In an hour-long online event called Peek Performance, Apple has introduced a new, third-gen iPhone SE running off the A15 Bionic and with 5G support, a new desktop Mac for creative professionals and an external monitor starting at $1500.
The iPhone maker also announced the latest addition to its custom silicone lineup, the M1 Ultra. The M1 Ultra is two M1 Max chips put together, the result being a processor eight times faster than the baseline M1, other than supporting up to 128GB of RAM. The new processor will be available in the new Mac Studio and possibly in the Mac Pro that the company teased.
Another latest entry to Apple’s lineups is the Mac Studio, a compact-sized Mac aimed at creative professionals. The computer has a bunch of I/O and comes in two versions — the M1 Max version starting at $1999 and the M1 Ultra version starting at $3999.
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The new iPhone SE
The third version of Apple’s inexpensive iPhone SE lineup ups the ante by adding sub-6GHz 5G and the A15 Bionic, the same processor as the iPhone 13 series. You also get a single 12MP camera at the back, but better computational photography features thanks to the A15 chip.
The new chip also improves battery life, a constant complaint on previous iterations. Additionally, this new version also has a larger battery, with Apple promising up to 15 hours of video playback. The IP67 water resistance and the Touch ID sensor have been retained for this year.
The small form factor and the 4.7-inch screen are here to stay. However, the phone is priced a bit high at $429 for the 64GB model compared to last year’s $399. Pre-orders start March 11, with the phone expected to ship beginning March 18.
| Specifications | iPhone SE |
|---|---|
| Display | 4.7-inch Retina HD 625 nits max brightness |
| Processor | A15 Bionic |
| Storage | 64/128/256GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP f1.4 |
| Front Camera | 7MP f2.2 |
| Battery | Up to 15 hours of video playback 20W fast charging |
| OS | iOS 15 |
A Mac for creators
The newly announced Mac Studio bears a stark resemblance to the Mac Mini but is more powerful than the Mac Pro. It comes with both an M1 Max and an M1 Ultra chip, all in a chassis with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-As, one HDMI, an audio jack, two USB-C and an SD card slot.
And you get Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6, and if Apple’s claims are true, it can support up to four Pro Display XDRss and a 4K TV. The new Mac is also compatible with the Apple Studio Display; a monitor released alongside the computer.
As mentioned above, the Mac Studio with M1 Max starts at $1999, and the M1 Ultra model starts at $3999. Both models are available for pre-ordering now and will start shipping on March 18.
| Specifications | Mac Studio (M1 Max) | Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M1 Max | Apple M1 Ultra |
| RAM | Up to 64GB | Up to 128GB |
| Storage | 512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB SSD | 1/2/4/8TB SSD |
| Ports | Rear Ports 4 x Thunderbolt 4 1 x 10Gb Ethernet 2 x USB-A 1 x HDMI 3.5mm headphone jack Front ports 2 x USB-C (up to 10Gb/s) SDXC card slot (UHS-II) | Rear Ports 4 x Thunderbolt 4 1 x 10Gb Ethernet 2 x USB-A 1 x HDMI 3.5mm headphone jack Front ports 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) SDXC card slot (UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 10Gb Ethernet | WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 10Gb Ethernet |
Apple Studio Display
Speaking of the Mac, Apple has also announced the Studio Display. It’s a 27-inch, 5K screen in an aluminium chassis. The display goes as high as 600 nits in terms of brightness, supports P3 wide colour, and of course, works with the TrueTone feature. It is, however, limited to 60Hz.
The display also has a 12MP camera embedded in the top bezel to act as a webcam. The back of the screen has three USB-C ports and one Thunderbolt 4, which supports up to 96W passthrough charging. Additionally, there’s also an A13 chip to optimise performance with Mac desktops and add software features like spatial audio, centre stage and Siri integration.
The Studio Display starts at $1599, but it’ll also come with an optional matte nano-texture glass finish for an extra $300. Pre-orders have already begun, and the display will be available starting March 18. And while this display does come with a stand, you can get an optional upgraded stand for an extra $400.
| Specifications | Studio Display |
|---|---|
| Display | 27-inch 5K Retina Display 600 nits brightness |
| Camera | 12MP ultrawide 122-degree field of view |
| Ports | 3 x USB-C 1 x Thunderbolt 3 |
| Audio | Six speaker system with triple array mics |
| Compatibility | Mac Studio (2022) 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or later) 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or later) 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or later) MacBook Air (2018 or later) Mac mini (2018 or later) Mac Pro (2019 or later) 24-inch iMac (2021) 27-inch iMac (2017 or later) 21.5-inch iMac (2017 or later) iMac Pro (2017) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later) iPad Pro 11-inch iPad Air (5th generation) |
Apart from these major announcements, the new iPad Air comes with an M1 chip, iOS 15.4 is coming out next week, you can get the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro in “Alpine Green” now, and the 27-inch iMac has been discontinued.
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