The new iPhones will be presented on 7 September in the usual end-of-summer appointment in Cupertino. After years of virtual launches, this time the event will also be held in person, and Italian Tech will be there to give an account in real time. In the meantime, however, here are the latest previews: as always, none of these are official, and as always, all together allow you to get a pretty clear picture of the upcoming news. Which are several.
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L’iPhone
No doubt there will be a new iPhone. Or rather, a new family: still four models, but only two screen sizes (6.1 and 6.7 inches), instead of three as has happened in recent years. Analysts and experts all seem to agree: there will not be an iPhone 14 mini, so the catalog should count two standard models and two Pro, respectively in the normal and Max version.
It will be a novelty in the middle, in the sense that for the two basic models we do not expect great steps forward compared to the current ones, except precisely for the size of the screen. The design will remain unchanged, with the usual notch and flat edges, but even inside the news should be few: same photographic sector, same processor, same battery. In fact, the iPhone 14 could be practically identical to the 13, while the 14 Max (or Plus, as it seems more likely), could open up a new market space for Apple, to compete with the Android maxi-smartphones.
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A new strategy
The expectations are all for the Pro models: here the differences should be more marked than the current production, with a revised design, a more powerful chip, improved cameras. Not a real revolution, but more likely the beginning of a new strategy for Apple, which so far has only one processor on all models in the family. And on the other hand, it will be necessary to verify how much the expected A16 is superior to the current A15 in terms of performance and consumption: it will certainly not use the 3-nanometer technology yet, which should debut next year. We expect something similar to the move from the M1 chip to the M2 for Macs: a slight improvement in instrumental performance, aided by other tricks to make the user experience better overall.
To give the sign of a new generation of iPhone will be primarily the design, which according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for the first time should adopt a solution already seen on some Android competitors: instead of the notch a hole in the display for the front camera. But Apple’s Face ID technology needs other sensors and for this a larger opening is needed, and so it seems that in addition to the usual circular hole there will be another, oblong one. In between, in the few pixels that would otherwise be unused, there may be room in the operating system for a privacy light, which should indicate whether an app is using the camera or microphone (today there is a green or orange dot at the top ).
Always on
Practically certain is the arrival of support for the always-on display, which will allow information to be displayed at a glance on the screen, even when it is turned off. It will be a peculiar feature of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which will have an updated ProMotion technology with a reduced refresh rate: from the current 10 Hz per second to 1 Hz per second, as on the Apple Watch; this change will help preserve battery life.
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The cameras
Also according to Kuo, the iPhone 14 will bring significant improvements to the front camera, starting with an update of the autofocus functions. Another novelty should be the six-component lens, against the current five, and a wider f / 1.9 aperture, which will allow more light to enter.
For the rear camera, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48 megapixels. As always, the pure numbers do not say much: images and videos will not be four times better than the current models, but important progress is still expected, especially in shutter speed and shooting in low light conditions. Like some Android phones, Apple may use an intelligent scaling algorithm that processes 48-megapixel data and creates a 12-megapixel output image with more detail and less noise.
But be careful: the new camera could be even bigger, and the photographic sector could be even more protruding than today.
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What will be and what will not be
The new iPhone will not have a Usb-C port, but still the Lighting connection, albeit updated to support higher speed data transfer. For Apple to convert to the universal standard, we will therefore have to wait a year: on the other hand, European regulations allow it, and in Cupertino we have been working for some time on an iPhone completely without ports, which, however, still seems far away.
New colors are planned, with a purple that should take the place of pink on the standard models and blue on the Pros.
And there will be a price increase on the Pro models, according to many analysts, offset by the fact that those who want a large screen iPhone will be able to buy the 14 Plus (or whatever it will be called) and spend less than the current Pro Max.
Finally, there could be a function already anticipated last year, namely the possibility of communicating via satellite connectivity. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the development of the hardware has been completed, but it is unclear whether Apple has made the necessary financial arrangements to leave this year. For Bloomberg, satellite connectivity for the iPhone will allow users to communicate even when they are out of reach of traditional cellular networks: it will complement the normal cellular network and wi-fi, but will be limited to dangerous situations. For example, you will be able to communicate with rescuers via the Messages app and report serious emergencies such as plane crashes, sinking ships and other disasters. And in reality, several observers point out, the image and the claim of the event could allude to the new satellite functions.
Three new Apple Watches
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote that Apple will unveil three new Apple Watch models in 2022 – if true, it will in fact be the biggest update in recent years. Although it seems that no model will be equipped with new sensors: all versions could have the same SoC as the Apple Watch Series 7, perhaps with a new name.
To listen to the various rumors, the design will be the same, and no new sensors are planned. For the SE version, Apple could use the same case as the previous Watch SE to save costs and appeal to a larger audience, albeit by eliminating some features.
The real novelty, even for smartwatches, should be a brand new Pro model. The design should feature flat edges and a 1.99-inch screen, which translates into 47 mm. Thanks to the larger display, there should be a bigger battery. The chassis could be titanium and the display glass should be even more impact resistant, perfect for tackling extreme outdoor sports (like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, in short). The price could rise accordingly: there are those who speak of 999 dollars.
AirPods Pro 2
In addition to the iPhone 14 series and the new Apple Watch models, Apple could present the new AirPods Pro 2 at its September event. The design could be similar to the current one, apart from the outer bar, while inside it seems likely that you will see an updated version of the H1 chip, Apple’s audio processor. The AirPods Pro 2 could be the first with Bluetooth 5.2, which will bring more stability and higher sound quality, for voice calls and songs with a higher bitrate compatibility thanks.
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No Mac, no iPad, no viewers
Apple is expected to introduce several new Macs and at least two iPads in 2022, but that won’t happen next week: the company usually plans an ad hoc event, and is likely to be held in October to complete the offering ahead of the season. Christmas. The appeal lacks the high-end Mac mini and MacBook Pro, but also the Mac Pro, which is currently Apple’s latest computer with an Intel processor. It is time to refresh also for the basic iPad, now in its tenth generation, and for the two iPad Pro. Also for this, iPadOS and macOS 13 Ventura should go further; in Cupertino on Wednesday we will talk about the new iPhone operating system, iOS 16, as well as watchOS 9 and tvOS 16.
Finally, an announcement on augmented reality viewers, which has been talked about for years, seems premature. The debut is currently scheduled for 2023, but who knows that we may not already see some anticipation at the end of the event, perhaps using the proverbial phrase by Steve Jobs, “One More Thing”.