meaningful way. Sure, the technology offers faster speeds in some cases, but it’s not that much faster. Coming from newer 5G-equipped devices, I didn’t miss the additional speed boost the slightest as I stepped back in time with the iPhone 11 this week.
A turning point
My favourite thing about using the iPhone 11 again is being able to get a better sense of how far mobile camera systems have come in the past three years – or in some cases, how little they’ve improved.
There’s no doubt that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 feature better camera systems than the iPhone 11. Still, the camera advantages those devices feature often appear in niche scenarios and in most cases, all the iPhones produce very similar results.
The iPhone 13 can capture crisper images, and the ability to get more colour and detail in shadows and highlights is helpful for most shooting scenarios. But as someone that often looks to play with light and shadows, HDR is a tool I only use sometimes. In this regard, the iPhone 11 and its younger siblings all perform quite similarly. Even with HDR on, all modern iPhone cameras look pretty similar under most circumstances, with differences only really becoming noticeable when you look closely at photos.
Low-light is a bit of a different story. The iPhone 13 in particular, has really pushed the needle forward on low-light photography, and the iPhone 11 can’t keep up. Sure, there’s a software-powered night mode, but it’s still not good at capturing highlights in dark areas. Often this would blow out neon signs at night. As with any camera, you can still take decent night shots once you learn its limitations and how to work within them, but it’s not as easy as the point-and-shoot mentality of a mobile camera from late 2021 and newer.
Regardless of this, you still get to play with a lot of camera here. All the sensors are 12-megapixels and the rear cameras feature 13mm ultra-wide and 26mm wide lenses. I wish one of them was a zoom lens instead of an ultra-wide since I find that more useful for my shooting style, but they pay off if you aim to use these for their intended purposes.
You even have access to modern Apple photography features like ‘Deep Fusion’ and ‘Portrait Mode.’ I even took one of my favourite portraits of all time of Alex with the iPhone 11 (see it above). The photo was shot off the cuff in my parent’s hallway a few years ago as the light hit just right, with a bit of help from the ‘Studio Lighting’ effect. I think I tweaked the skin tones slightly in post too, but I still can’t believe it came out of a phone.
After weeks of rumours surrounding Apple’s March event, the Cupertino, California-based company officially announced its March 8th-‘Peek Performance’ keynote on Wednesday, March 2nd.
Like all Apple events over the past two years, the keynote will be entirely remote.
The event will be livestreamed from Apple Park later today at 10am PT/1pm ET. You can catch the stream on Apple’s YouTube channel, on its website, on your Apple TV or via the stream embedded below:
You can keep an eye on the MobileSyrup home page, Twitter and/or Facebook for all the latest news from the event. Apple’s Twitter page will also likely tweet announcements as they happen.
From what we know so far, Apple is likely to introduce a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and it might go as far as to drop a Mac Studio along with a green variant of the iPhone 13.
For more information on what we are expecting from the event, check out the story below:
This week, Apple officially announced its ‘Peek Performance’ March 8th event following weeks of rumours. The keynote kicks off Tuesday, March 8th at 1pm ET/10am PT, and we’re expecting to see a few notable Apple products revealed.
As mentioned in our ‘what to expect‘ story, we believe a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, MacBook Air and possibly Mac mini might be showcased during the keynote. Further, we expect to see a redesigned, colourful M1-powered Macbook Air and possibly a Mac mini that features Apple’s M1 Pro/Max chip — or even a more powerful new M2 chip.
As always, it’s important to note that this is just speculation based on rumours from the last few weeks.
This week the question at hand is: what do you want to see at this event? Would you like to see an M1 Pro/Max-powered Mac mini in a variety of different colours or an iPhone SE with Face ID?
Just a few days ahead of Apple’s March 8th keynote, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared a few more details about Apple’s rumoured 3rd-gen iPhone SE.
According to Kuo — who posted the information to their new Twitter account — the new iPhone SE will be available in three storage variants: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. In comparison, the 2nd-gen iPhone SE was only available in 64GB and 128GB storage versions.
Further, Kuo says that Apple plans to ship between 25 million and 30 million iPhone SE units in 2022. The analyst also mentions that, unfortunately, the new iPhone SE won’t be available in new colours, with Apple sticking to the familiar ‘White,’ ‘Black’ and ‘Red’ designs.
In fact, the smartphone will look very similar to the iPhone 8 once again, according to Kuo. Other details continue to corroborate earlier reports, including the jump to an A15 chip and 5G compatibility.
9to5Mac says it verified that the account is owned by Ming-Chi Kuo. For a full recap of everything we expect to see at Apple’s March 8th event, follow this link.
Apple is planning to reveal a new version of the iPhone SE and the iPad Air at an upcoming March 8th event, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, an often reliable source of tech rumours.
The next-gen iPhone SE will reportedly look very similar to its iPhone 8-like 2020 counterpart, only with a faster A15 chip and 5G connectivity. There’s also a possibility that the tech giant could improve the entry-level smartphone’s cameras, which, at this point, lag well behind what the iPhone 13 series offers.
Along with a new iPhone SE, we’ll also likely see a new iPad Air at Apple’s event. The new Air is rumoured to also get a 5G connectivity and a faster A-series chip. Given that the iPad Air (2020) featured a full iPad Pro-like colourful redesign, it’s unlikely this refresh will be that substantial.
Finally, Gurman’s report mentions that an M1-powered Mac mini could also appear at the event, and that iOS 15.4’s/iPadoS 15.4’s public release could be just a few weeks away. iOS 15.4 will bring several significant features to Apple’s mobile operating system, including Face ID with a Mask and Universal Control, which allows users to jump between side-by-side Macs and iPads using a trackpad or mouse.
Similar to past Apple events, it’s expected that the tech giant’s March event will be streamed online and not an in-person keynote, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple is planning to reveal a new version of the iPhone SE and the iPad Air at an upcoming March 8th event, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, an often reliable source of tech rumours.
The next-gen iPhone SE will reportedly look very similar to its iPhone 8-like 2020 counterpart, only with a faster A15 chip and 5G connectivity. There’s also a possibility that the tech giant could improve the entry-level smartphone’s cameras, which, at this point, lag well behind what the iPhone 13 series offers.
Along with a new iPhone SE, we’ll also likely see a new iPad Air at Apple’s event. The new Air is rumoured to also get a 5G connectivity and a faster A-series chip. Given that the iPad Air (2020) featured a full iPad Pro-like colourful redesign, it’s unlikely this refresh will be that substantial.
Finally, Gurman’s report mentions that an M1-powered Mac mini could also appear at the event, and that iOS 15.4’s/iPadoS 15.4’s public release could be just a few weeks away. iOS 15.4 will bring several significant features to Apple’s mobile operating system, including Face ID with a Mask and Universal Control, which allows users to jump between side-by-side Macs and iPads using a trackpad or mouse.
Similar to past Apple events, it’s expected that the tech giant’s March event will be streamed online and not an in-person keynote, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
It looks like we may see a new iPhone SE and iPad Air at some point in the next couple of weeks/months if recent listings found in the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database are accurate.
As first reported by French publication Consomac, the fact that a product has hit the EEC is often an indication that it could launch in the next few weeks. In the past, Apple has held events in April tied to the launch of new versions of the iPad and the iPhone SE, so there’s a possibility we could see that again this year.
Apple’s 3rd-gen 5.7-inch iPhone SE is expected to be nearly identical to its predecessor in terms of design, including its sizable bezels and physical iPhone 8-era Touch ID button. Most of the changes will be under the hood, with the entry-level iPhone featuring 5G and the iPhone 13’s A15 chip.
On the other hand, the 5th-gen iPad Air will reportedly feature Apple’s A15 chip, 5G support and a 12-megapixel FaceTime HD camera that includes ‘Center Stage’ camera support. There’s also a possibility that the tablet could feature an OLED panel similar to the 11-inch iPad Pro.
Given the last iPhone SE and iPad Air refresh was in 2020, both devices are due for an update. We’ll likely have a more concrete picture of Apple’s plans in the next few weeks.
It looks like Apple’s next iPhone SE won’t be the jump forward some were hoping for.
According to Bloomberg’s often-reliable Mark Gurman, Apple will introduce its 3rd-generation iPhone SE through a virtual spring presentation in March or April.
As expected, the smartphone will feature an iPhone 8-like design that includes a physical Home Button and sizable bezels, with the key upgrades consisting of 5G connectivity and the iPhone 13’s A15 chip. Gurman doesn’t dive into more detail, but the smartphone will likely also feature camera upgrades and a storage increase to at least 128GB.
With all of this in mind, if you were hoping a more modern design would finally make its way to the iPhone SE, it looks like you’ll be out of luck in 2022.
Apple’s iPhone SE (2020) looked extremely outdated back in 2020, and the fact that the tech giant is reportedly sticking with nearly the same design in 2022 certainly doesn’t bode well for those hoping to see a more modern entry-level iPhone this year.
