Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event announced a fresh lineup of their latest technologies and services, marketing a faster and improved performance. Last October 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. PDT., Apple launched the HomePod Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, each packed with seamless and intuitive design, and a “breakthrough in smartphone innovation.”

Screencap from Apple

HomePod Mini

As the newest member of Apple’s HomePod Family, the HomePod Mini prides itself with the power of Siri, Intercom, and its tight-integration with other Apple devices. Available for $99, this smart speaker comes in colors white and space gray.

Screencap from Apple

What’s in store for the HomePod Mini?

• U1 Wideband chip: As the “ultimate speaker for iPhone owners,” the U1 chip provides a sense of connectivity through visual and audible effects with the user’s iPhone when it’s nearby. The device is seamlessly packed for entertainment, smoothly playing music and radio when commanded.

• Intercom: More than entertainment, it offers information accessibility and Intercom through Siri, the first digital mainstream intelligent assistant. Intercom, as disclosed by Siri Data Science and Engineering Director Yael Garten, allows the user to “quickly send a message from one HomePod to another in a different room or multiple rooms throughout [one’s] home.” Voice messages and commands can play across HomePod devices and AirPods, and be sent on smartphones via notifications. Through commands and voice recognition, it can access the applications of one’s iPhone, even CarPlay, and initiate a smart home.

Apple guarantees the HomePod Mini’s strong privacy and security with encryption. The commands are not associated with one’s Apple ID, and can only be activated through touch or using the “Hey Siri” command.

iPhone 12 with 5G

The first iPhone with 5G comes in black, white, red, green and blue at $799 for a 64GB model (₱38,955). Designed with smooth flat edges, aluminum frame and glass, it is thinner, smaller and lighter, and has twice more pixels compared to the iPhone 11. Despite the similar features, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Mini differ in display screen size with 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch, respectively. The latter is the “smallest, thinnest, and lightest 5G phone in the world” which costs $699 (₱34,081) for a 64GB storage.

Apple likewise launches iPhone 12 Pro with a 6.7-inch display, available in a stainless steel, flat design in silver, graphite, gold, and Pacific blue with 128GB starting at $999 (₱48,646), while the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1,099 (₱53,499). 

Screencap from Apple

What’s in store for the latest versions of iPhone 12?

• Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband: Apple nearly doubles its download and upload speeds with Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband, the world’s fastest 5G, featuring 4gbps per second download speed and 200mbps upload speed in ideal conditions. With lower latency and less network congestion, the new iPhones have a faster network speed even in crowded areas. To save power, the phone may utilize smart mode which automatically shifts from 5G to LTE.

• A14 Bionic: Ensured by Hope Giles, Vice President for Engineering Program Management of hardware technologies at Apple, the Apple A14 Bionic chip will improve performance with energy efficiency. Packed with 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU, the fastest components in any smartphone, it enables faster graphics. Now faster, machine learning accelerators and neural engines have equipped the device for increased machine learning capabilities.

• Ceramic Shield: According to the iPhone Product Marketing Vice President Kaiann Drance, its ceramic shield is “tougher than any smartphone glass,” promising durability with four times better drop performance. 

• League of Legends: Wild Rift: The popular online game takes a leap to iOS devices, with a more detailed and fluid gameplay according to Riot Games Executive Producer Michael Chow.

• Super Retina XDR: Through the Super Retina XDR display, the iPhone 12 offers pixel precision brightness, rich colors, and a higher photo and video resolution. 

Alongside this, the A14 Bionic chip in iPhone 12 Pro enables it to have a “deep fusion on all four cameras” and a 27% improvement in low light for its wide camera. iPhone 12 Pro Max however, has a new sensor that is 47% larger with 1.7 μm pixels, the largest pixels offered in the iPhone. It features an optical image stabilization that adopts sensor-shift, a high-end DSLR approach.

• Computational Photography: iPhone 12 features a dual 12-megapixel camera system with ƒ/2.4 aperture on the ultra wide camera, ƒ/1.6 aperture on the wide camera, and seven-element lens for more detailed photos and videos. It also offers better low-light performance and night mode.

• Video: Leading the highest quality video in any smartphone, iPhone 12 prides itself on longer exposure and brighter frames with night mode time-lapse.

• MagSafe: Through its magnetically attached power connectors, it improves the wireless charging efficiency for iPhone 12. 

• Environmental Impact: According to Apple’s Vice President for Environment, Policy and Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, their magnets utilizes 100% recycled rare earth elements. As they continuously found means to lessen their waste and carbon emissions, they had planned to remove lightning headphones, wireless devices, and adapters, in the packaging to utilize a lighter and smaller box.

Screencap from Apple

• Apple ProRAW: Exclusive to iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are multi-frame image processing that include diffusion and smart HDR which enhances the editing capacity for photos.

• HDR Video Recording: Holding its reputation for leading the highest quality video on a smartphone, the iPhone 12 Pro series offers 10-bit HDR recording, becoming the first camera to record a video in Dolby vision HDR with 4k resolution of 60 frames per second.

• LiDAR: iPhone 12 Pro series’ Light Detection and Ranging scanner improves accuracy with faster autofocus, and reduces capture time for users, according to Francesca Sweet, Product Line Manager of iPhone.

This 2020, Apple brings the opportunity for real-time interactivity, higher quality photos and videos, faster downloads and uploads, and a whole new leap towards smartphone innovation. With its latest technologies, the world improves on its capabilities to further reshape a better and more convenient future.

Geared with the latest technologies, as Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook puts it, “The next generation is here.”