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As it happenedended

iPhone 11 Pro: Release date, price and details released about new premium Apple handset

Andrew Griffin
Tuesday 10 September 2019 15:11 EDT
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Apple unveil new iPhone 11 Pro with three rear-facing cameras

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Apple has unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, its first ever "pro" iPhone.

The new handset is the premium version of the iPhone 11, which Apple revealed just before. Just as with the cheaper model, the company focused primarily on the camera in its announcement.

The company said that its improved screen as well as new colours justify the "pro" moniker, which has only ever been used on bigger devices.

"This is the first phone that we've called pro," said Apple's Phil Schiller, as he unveiled the phone.

"For us that means it's the first device that pros can count on to get work done. But it's also a device for all of us who want the best product made, even if we're not a pro."

The iPhone 11 Pro costs $999 or $1,099 for the bigger "Max" version, the same price as the XS and XS Max they replace. Pre-orders will begin on Friday – at the slightly later hour of 5am pacific daylight time – and will all start shipping on 20 September.

The new phone comes in a number of colours, including a brand new green. And those finish are also matte, rather than the shiny gloss in previous versions.

It also includes three different lenses in the camera. As well as the normal one, and the zoom that arrived in recent iPhones, it also has an "ultra-wide camera" that can allow for images that take in twice as much as the previous phone.

The iPhone can take photos with all of those different cameras at once, Apple said, letting people choose either to zoom in or to use the new wider lens to take in the full detail. The three cameras are able to talk to each other, so that they are aligned ready for switching between the different lenses.

It also includes a feature called "Deep Fusion" which can use machine learning to take a variety of different photos at once and combine them into the best version of any photo. "It is computational photography mad science," said Mr Schiller, "it is way cool".

It also includes new video recording features, as well as updated editing tools to allow them to be adjusted after the fact. The phone has the ability to record through two of the cameras at once, and switch between the two even as video is being recorded.

Inside the phone is Apple's brand new A13 Bionic chip. The company said that will be vastly quicker than all of the chips it has made before, but that it can also work less hard to preserve battery life.

The iPhone 11 Pro can last four hours longer than the iPhone XS that it replaces; the bigger Max version can last five hours longer than the XS Max, Apple said. It will also come with a new more powerful charger to allow it power up more quickly.

Apple said there was also a variety of new features it did not have time to discuss, including upgraded material that gives it the strongest glass in a smartphone.

Follow the latest from the iPhone event below:

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.

The iPhone has come a long way since Jobs' 2007 keynote. One thing the late Apple co-founder probably didn't foresee was the current size of the current iPhone crop. He famously said about rivals opting for larger-screen devices: "No one's going to buy that."

iPhones have only grown in size since the original 3.5-inch version, with larger models now measuring almost twice that.

Looking forward, people are speculating about what iPhones might look like in 10 years. The expected addition of an extra camera lens on the iPhone 11 has led to some strange imaginings.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 14:10

Other memes doing the rounds on social media ahead of the iPhone 11 launch are poking fun at the escalating prices of iPhones in recent years. 

There's a fair few jokes about how people are planning to pay, with some suggesting they'd need to sell an organ before they could afford it.

Others have noted that you could but two second-hand Toyotas for the anticipated price of the premium version of the iPhone 11.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 14:26

If you're wondering about the prices for the iPhone 11 range, the latest leak from SlashLeaks has you covered:

iPhone 11 - $749

iPhone 11 Pro - $999

iPhone 11 Pro Max - $1,099

This is the same pricing as last year for Apple's new iPhones.

Apple is also expected to slash the prices of last year's iPhone X and iPhone XS.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 14:43

It's 7am in California, which means T-minus three hours until the Apple Event gets underway.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 14:59

For the first time ever, Apple has made it possible to watch an iPhone unveiling on YouTube. 

You'll be able to watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=996wliAI_y4

It wasn't so long ago that viewers needed some form of Apple hardware or software just to watch the event.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 15:31

Old iPhone models will lose up to 30 per cent of their value in the 24 hours following today's iPhone 11 event, according to some new research that's just floated in to my inbox. 

The fourth annual Phone Depreciation Report from Music Magpie also gives an idea of how quickly the price of smartphones depreciate after their launch.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 15:43

That chart below does not look good for Huawei. 

It might have something to do with the US trade ban, which has hit smartphone sales of the Chinese tech giant hard.

Speaking of Huawei, I wonder if CEO Ren Zhengfei will be buying his family a new iPhone 11?

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 15:54

In this hugely popular post, one Twitter user says that the pictures showing the variety of cameras on the new iPhone is triggering their trypophobia – a fear of irregular patterns of tiny holes.

It's not the first time that has happened this year. Apple's new Mac Pro, which can be seen below, also caused discomfort in some people who saw it.

Andrew Griffin10 September 2019 16:17

People have also noted the similarity of the camera lens alignment to various objects.

Is it a bowling ball?

Or perhaps a coconut?

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 16:41

Just one hour to go until show time.

anthony.cuthbertson10 September 2019 17:00

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