Apple’s 2022 iPhone SE and iPad Air step forward, without sacrificing continuity

Apple has updated the iPhone and iPad product lines. In the iPhone, there is the refreshed iPhone SE, which remains the most affordable iPhone in the present line-up. Parallelly, the ‘Peek Performance’ keynote also delivered two new colour options for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, each. The iPad Air, which was due for a refresh, is now given the performance boost that puts it at par with an Apple iPad Pro, the 11-inch version to be specific, in more ways than one. The biggest upgrade in the new iPhone SE is the A15 Bionic processor, which puts it at par with the iPhone 13 series. This means the entry point into the iPhone line-up is not making any compromises on the performance front. This is the iPhone SE Gen 3, and will effectively replace the second generation, which was powered by the A13 Bionic chip and released in 2020. That means, a serious performance upgrade, as well as battery life improvements, will be appreciable from the outset. This has 5G too now. That said, the 3rd generation iPhone SE carries forward the same design as the previous generation, which makes this the last remaining iPhone with the older layout that includes the home button below the screen. We had expected a larger design refresh this time, something that switched the iPhone SE over to a design similar to the iPhone X from a few years ago. It hasn’t happened this year, which means the iPhone SE visually stands out in a way. It’ll also start off with the 64GB storage option, alongside the 128GB and the newly added 256GB variants. The display size (4.7-inch) and type (Retina HD with 1334 x 750 pixels) continue to do the duties. Apple has confirmed the India pricing for the latest generation iPhone SE – ₹43,900 (64GB), ₹48,900 (128GB) and ₹58,900 (256GB). Preorders will start on March 11, and this goes on sale from March 18. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have received one new colour options each. The underlying shade is green for the iPhone 13, while for the iPhone 13 Pro, it’s ‘alpine green’. No changes in terms of the specifics or the pricing, just a new colour option that joins the existing line-up. For the iPhone 13, you already have the choice of the pink, blue, midnight, starlight and red. If it is the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, you’ll get alpine green alongside silver, gold, graphite and sierra blue. It was expected that the iPad Air would get a refresh in the first half of 2022, and right on cue, Apple has delivered the 2022 edition. This is now the iPad Air 5th generation, and the biggest upgrade (much like the iPhone SE 2022) is under the hood – the extremely powerful Apple M1 chip now powers the new iPad Air, moving forward from the previous iteration which ran the A14 Bionic chip. That wasn’t a slouch by any stretch of the imagination, just that the M1 is leaps and bounds ahead. This upgrade puts the iPad Air at par with the latest generation of the iPad Pro 11-inch, at least in terms of raw performance; there are still differences to set them apart, such as the storage options, display resolution and certain camera functionality. Speaking of which, the new iPad Air also gets the FaceTime Centre Stage, which keeps you centered in video calls. At this time, the iPad Air will be sold in two storage options – 64GB and 256GB, with prices starting at ₹54,900. And as always, you will be able to choose between Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular options, the latter ticking off the readiness for 5G mobile networks. The fact that Apple has retained the design, which from the previous generation itself was similar to the iPad Pro line, means there is wider and continued support for accessories, including the Magic Keyboard and Smart Folio Keyboard.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.
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