Here is every phone you need to know about this year’s Apple iPhone release.
iPhones 14 Features and specs
iPhone XS
iPhone X is getting another huge update, this time with an even more powerful new A15 Bionic chip in the main chipset. It now provides a whopping 4.7% increase in CPU performance at 1GHz from last year’s model, meaning that performance should improve over 6% for all tasks. This includes up to 25 percent faster graphics, too (this was already announced on the iPhone 11 lineup, but we’ve also noted it here in the past). In other terms, many games load far slower (or never), but still have more memory than usual and are overall much more responsive. Alongside its incredible performance boost comes up to a smaller battery with 18 hours of video playback. That should help combat any power cut out, especially if you have kids around. For anyone who wants to read long reports or want to capture some of their favorite memories, there’s always iMovie and Photos (the two apps in your home screen) to let you do so. If you’re looking for a large storage space and lots of storage, you can get 128GB in the base 256GB models as well. You can opt for the new $699 512GB option which offers double the storage capacity, plus the latest generation 8GB RAM and a 120Hz refresh rate with Cinematic Mode.
iPhone 11 Pro And 8X
iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 are getting significant improvements as they both receive their first major changes in years. First, the cameras on both phones get updated – with the top-end models receiving a larger telephoto lens compared with last year’s models. They each gain 30x optical zoom, though neither will support night photography, only capable of recording what’s directly in front of the device. Secondly, on the rear panel, the bottom of the display has been boosted by 20% and is the biggest change that the older model received in a year from launch. Not only does that make reading large documents on the side of the device more comfortable thanks to slightly wider viewing angles but it adds a little extra flair to the look of the devices. Both phones are able to record and edit videos at 60fps instead of 24fps. All those little touches are designed to deliver improved comfort and an additional feature, but you’ll probably need to upgrade later to take advantage of them. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll need to buy a second device like Sony’s popular DTS Xcelerator to keep up as both these models offer plenty of power for editing up to 10K in 1080p.
The iPhone 13 Pro only gets an incremental improvement, with a bigger battery, better hardware acceleration, plus longer battery life and longer video playback. But the regular 7.6-inch variant is still great, with the same speedy A15 chipset with just a few key changes in design and color options.
iPhone 12 vs 12 Mini
The iPhone 12 and mini continue to be the best iPhones in everything – that’s why they were given such a big facelift on Friday with their first major redesign since 2016’s flagship versions. With more room for privacy and portability, the iPhone 12 will go back to being the smallest and lightest handset ever. The main difference between the standard iPhone 12 and 12 Mini is the size. As much as possible will work on one and the other, both have the same dimensions, albeit less than their larger siblings. So that means a slightly shorter bezel for the small battery model which means higher battery life and lower temperatures. The iPhone 12 Mini has also got a much brighter and newer IPS LCD display, which is something the iPad and Macbook Air also use rather than OLED panels. There will be plenty of accessories available in case you want to try out wireless charging, wireless charging pad and Apple Pencil. On the iPhone 12 Mini is also a super fast 120Hz refresh rate, something found on laptops but not yet on desktops. While the rest of the spec sheet is basically unchanged from last year’s offering, the iPhone 12 will only start shipping starting July 14.
iPhone 10 Plus
iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and 12 Mini are all getting the big redesign they’ve undergone in recent times thanks to the introduction of dual 12MP rear cameras. Each system has been given a single rear lens, along with three lenses in the middle, but the most noticeable differences come in a 50mm telephoto lens, which allows the system to capture images beyond the edges. Also, the entire top of both systems are being made taller, extending into a completely different position compared to the previous models. In addition, the system won’t be shrinking any further thanks to the A15 Bionic chip. Another noteworthy addition is the notch on the right side that used to house the Face ID sensor. Now in place is a ‘Lightning Eyes Detection Camera’, similar to Apple’s new Night Mode cameras. A new pop up camera allows users to click pictures without unlocking the phone, and as part of the face unlock tech that Apple is pushing, the iPhone 12 has a redesigned 3D scanner called True Depth Sensor.
iPhone 8
The next new iPhone of 2017 brings a lot to the table with its massive body, a gorgeous Super AMOLED and stainless steel coating, and upgraded performance. This one has several changes to its exterior, including a flat housing design for the front, a metal frame and glass panels all around. At the back of the device is a 16MP sensor (a slight improvement over last year’s model), giving you a greater depth sensing and photo focus. Inside, you get a very beefy A13 Bionic chipset, an enhanced camera and an advanced software engine. Of course, none of these are cheap upgrades and the price in the US still includes a 32GB eMMC slot and some basic storage. Despite that, there are rumors that the iPhone 8 will arrive in September with a number of cool features, including Wi-Fi charging and NFC support. We do see that the iPhone 8 could come with a charger or earphones and it is expected to launch alongside the iPhone SE 4 this year, probably before the end of October or November. There is speculation that the iPhone 8 will become a mid-range version of the iPhone SE, giving the device an upgrade over its predecessor but making its target market smaller.
iPhone 7
On the inside, a very solid A15 Bionic chipset has a strong GPU core and plenty of RAM. This is almost identical to the A13 in the iPhone 12. This chipset uses a dynamic multiprocessing architecture (DMA), which means that the app you run on the device is split across multiple cores. When you run heavy applications, they might be doing a lot and therefore running on a much larger percentage of the core. By splitting them amongst the many computing blocks within the CPU, it creates a balanced workload. That is, the CPU itself cannot do more than half of its maximum potential. Some software like Fortnite is supported natively on this chipset and even Nvidia has said that it can access tens of thousands of CUDA cores (which is extremely impressive considering the fact that the company is using its own brand name chips for the RTX 3000 series cards). To put that in perspective, it is equal measure impressive.
iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 now gets iOS 11 and it’s quite the package. For starters, it has a sleek and slim design with a unique combination of vertical and horizontal patterns that gives it a nice contrast and balance. The 6 is quite compact and lightweight with a relatively simple feel that makes the whole unit much easier to grip. The build quality is also premium, and while the current iterations don’t include magnetic mounts, iPhone 6 owners will have to pay for special cases or attach the device via dongles. These two parts alone will cost customers an arm and a leg. What really impresses me is how the 6 has stood the test of time and kept pace with many other similarly styled handsets, keeping with the trend of people upgrading the old generations of smartphones to enjoy superior specifications like stereo speakers and larger screens. One interesting aspect is that Apple is going to remove physical buttons to allow for the touch control feature Apple introduced on the iPhone 7. An A12 series chip has already offered 120Hz and now you can expect this chip to play at 120Hz in the 6 model and 200Hz in the 7 series.
iPhone 5
The main reason this model isn’t here right now is because it would require more powerful chipsets. Instead, the iPhone 5 gets a minor bump in memory with a 9/256MB version. Yes, 256GB, but the internal memory still beats last year’s models by just under 500GB. The only issue with this version is the lack of ports. Sure, you have USB-C port, HDMI slot, microSD card reader, USB Port C and one 3.5mm headphone jack, but no ethernet port. The iPhone 5 has finally been released with the iPhone 6S and 5S for $699 (£500) with 64GB and 128GB models going for $599 (£449) and £449 (£399), respectively.
iPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a good deal better than its predecessors. The original models included both a built in SD memory card slot and a MicroSD slot, however when the latter was introduced, it meant that all the 4’s features had to be removed, leaving the only built in slots. Thanks to it, Apple finally made a choice and went all in, allowing you to transfer data and photos off and onto disk easily.