iPhone 11: Apple reveals release date, price, images and new features of phone
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Apple has unveiled the iPhone 11.
The new phone features extra cameras as well as a new look on the outside. It comes in a variety of new colours, including green and purple.
Introducing the new phone, Apple focused on the imaging abilities of the new device. Though it received a speed bump, the majority of the announcement focused on the variety of new camera features that have been added to the iPhone 11.
But despite those speed boosts, the iPhone 11 will have an hour more battery than the iPhone XR that it replaces in Apple's line-up. The XR was already Apple's longest-lasting iPhone.
It has two cameras on the back, including a wide-angle lens that allows the phone to be able to capture twice as much as previous models.
That same camera also includes a night mode, which Apple claims will make it far better at taking pictures in the dark.
And it features a variety of different video features.
On the inside, the iPhone 11 includes the A13 Bionic, Apple's latest mobile chip. It performs better than any other phone, Apple claimed, and will allow vastly improved performance.
Apple said there was a variety of new iPhone features that it not have time to discuss, including a better flash, a faster Face ID sensor and improved Wi-Fi.
The phone will sell for $699, Apple said, cheaper than the most recent iPhones.
It is expected to be followed by the iPhone 11 Pro, the more expensive version of the handset.
Follow the latest on the new iPhone below:
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.
With the soaring costs of flagship smartphones, some people have been thinking about what they could buy instead of a $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Suggestions include 8 years of Netflix, 200 Big Macs or 200 Whopper burgers.
A quick online search shows you could also get a round-trip from London to Sydney, with enough spare change to pick up a new Nokia 3310 feature phone.
The cleaning crews are out in full force at the Steve Jobs Theater.
Another suggestion for the rear camera arrangement, this one from Vipul Mittal (@vipulmittal09)
Having pioneered the smartphone industry more than a decade ago, Apple has opted for a more cautious approach in recent years when it comes to new innovations.
As rivals like Samsung and Huawei have tried (and failed, and tried again) to launch folding phones, Apple has been happy to sit back and let others take all the risks.
A new camera lens will probably be an exciting development, but it's hardly breaking the pattern of incremental updates.
But beyond folding phones, what major innovations are left to make in a saturated market? 5G is the obvious one, but there's another trends quietly happening among some of the world's biggest phone makers.
Last week, Samsung unveiled a cryptocurrency version of its Note 10 smartphone, integrating decentralised apps and allowing customers to store and spend bitcoin on their phones.
It follows on from the HTC Exodus 1, described by its maker as the "world's first blockchain smartphone".
Speaking ahead of the iPhone 11 launch, the phone's lead developer, Phil Chen, explains to The Independent why such phones may be the future.
Smartphones as a business segment has peaked and now plateaued. We’ve already seen the best camera, the best screen and the best audio – which is why we’re seeing smartphone sales slow down. Top brands are struggling to find the next gimmick that would push an upgrade. However, what we need are not gimmicks, but real productivity gains to jump to the next curve of innovation. For example, the inclusion of the rest of the world that currently don’t have access to basic financial tools. Initially considered a gimmick by some, crypto technology is the next frontier of smartphone innovation.
Just 30 minutes to go now until things get going at the Steve Jobs Theater in California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already been there for hours.
David Phelan, The Independent's roving tech correspondent, has snuck into the Steve Jobs Theater to give us our fist look inside.
We have another entry for what that rear camera setup looks like on the iPhone 11.
Some Apple royalty in attendance today, with co-founder Steve Wozniak posing for selfies with YouTube star Marques Brownlee and other attendees.
I wonder what the red Apple logo means on Wozniak's lanyard? Come to think of it, why does The Woz even need to wear a lanyard?
(Photo courtesy of Safwan AhmedMia, @SuperSaf)
Speaking of The Woz, a friend of mine who interviewed him a few years ago showed me his business card. It's made of metal and photochemically etched with his details.
Unique - but not as unique as his Nixie tube watch.
The Apple Watch could be set to get an upgrade today. I wonder if it will be enough to convince Wozniak to upgrade his wrist wear?
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments