Apple’s iPhone 11 event kicks off on Tuesday, here’s everything you need to know
Written by Chance Miller / Courtesy of 9to5Mac
At this point, we’re just a few days away from Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 11 event. The stage was set last week, when Apple officially invited members of the media to Steve Jobs Theater for the September 10th occasion.
Going into the “By innovation only” event next week, there’s a lot to expect – and a lot we already know. Read on as we roundup everything you need to know about the iPhone 11 event.
When is Apple’s iPhone 11 event?
Apple’s September event will take place on Tuesday, September 10th at Steve Jobs Theater. You’ll be able to livestream it through Apple’s website, on YouTube, in select Apple Stores, and on the Apple TV. It’ll kick off at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
Headlining Apple’s September event will be the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Those names could always turn out to be different, but they have been corroborated in several different reports.
Camera
The focus of the iPhone 11 Pro will be the camera technology, with both models expected to gain a new triple-lens camera array on the back. This means the iPhone 11 Pro will feature a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide-angle lens.
What does this mean for iPhone 11 Pro camera performance? The ultra-wide-angle lens means users will be able to take images that include a much larger field of view. It could also mean dramatic improvements to augmented reality performance.
The iPhone 11 Pro is also expected to include a feature called Smart Frame, as 9to5Mac first reported earlier this summer. This feature will capture the area around the framed area in pictures and videos, giving the user the ability to adjust the framing or perform automatic perspective and crop corrections in post. The extra area will be retained for a short period of time and deleted automatically for privacy reasons.
As for the front-facing camera, Apple will reportedly bump the quality from 7MP to 12MP, and go from a 4-element lens to a 5-element lens. It will also be capable of slo-mo video recording at 120 frames-per-second.
Bilateral wireless charging
The iPhone 11 is expected to support something called bilateral wireless charging. This would allow you to use the back of your iPhone as a charging mat for other Qi devices. For instance, you could place your AirPods on the back of your iPhone to recharge them while on the go.
To accommodate bilateral wireless charging, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the 5.8-inch iPhone battery will increase by between 20 and 25 percent and the 6.5-inch by between 10 and 15 percent. This means that users will be able to take advantage of bilateral wireless charging without having too big of a hit to battery life.
Design
One of the most controversial changes with the iPhone 11 Pro will be the camera bump on the back. In order to make room for the new triple-lens camera array, Apple is shifting to a square camera bump on the back.
Recent reports have also suggested that the location of the Apple logo on the back will shift slightly. Photos posted to Slashleaks show that the Apple logo has been moved downwards and is now centered vertically and horizontally.
The logo has likely been moved to accommodate the larger triple-camera area. If it kept its original location, there wouldn’t be much padding between the bottom of the camera bump and the leaf of the Apple logo.
The placement of the logo may also act as an indicator for users who want to take advantage of the new iPhone 11 bilateral wireless charging/power share features. As the current Qi charging coil of the iPhone is centered, the Apple logo would be a perfect match for the alignment.
It has also been rumored that Apple will remove the ‘iPhone’ branding from the back of this year’s model. This would mean the back of the device would be completely bare of branding apart from the Apple logo, which means it would make more aesthetic sense to truly center it.
Other design tweaks rumored for the iPhone 11 Pro include a new matte finish on some color variants. Bloomberg has also said the iPhone 11 Pro will be more durable with improved shatter resistance and waterproofing.
3D Touch and Leap Haptics
One unfortunate change with the iPhone 11 Pro is that the devices will likely drop support for 3D Touch. Supply chain analysts have claimed that Apple will eliminate the pressure-sensitive 3D Touch feature this year, and the iOS 13 betas certainly lay the groundwork for that change.
In iOS 13, features such as Peek and Pop and Home screen Quick Actions have expanded to non-3D Touch devices, with Apple standardizing the long-press gesture for all contextual actions.
Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has also reported that the iPhone 11 Pro will adopt a new type of Taptic Engine, known by the codename leap haptics. It’s unclear what types of features this new engine will enable at this point, but it’s possible that it’s geared towards improving Haptic Touch since the new devices won’t feature 3D Touch.
Fast charging
Last but not least, reports have said the iPhone 11 Pro will finally drop the 5W charger, and come with an Apple USB-C charger instead and a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box.
After several years of speculation, it seems like the iPhone 11 will finally ship with a fast charger in the box, even though the connector on the actual device will still be Lightning.
You’ve been able to achieve iPhone fast charging in the past by purchasing a more powerful USB-C block and a USB-C to Lightning cable after the fact. By including the accessories directly in the box, however, Apple greatly streamlines the experience for the customer and gives users the cable they need to connect their iPhones to modern Macs.
Availability
Following the event, the iPhone 11 will likely go up for pre-orders on Friday, September 13th and be released on September 20th.
iPhone 11
Next up, we expect Apple to release a followup to the iPhone XR this year. Naming remains a bit of a mystery, but recent reports have suggested that Apple will go with iPhone 11 for the iPhone XR followup.
What can you expect for the iPhone 11 at Apple’s event?
Camera
Leading the way, we expect the device to gain a second camera lens on the back. Currently, the iPhone XR only features one camera, which Apple used as a cost-saving practice and a way to differentiate it from the iPhone XS.
The iPhone 11 is expected to feature a wide-angle lens alongside a telephoto lens. This is similar to the camera structure found on the current iPhone XS, and will likely enable things like optical zoom functionality. The iPhone XR is currently capable of Portrait mode through software, but the additional camera should also improve performance of that depth-of-field feature.
The iPhone 11 front-camera will also be upgraded from 7MP to 12MP, reports have said.
Design and colors
In terms of design, don’t expect the iPhone XR followup to feature the same camera bump as the iPhone XS. Instead, Apple is believed to have adopted a square bump on the back. As you can see in the above dummy unit, the camera bump houses the two lenses, as well as the flash.
Much like the iPhone 11 Pro, we expect the Apple logo to be shifted slightly on the back, while rumors have also claimed the iPhone 11 will have a new color lineup.
The iPhone 11 is expected to be available in a total of six colors, including the existing white, black, yellow, and (PRODUCT) RED. This year, however, the iPhone XR successor will also add new green and lavender colors. These color options will replace the current coral and blue options.
Availability
For the first time in several years, analysts predict that Apple will release all three new iPhones at the same time. This would mean the iPhone 11 will be available for pre-orders on Friday, September 13th and be released on September 20th.
What remains unclear is what features of the iPhone 11 Pro might also be supported on the iPhone 11. For instance, it’s unknown whether the iPhone 11 will support features such as bilateral wireless charging, or if that will be reserved for the higher-end models only.
Therefore, it’s possible some of the aforementioned features of the iPhone 11 Pro could also be supported on the iPhone 11, but we’ll have to wait for Apple’s official confirmation at the event to learn more.
There’s much more in store for next week’s September 10th event than just the iPhone 11. While we expect an emphasis on Services, there are also new Apple Watch models on the way, as well as the possibility of new over-ear headphones, and more.
9to5Mac will have full live coverage of the iPhone 11 event, so be sure to tune in on Tuesday, September 10, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET for everything you need to know. What are you most excited to see at the event? Let us know down in the comments below.
Read the original article over at 9to5Mac.com.
