Apple has unveiled the latest iPhone SE, the more affordable version of its flagship smartphone which shares some of the features of the pricier iPhone 13.
The latest iPhone SE has 5G connectivity as well as the A15 chip in the iPhone 13. It will cost €529 when it hits the market later this month, €400 cheaper than the iPhone 13 when it launched last September.
Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing, described the latest SE as "the most powerful and durable iPhone SE yet", referencing better battery life and advanced camera features such as Deep Fusion processing and Smart HDR 4 software.
The 4.7-inch smartphone is made with aluminium and reinforced glass, and it is the only new iPhone to feature the home button with Touch ID fingerprint scanning.
The A15 Bionic chips has a 6-core CPU, making it 1.8x faster than the iPhone 8, and the phone is compatible with wireless chargers.
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The new iPhone 13 is installed with iOS 15 with improved FaceTime, Apple Maps and Weathers apps and bolstered privacy controls in Siri and Mail. The device will be available to preorder from March11 and on sale in stores a week later.
"From the very beginning we designed iPhone SE to include some of our most advanced features and technologies while delivering the iPhone experience at an incredible price,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “This is important for existing users who want a smaller iPhone and great value. It’s also been an incredibly popular model with new iPhone users.
In its keynote announcement on Tuesday, Apple also unveiled the latest iPad Air, its M1 Ultra personal computer chip, a green design for the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, and updates to Mac Studio and Studio Display.
The Mac Studio desktop computer and the 27-inch Studio Display companion screen represent the tech giant's flagship desktop devices for power users, and the computer will be the first to house the M1 Ultra chip, which it said is its most powerful ever for a personal computer.
Starting at €2,349, the Mac Studio comes with a number of different ports to enable connection to a broad range of other devices, including the €1,800 Studio Display.
The iPad Air (€709) also comes with the M1 instead of the A15, which will improve performance by 60%, and 5G connectivity.
“With the addition of M1, iPad Air is more powerful, more capable and simply more fun than ever,” Cook said of the device, which is the lighter alternative to the standard iPad.
Apple also announced a link-up with Major League Baseball, the company's first move into live sports broadcasting.
Apple TV+ will air Friday Night Baseball in eight countries, with two live regular season games per week.
Photo: the latest iPhone SE range comes in red, starlight and midnight colours. (Pic: Apple)
