Apple has announced a new series of iPhone today at its media event just moments ago which was held for the time ever at the brand new Steve Job Theater, located at the company’s equally new spaceship-like campus. True to what we’ve heard for so long, the new models are called iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
While the design might look rather similar to their predecessors, Apple stated that both devices actually feature a new glass back design. Not only that, the Retina HD display on iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus – which still have the same dimensions as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at 4.7 and 5.5-inch respectively – now come with True Tone technology just like the iPad Pro.
They clearly are not being new just for the sake of being new as both devices are powered by a fresh new processor in the form of A11 Bionic. We have detailed out what’s new in the chip in a separate article right here but in general, users can expect up to 70% greater performance than the A10 Fusion chip found on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
With the help of a new image signal processor inside the chip together with equally new 12-megapixels sensors, Apple claimed that the main camera on the iPhone 8 as well as the dual rear camera on the iPhone 8 Plus are apparently able to deliver faster autofocus, better color saturation, and a wider color range over their predecessors.
The Portrait mode in the iPhone 8 Plus has also receives a new enhancement called Portrait Lighting. This particular feature brings together five studio lighting effects that users can use on their photos and works in conjunction of the new ISP inside the A11 Bionic. That said, the feature is still in beta form at the moment.
Given its recent interest in augmented reality, it is not surprising that the company has also calibrated the cameras on both devices to support ARKit. Apple has also improved the stereo speakers on iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus by making them 25% louder as well as deeper bass output.
In terms of battery life, Apple claimed that iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are pretty much identical to their predecessors, although they come with fast charging feature which enables them to be recharged to 50% in just 30 minutes. Aside from that, both new iPhones also support wireless charging and are compatible with Qi wireless chargers including the upcoming Apple AirPower.
The arrival of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 also marks the arrival of a higher base internal storage for the series at 64GB. Alternatively, they can be obtained with 256GB storage as well.
Price-wise, the 64GB iPhone 8 goes for USD 699 (about RM 2,940) while the 256GB variant is listed at USD 849 (about RM 3,570). As for the iPhone 8 Plus, the price has been set at USD 799 (about RM 3,360) for 64GB and USD 949 (about RM 3,990) for 256GB.
Both devices can be pre-ordered in selected markets on 15 September before they are hit the shelves starting from 22 September. Unfortunately, their availability as well as pricing in Malaysia is not yet known at the moment.
Of course, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are not the only new smartphones that were revealed at Apple event tonight: there’s also the much anticipated iPhone X. Check out our subsequent report on the other new iPhone right here.
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