The market of wired headphones is tangled in its cords as people are falling for wireless headphones, the last couple of years marks the debut of some of the best wireless headphones. With every other launch, the market for wireless headphones is getting crowded, which leads audiophiles towards the confusion of choosing the best one, so here we are to help you combat the mess with our list of top 5 wireless headphones in 2021.
Sony WH-1000XM4:
Sony launched the WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones after two years of releasing its first set of true wireless earbuds. The earlier model, WH-1000XM3, has gained massive popularity in the market. The newly released WH-1000XM4 headphones have an ergonomic design that looks more like the previous model, but they perform better in noisy environments.
Sony WH-1000XM4 have the most impressive noise cancellation among all competitors and offer multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices at the same time. The headphones are priced at ₹ 29,990 and are available in black or off-white colour options.
Jabra Elite 45h:
Jabra Elite 45h is the best value for money headphone, which arrives with zero fancy features like noise cancellation, ambient listening mode, or fitness features but offers excellent audio quality and comfortable fit. Elite 45h headphones have a sturdy but stylish design and are available in black, navy blue, beige with gold details, black with grey details, or black with copper details.
The headphones have luxurious memory foam earpads lined with a leatherette covering and include a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the headphones so you don’t talk too loudly. Elite 45h headphones are priced initially at 9,999 but now available to buy at discounts through various e-commerce sites. Elite 45h headphones offer the longest battery life in this price range, up to 50 hours from a single charge.
Apple AirPods Max:
The Apple AirPods Max is priced at a whopping Rs. 59,900 in India. The price sounds expensive, but with a rich price, it also brings rich features like more detailed sound than its lower-priced competitors and the H1 chip, allowing seamless pairing of the headphones with the iPhones. Apple has included 40mm drivers on the AirPods Max to deliver great bass, crisp highs and rich mids to balance out every type of motion occurring on the outside. The premium build quality headphones also feature Apple’s virtual surround spatial audio feature for video watching. Apple AirPods Max comes with 20 hours of battery life and offers the best-in-class audio experience.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700:
Bose is one of the topmost headphone manufacturers globally who has ruled the active noise cancellation (ANC) market with its QuietComfort series of headphones. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 were launched in India in late 2019, but they still compete well with the recently launched Sony WH-1000XM4.
The Bose 700 headphones are a delight to use, and they are the first model from the company to exist outside of the QuietComfort/QuietControl lineup. The headphones are available in black or silver colour options and feature special digital signal processing (DSP) and an advanced microphone array. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are priced at 34,500 and live up to the expectations set by the QuietComfort series.
Anker Life Q30:
Everybody cannot afford the heavily priced luxurious headphones, making us put Anker Life Q30 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones on our list. Anker’s SoundCore Life Q30 headphones are more than appealing and affordable headphones that offer fantastic noise-cancelling performance. The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 are great companions if you travel often. They have a continuous playback time of over 44 hours, which should easily last for a couple of days. The Anker Life Q30 headphones are comfortable, well-built, and available in black, blue or pink colour options.
Audiophiles were excited when Apple announced its lossless audio option and industry-leading high-resolution sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio that support Dolby Atmos, but how many of us truly know about its actual definition and purpose? How much better is it than what you’re currently listening to? The answers are a little more involved.
Lossless Audio:
Music in modern times has often been all about innovation, and with every other launch, it offers sharper results. Apple has developed its own lossless audio compression technology called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC), which helps preserve every bit of the original audio file.
The lossless format can compress the silences to almost zero space while maintaining all sound data as their name implies, making them smaller than uncompressed files and offers Apple Music subscribers the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio. The higher bitrate will help the digital audio file to sound more reliable and accurate. The bitrate of a standard lossless audio track is around 1,411 kbps which is more than four times the audio quality of an MP3 file with a bitrate of 320 kbps.
Lossless audio is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K. The company will add an entire Apple Music catalogue of over 75 million tracks available in Lossless Audio by the end of 2021.
How to use Lossless Audio service on your iPhone or iPad:
Go to Settings > Music
Tap Audio Quality
Tap Lossless to switch it on or off. You can choose the audio quality for streaming and downloading audio from here.
Choose Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz
Choose Hi-Res Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz
How to use Lossless Audio service on your Mac:
Open the Apple Music app.
Choose Music > Preferences.
Click the Playback tab.
Under Audio Quality, select or unselect Lossless to switch it on or off. You can also change the settings for streaming and downloading lossless from here.
Choose Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz
Choose Hi-Res Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz
Apple becomes the latest one to join the Lossless club along with companies like Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz, who have already launched a lossless audio feature for their subscribers. Amazon Music HD offers its subscribers the experience to listen to “Ultra HD” (up to 24-bit/192kHz), while Tidal gives its HiFi subscribers the choice of listening to Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) certified tracks (up to 24-bit/96kHz).
Apple’s Spatial Audio:
Apple’s Spatial Audio was first introduced on its AirPods Pro earbuds in September 2020 with iOS 14 and has evolved tremendously over time. Recently, at WWDC, Apple brought Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos to Apple Music and made its greatest advancement ever in sound quality as listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like travelling to another world.
Spatial audio is a 360-degree sound format that takes 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos signals and virtualises them into directional audio filters that surround you, making it seem you are in the heart of the action. Spatial audio recreates the audio experience of a cinema and makes watching movies with Apple products more immersive.
Apple Music and Dolby are making it easy for musicians, producers, and mix engineers to create songs in Dolby Atmos by transforming the boundary of music. Apple Music is also collaborating with artists and labels to add new releases and create music specifically for the Spatial Audio experience.
Currently, the service is supported in Apple TV 4K, Airpods & headphones with H1 or W1 chip and built-in speakers of the latest iPhone, iPad and Macs with M1 chips. However, Apple Music isn’t the first to introduce spatial audio service on Apple devices, as Tidal launched Atmos Music to Apple TV 4K back in May 2020.
How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your iPhone or iPad:
Update your iPhone or iPad to iOS or iPadOS 14.6.
Go to Settings.
Tap Music.
Under Audio, tap Dolby Atmos.
Choose Automatic, Always-On, or turn Dolby Atmos off.
How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your Mac:
Update your Mac to macOS 11.4.
Open the Apple Music app.
Choose Music > Preferences.
Click the Playback tab.
Choose Automatic, Always-On, or turn Dolby Atmos off.
The company is also bringing the Spatial Audio experience to FaceTime, its video conferencing app. Apple’s Spatial audio feature is yet to be available for its headphones as Apple is still working on the technology needs that’ll support head tracking. Still, at the same time, Sony’s Reality Audio 360 is available on its own headphones and high-end speakers.
The Cupertino based company loves music and always tries to offer the latest innovations to its consumers. Once Apple revolutionised the music experience by putting a thousand songs in your pocket with the launch of the iPod and iTunes, and now they are taking your music experience to another world with Lossless & Spatial Audio.
Samsung and Vivo emerged as the world’s fastest-growing 5G smartphone brands in the first quarter (January to March) of 2021, with 17 million and 19.4 million shipments, respectively. The latest research done by Strategy Analytics shows that Samsung grew by 79%, and Vivo grew by 62% in 5G smartphone shipments compared to the last quarter (Q4 2020), which includes a cycle from October to December.
Vendor
Q4 2020 shipments (million)
Q4 2020 Market share
Q1 2021 shipments (million)
Q1 2021 Market share
Quarterly growth
Apple
52.2
40.7
40.4
29.8%
-23%
Oppo
13.9
10.9%
21.5
15.8%
55%
Vivo
12.0
9.4%
19.4
14.3%
62%
Samsung
9.5
7.4%
17.0
12.5%
79%
Xiaomi
11.8
9.2%
16.6
12.2%
41%
Others
28.7
22.4%
20.8
15.3%
-28%
Total
128.1
100.00%
135.7
100.00%
6%
“Global 5G smartphone shipments grew a healthy 6% quarter-on-quarter and hit a record 136 million units during the first quarter of 2021.” quoted Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics, during a statement. The demand for 5G smartphones is on another level, particularly in China, United States, and Western Europe and by the end of 2021, the shipments will reach a record 624 million units, Hyers added further.
Samsung’s growth was pushed by significant demand for the Galaxy S21 series across South Korea, the US, and Europe. At the same time, Vivo emerges as the second fastest-growing 5G brand, with strongholds over China and Europe. The success of Vivo was driven by its iQOO U3 5G and U7 5G smartphones.
Oppo, with a 55% increase and Xiaomi with a 41% increase, complete the top-four makers’ list; both of these companies grew dramatically due to solid hold in China. There’s no doubt, Samsung and Vivo have topped the Quarterly growth based on shipment percentage, but Apple still holds the lead with total shipments of 40.4 million.
Apple dipped with -23% quarter-on-quarter, following a spree during last quarter’s holiday period where the new 5G iPhone was wildly popular. However, the American tech giant still stands strong with a 29.8% market share in Q1 2021, and it will soon bounce back in the percentage of the shipment.
Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote that outlined new updates to its software for iPhones and other devices. The WWDC keynote sets the tone of what to expect from Apple from the software product perspective, be it the next generation of iOS or macOS or watchOS. Here are the top features from iOS 15, iPadOS, and macOS Monterey introduced at WWDC 2021.
iOS 15: FaceTime, Apple Maps, Weather App
The tech giant started off the event by introducing iOS 15 to the world. The latest update includes significant features such as SharePlay on FaceTime, where users can schedule FaceTime calls with Android and Windows users. Also, a new Portrait mode feature for FaceTime calls allows users to blur their background and play music into a FaceTime call.
The company added a Spatial audio feature for FaceTime that separates the user’s voice from the background noise, helping them reduce distractions. Notably, these features are also coming to other platforms, including iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey.
Apple has announced a few new features and design updates for Apple Maps to bring a ton more details for cities in commercial districts, buildings, and more. Along with FaceTime & Apple Maps, Apple has redesigned the Weather app, the layout of the new Weather app changes based on the weather in your current location.
Apple introduced iPadOS 15 with added features for multi-tasking, bringing widgets and an app library to the iPad. The new multi-tasking system for applications is having a similarity with iPadOS 14, but Apple has twisted how you access the controls. The widgets on the home screen and app Library located directly in the dock for easy access to all of your applications are now available on the iPad for the first time.
Furthermore, the translate application is now available on the iPad for the first time. The app will help users translate anything on the iPad by selecting it and tapping translate, even handwritten texts. Along with all these, Apple has also announced an iCloud+ subscription service with a focus on privacy.
Apple has also announced macOS Monterey, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, which features Universal Control, improvements to Safari, and more. Universal Control will let users control their iPads and Macs with just one keyboard and trackpad. It also allows users to move between Mac and iPad for a seamless experience. Safari highlights a redesign for the browsing experience with a new tab design that permits users to see more of the page as they scroll.
Apple launched AirTag item trackers at the company’s event in April, and recently, the tech giant has announced a bunch of changes designed to improve the privacy of AirTag item trackers. Apple is upping its privacy efforts with AirTags a week before the Worldwide Developers Conference Event is a brilliant move made by the company.
The new update in AirTag item trackers will change the time window for when it will make a sound to alert others of a lost tracker. Previously, AirTag trackers would only make a sound after three days of the tracker being separated from its owner, but with the new update, to restrict users from using AirTags to track people without their awareness, the separated AirTag will now make a sound at a random time, between 8 and 24 hours.
Apple updated the AirTag trackers to avoid unwanted tracking a little over a month after they went on sale for ₹3,190 a pack and ₹10,900 for a four-pack. Currently, only iPhone users and Android devices equipped with NFC can detect an unwanted AirTag tracker, and they can disable the tracking by tapping on it with their respective devices, as it leads them to instructions on how to disable the unwanted tracking.
But what if someone owns an Android device and is dealing with unwanted tracking? To overcome such issues and reassure people about its AirTags, Apple is developing an app for Android users where they could use the Find My-enabled accessories option and check if an abandoned tracker is around them.
“The recent introduction of AirTag included industry-first proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking,” Apple said in a statement. The upcoming app will allow Android users to receive proactive notifications to alert them from unwanted tracking. The American tech giant told CNET that it’d release an Android-friendly unwanted tracking app later this year.
As the worldwide grip of Covid loosens, the citizens of Earth breathe a sigh of relief. However, the situation is yet to die down in India, where the cases are on an ever-rising curve. Even with all doctors running on full steam and state-of-the-art medical equipment, the sheer number of cases has become overwhelming.
Luckily, India has a bright silver lining behind this dark cloud. Global technology giants are coming together to do their bit for the recovery and stability of our motherland. Be it Google or Ethereum, these companies contribute massive amounts of money to help India get out of Covid’s web. Here are some of the feats that they have achieved so far.
Swiss computer accessory expert Logitech recently announced its contribution to India. In a press statement, the company confirmed that it was the largest one-time donation in its history, of two million dollars (roughly Rs 14 crores), supporting Oxygen for India. Oxygen for India is working with the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), United Airlines, Tech Mahindra, and others to provide oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators to help those in need.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also stepped in to help India in its crisis. In a tweet, he announced Rs 135 crore in funding for medical supplies, organisations supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information. Yet another American tech giant is Microsoft, whose CEO Satya Nadella also announced in a tweet that the company would support the country by using its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts and help purchase critical oxygen concentration devices.
Apple, too, has announced its support for India. Its CEO Tim Cook confirmed on Twitter that the American tech giant would be donating to support and relief efforts on the ground. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has also confirmed that the company is working with UNICEF to raise ten million dollars (roughly Rs 73 crores) towards India’s emergency response efforts. Samsung has pledged USD 5 million (INR 37 Crores) to contribute to India’s fight against the current surge of Covid-19, providing donations to central and state governments and boosting the healthcare sector with essential medical equipment for hospitals as part of its citizenship initiatives. Samsung will donate USD 3 million to the Centre and the states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Samsung has pledged USD 5 million (INR 37 Crores) to contribute to India’s fight against the current surge of Covid-19, providing donations to central and state governments and boosting the healthcare sector with essential medical equipment for hospitals as part of its citizenship initiatives.
Yet another smartphone giant, Oppo, has also stepped in. It has pledged to donate 1000 oxygenators and 500 breathing machines worth Rs 4.3 crore to the Indian Red Cross Society and the Government of Uttar Pradesh to help in the fight against Covid. They are also donating 5000 units of OPPO Band Style worth INR 1.5 Crore to front-line warriors of the Delhi Police and Greater Noida Authority to help them monitor their health as they serve others.
Another industry giant that is helping India as much as it can is Amazon US. Joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Task Force, Amazon US is working with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). As part of this, critical life-saving equipment, including 82 anaesthesia ventilators, 1238 BiPAP machines and 60 ventilators, have already reached India. Amazon US will distribute medical equipment to its on-the-ground community partners such as the American India Foundation, ACT Grants and Swasth, who will distribute it to verified hospitals and nonprofit organisations across the country to ensure it reaches the communities it needs most.
Twitter India reminded its users of many features such as Twitter Advanced Search, Twitter Near You and the Latest Tweet to direct people’s searches towards Covid related information in India. LinkedIn has partnered with GiveIndia to raise funds for critical medical supplies.
Among the leading global financial services, Mastercard announced ten million dollars to cover all vaccine-related costs for its India-based employees and immediate family members. It also confirmed that it would allocate funds for additional shipments of 1,000 oxygen generators as part of its CSR effort.
Pledging its support towards India’s fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canon India has provided essential food and sanitation items across the villages. Canon employees PAN India are enthusiastically coming together and contributing to the PM CARES Fund as well. As part of the support, Canon India is providing 3000 food packets in its adopted villages. In addition to this, to provide sanitation support to children of SOS Children’s Villages of Faridabad, Hyderabad, Canon India has distributed essential items such as sanitisers, liquid soap, cotton masks, etc. other home cleaning products.
Pledging its support towards India’s fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canon India has provided essential food and sanitation items across the villages.
Mi India has also pledged to donate over Rs 3 crore to procure thousands of oxygen concentrators. They also confirmed they have partnered with GiveIndia to raise Rs 1 crore to support frontline Covid fighters across the country. Amazon India has also collaborated with multiple organisations to import more than eight thousand oxygen concentrators and five hundred bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines from Singapore.
OnePlus is also doing its bit to help the country. In a recent blog post, its CEO Pete Lau confirmed that the smartphone giant would donate 400 oxygenators to India to help meet the immediate need for oxygen in several parts. The company also promised to add up to Rs 1 crore to public donations towards the Covid battle.
India’s tech giant and one of the worldwide leaders, Infosys, installed Covid-19 care centres in Pune and Bengaluru for its employees and their families. It will also educate children, expand bed capacity in hospitals, and assist the government in spreading awareness. Tech Mahindra has also announced its Covid-19 vaccination drive for its associates and dependent family members. It confirmed that it would cover all the incurred expenses. Similarly, TCS also announced that it would provide the Covid-19 vaccine to all its employees and family members, starting from May 1, 2021.
IBM India called out to its employees to come together in this crisis. Its chairman and CEO, Arvind Krishna, wrote to his employees to support the cause. This resulted in the donation of funds for 2500 oxygen cylinders and is continuing to grow.
Paytm, a popular digital payment platform, successfully raised Rs 1 crore through public donations and added the same amount from its end, which doubled the donations to source oxygen concentrators. Now, the company aims to raise Rs 10 crore! CRED founder Kunal Shah tweeted about the company’s plans to raise funds for procuring one billion litres of oxygen. It also encourages CRED users to donate the CRED coins that are present in their accounts.
Zomato’s founder Deepinder Goyal confirmed that the company’s not-for-profit organisation, Zomato Feeding India, has kickstarted the “Help Save My India” project in collaboration with Delhivery. It aims to raise Rs 50 crore to source oxygen concentrators and related supplies to help hospitals and families in India.
Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin also confirmed via Twitter his donation of Rs 4.5 crore. Naturally, he donated 100 ETH and 100 MKR, whose proof he shared on Twitter. The co-founder of Sun Microsystem, Vinod Khosla, also announced his wish to fund hospitals in India for importing oxygen and other supplies in India. Following that, he received many requests from non-profit organisations, non-government organisations, and private initiatives such as Manjinder Singh Sirsa (President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee), the Cancer Aid Society, and Hemkunt Foundation to fund hospitals needing medical supplies to fight Covid, which he gladly received.
Apart from the significant organisations and global tech leaders, there are also many Indian companies working hard to save the country. Among such is Oxicare, which aims to help as many blue collared technicians as possible. The company hires technicians who can repair oxygen concentrators. The efforts were further emphasised on LinkedIn by Rajesh Bansal, who stated that they were on a mission to train 1000 technicians across India.
These companies have proven that despite being divided by the market, they are united by a single cause; the cause of saving lives!
The second wave of covid-19 thrusts us back into our homes, and mission work from home begins again. Now, looking at a maximum number of professionals working from home, everyone needs and wants to own the best laptop to finish off work and enjoy their extra hours with their family or with their other ventures. So, whether you’re looking for a laptop with massive battery life or one with a magical crisp display, here is our list of top 5 laptops for work from home culture:
Dell XPS 13 (9300)
Specifications
CPU
8th generation Intel Core i5 – i7
Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics 620
RAM
8GB-16GB
Storage
256GB – 1TB SSD
Screen
13.3-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) – 4k (3840 x 2160)
We’re beginning our list with an expertly designed Dell XPS 13 (9300) that combines tremendous power in a stylish thin, and stunningly small body. The award-winning 13.3″ laptop offers a Full-HD+ display, and it is powered by 8th generation Intel Core i5 and i7. The laptop boasts over 12 hours of battery life, and the webcam is now placed right above the screen that helps you attend video calls more smoothly. The i5 variant of the Dell XPS 13 features 8GB RAM with a 512GB SSD is priced at Rs 1,50,990, while the i7 model features 16GB RAM with a 1TB SSD is priced at Rs 1,95,790; the prices are hefty, but with all the features it stands tall in front of its other competitors.
Apple’s newly refreshed Apple MacBook Pro 13″ is powered by the new M1 processor and sets the benchmark for performance and battery life. If you’re a video editor and looking to decorate your editing table, then MacBook Pro 13″ is one of the best options you have in the market, as it works splendidly with FCP, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and more. Along with a magic keyboard, retina display and all other premium features, the new MacBook Pro 13″ provides an exceptionally well battery that keeps the device running for a long time. The 8GB memory and 256GB storage configuration model costs Rs 1,22,900.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Specifications
CPU
Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-i7
Graphics
Intel® Iris™ Plus
RAM
Up to 16 GB
Storage
Up to 512GB
Screen
13.5″ / 15” Touchscreen PixelSense™ Display
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is the most traditional laptop you would see in the market but it promises fast performance, premium design and a touch screen experience. It has been redesigned from the inside out to impact productivity. The laptop is powered by the latest 10th Gen Intel Core™ Processor with improved graphics and up to 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. It has an exceptionally well-designed keyboard and trackpad, and it only takes about an hour to reach 80% of the battery, and when charged fully, it lasts up to 11 hours. The prices start at Rs. Rs 1,01,990 for the 128GB storage variant, and move up to Rs 1,27,990 for the 256GB.
HP Spectre x360
Specifications
CPU
Intel Core i7-1065G7
Graphics
Intel Integrated UHD Graphics 620
RAM
8GB
Storage
512GB SSD
Screen
13.30-inch
HP Spectre x360 is a convertible laptop from HP that raises the bar with the chipmaker’s latest innovations, including Thunderbolt 4 ports and an 11th Generation Tiger Lake processor with Iris Xe integrated graphics. It gulps up everyday work tasks with smooth operations with its 10th-generation 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 processor. The battery life is good and stays long for up to 10 hours. If you’re looking for a modern laptop with the best features, this one should be on your wishlist as it is one of the best laptops for day-to-day work. HP Spectre x360 prices start from Rs. 121,499.
Lenovo ThinkPad E15
Specifications
CPU
Intel Core i5-10510U / Intel Core i7-10210U
Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics
RAM
Up to 32GB
Storage
Up to 2TB SSD + Up to 2TB HDD
Screen
15.6”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
Lenovo has done an excellent job of overcoming the profile and the weight of the Lenovo ThinkPad E15; it is an unofficial successor of the ThinkPad E590. The plastic-made laptop has a terrific keyboard and display, and it also provides various options for upgradability. The Intel Core i5-10510U / Intel Core i7-10210U powered laptop stays a little down when it comes to battery life but manages to stay alive for up to 8 hours. If you’re running low on a budget or trying to save some money for lockdown life, this one will fulfil your both wishes as the ThinkPad E15 prices start at Rs. 59,490.
It is not often that people opt to switch to smartphones with a completely different operating system. But for those who do, there is always the question of how to transfer data between Android and Apple! Well, we are here to answer just that today as we show you a quick and effective way of transferring your WhatsApp data from an Android smartphone to an iPhone.
American tech giant Apple has launched the latest iPhone series around the world. The new iPhone 12 will be available in three variants apart from the standard one. These include the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and an affordable option, the iPhone 12 mini.
Apple launched the phones at its virtual “Hi, Speed” event which was live-streamed on its official YouTube channel as well as its website. CEO Tim Cook took the centre stage where he announced the latest lineup of the iPhone, as well as the latest HomePod mini.
The iPhone 12 will run on Apple’s latest operating system, the iOS 14. All phones will also have complete 5G support. While the iPhone 12 is still a 6.1-inch device with an OLED Super Retina XDR screen, the iPhone Pro Max will span 6.7 inches. That, as well as the 6.1-inch iPhone Pro, will be equipped with an OLED Super Retina XDR display with 10-bit Colour Depth. The iPhone 12 Mini, on the other hand, gets a 5.4-inch OLED screen. All phones will also carry over the notch from their predecessors, though none have a 120Hz refresh rate.
Apple has made the iPhone 12 stronger by giving it a “ceramic shield”. Essentially a stronger protection material for the display screen than conventional materials, the “shield” is claimed to be four times tougher than other smartphone glasses.
Apple has equipped the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 12 with a dual-camera setup that includes a 12MP wide and a 12MP ultrawide lens, while the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max get triple cameras each that offer an additional 12MP telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom. The Pro models also borrow the LiDAR from the iPad Pro models.
The LiDAR Scanner offers the ability to measure light distance and use pixel depth information of a scene. This technology delivers faster, more realistic AR experiences and improves autofocus by 6x in low-light scenes for more accuracy and reduced capture time in photos and videos. This advanced hardware, combined with the power of the Neural Engine of A14 Bionic, also unlocks Night mode portraits, rendering a beautiful low-light bokeh effect.
The entire series will be powered by Apple’s latest A14 Bionic chip. It is the first chip in the world to be built on the 5nm technology. It gets a hexacore CPU along with a quadcore GPU. Its Neural Engine also now gets 16 cores, increasing its performance by 80 percent, taking it up to 11 trillion operations per second! The iPhones get 4GB RAM and are offered with an option between 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage.
Coming to the HomePod, it is integrated with Apple’s latest S5 chip which makes it more of artificial intelligence than a simple smart speaker. Combined with Siri, the HomePod mini offers a chance for users to transform their homes into complete smart homes, quite like living in a Tony Stark mansion!HomePod mini makes controlling smart home accessories easier than ever with simple voice commands for Siri to turn off the lights, change the temperature, lock the doors, or set a scene. HomePod mini is the perfect home hub, providing access to smart home accessories while at home or away.
A new Intercom feature offers a quick and easy way for family members to connect with each other at home. One person can send an Intercom message from one HomePod to another — whether in a different room, a specific zone, or multiple rooms throughout the home — and their voice will automatically play on the designated HomePod speaker. Intercom works with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay, so everyone in the household can get Intercom notifications and send Intercom messages from the backyard or on their way home.
Apple has given the iPhone 12 a base price of $799 while the mini retails at $699. The iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be offered for $999 and $1099 respectively.
American tech giant Apple today unveiled Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, two new iPad models, and the first fitness experience built for Apple Watch that brings significant developments in health and wellness features to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
The Apple Watch Series 6 expands the health capabilities of previous Apple Watch models with a new feature that measures the oxygen saturation of the user’s blood, so they can better understand their overall fitness and wellness. Along with that, it also gets the next-generation always-on altimeter that provides real-time elevation all day long by using a new, more power-efficient barometric altimeter, along with GPS and nearby Wi-Fi networks. This feature allows for the detection of small elevation changes above ground level, up and down to the measurement of 1 foot, and can be shown as a new watch face complication or workout metric.
Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS) starts at $399 and Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS + Cellular) starts at $499.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is accompanied by the Apple watch SE, which packs the essential features of the Apple Watch into modern design customers love — all at a more affordable price. The largest and most advanced Retina display allows customers to easily see more details and the information that matters most, right on their wrist. Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6, and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app. Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at $279 and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at $329.
Along with that, Apple also announced Family Setup in watchOS 7, bringing the communication, health, fitness, and safety features of Apple Watch to kids and older family members of the household who do not have an iPhone. For the first time, Apple Watch can be set up through a parent’s iPhone, so kids can connect with family and friends through phone calls and Messages, stay motivated with personalized Activity goals, and express their creativity through custom “Memoji”.
Apple Fitness+ intelligently incorporates metrics from Apple Watch for users to visualize right on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, offering a first-of-its-kind personalized workout experience. When a workout is selected and started on any of those devices, the correct workout type will automatically start on Apple Watch.
Coming to the iPad, Apple has introduced a brand-new chipset. The A12 Bionic chip introduces the Neural Engine for next-level machine learning capabilities, including people occlusion and motion tracking in augmented reality (AR) apps, enhanced photo editing, Siri performance, and more. The new iPad (8th generation) is available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in more than 25 countries and regions, including the US. iPad will be available beginning Friday, September 18, with a starting price of $329 (US) for the Wi-Fi model and $459 (US) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and comes in silver, space gray, and gold finishes in 32GB and 128GB configurations.
The iPad Air, on the other hand, is now available in five gorgeous finishes — including rose gold, green, and sky blue — and features an all-screen design with a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, camera, and audio upgrades, a new integrated Touch ID sensor in the top button, and the powerful A14 Bionic chip for a massive boost in performance.
Apart from the new gadget launches will all the advanced tech features, Apple will also offer its own subscription plan. Called the Apple One, it will offer customers Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and more in one simple plan. The Apple One Individual plan offers a savings of over $6 per month, while the Family plan offers a savings of over $8 per month, and the Premier plan offers a savings of over $25 per month. Savings are based on standard monthly pricing.
