Apple plays small-ball with new iPhone SE and iPad Pro
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Apple turns 40 on April 1, and it celebrated a little early by announcing a new iPhone and a new iPad Pro, both smaller than their predecessors.
iPhone SE
The iPhone SE sports a 4-inch screen (like the iPhone 5s that it replaces), but inside it has the guts (including the 64-bit A9 chip) of an iPhone 6s. That means, according to Apple VP Greg Joswiak, it has the same performance as the 6s, and twice that of the 5s (with a claimed 3X boost in graphics), while also improving battery life.
Joswiak rattled off a laundry list of other improvements: a better camera (with a 12-megapixel sensor and support for the Live Photos feature, which turns still shots into mini-videos), 50 percent faster cellular data speeds, and more.
The SE will come in two configurations: 16GB and 64GB. The first is free with a two-year contract. (If you choose an installment plan, it would be $17 a month.) The 64GB, meanwhile, lists for $499. Both are available for preorder on March 24, and they go on sale on March 31.
In addition, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the latest version of iOS — 9.3 — is now available as a free update.
iPad Pro
The company also introduced a new version of its iPad Pro tablet. As with the iPhone SE, this new iPad Pro packs the power of the company’s full-size models into a smaller package.
The new iPad Pro has a 9.7-inch screen, compared to the original’s 12.9 display. The smaller screen is just as sharp (264 pixels per inch) as its bigger sibling. Apple reps say the new iPad Pro’s screen is brighter and less reflective and produces truer colors than the iPad Air 2’s. And it now pulls the same nifty trick as plain paper: It adjusts its color temperature based on the ambient light. The drop in screen size predictably produces a lighter iPad: less than a pound (compared to the 1.5 pounds of the larger model).
But the new iPad Pro’s other specs are full-size: Inside, it relies on the same 64-bit A9X chip as the original. Like the iPhone SE, the iPad gets a new 12-megapixel camera, which can shoot Live Photos and 4K video. The new iPad Pro also supports the popular Apple Pencil, and there’s a new, appropriately sized Smart Keyboard cover.
The base 32GB model costs $599; the 128GB and a new 256GB configuration cost $749 and $899, respectively. As with the iPhone SE, preorders for the new iPad Pros start March 24, and they’ll ship on March 31.
Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET, March 21, with additional details.
