Apple led global smartphone revenues and operating profit with record June-quarter shares of 45% and 85% respectively.
Global smartphone revenues declined by 8% YoY and 15% QoQ to well under $90 billion in Q2 2023.
In the same period, global smartphone operating profit fell to below $13 billion, declining by 3% YoY and 27% QoQ.
Apple was the single-largest contributor to profitability, with an 85% share, up from 84% last quarter and 81% in the same quarter last year.
London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Denver, Buenos Aires – Aug 4, 2023
Global smartphone market revenues declined by 8% YoY and 15% QoQ to significantly under $90 billion in Q2 2023, the lowest Q2 figure since 2020 during the height of the global pandemic-related lockdowns. The corresponding operating profit declines were 3% and 27% according to research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor Service.
Commenting on Apple’s performance,Research Director Jeff Fieldhack noted, “Apple’s shipments declined by 3% YoY while the smartphone market declined by 9% in the same period. At the same time, its ASP increased thanks to a growing contribution of the Pro series, declining contribution of the SE series and the replacement of the Mini in iPhone 13 with a Plus in iPhone 14. As a result, while Apple’s iPhone revenue declined by 2% annually, its revenue share grew, reaching a second-quarter record of 45%. This is up by almost 3% since the same quarter of last year. Its share of global operating profits also grew by 4% since Q2 2022, reaching 85%, another second quarter record for Apple.”
The revenue decline in the overall market was caused by a shipment decline of 9% YoY combined with an ASP growth of only 1% in the same period.
Commenting on overall market dynamics, Research Director Tarun Pathak said, “The low ASP growth is mainly due to seasonality as, for instance, the second quarter is equidistant from peak iPhone demand and new iPhone launch, and sees neither of Samsung’s ultra-premium S or Z-series launches. The annual revenue decline also translated into operating profit losses for the overall market. The sequential operating profit decline suffered additionally from a changing shipment-mix, especially as the shipment share of Apple, the single-biggest contributor to total operating profit, went down by almost 4% QoQ.”
Despite ASP growth stagnating in the quarter, the premiumisation trend is likely to continue as emerging markets drive the next chapter of its growth and mid-tier brands target the premium segment and premium brands aim to sell more of their highest-priced models. Consequently, both global smartphone revenues and operating profits will see a recovery starting in H2 2023. This will support the smartphone market in the period when it struggles with lower shipments.
Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.
You can also visit our Data Section (updated quarterly) to view the smartphone market share for World, US, China and India.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
The global smartphone market declined by 14% YoY and 7% QoQ to record 280.2 million unit shipments in Q1 2023.
Samsung replaced Apple as the top smartphone player in Q1 2023, driven by its mid-tier A Series and the recently launched S23 series.
Apple’s YoY shipment decline was the least among the top five brands. Consequently, it recorded its highest-ever Q1 share of 21%.
Global smartphone revenues declined by 7% YoY to around $104 billion. Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi increased their Average Selling Prices YoY.
London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Denver, Buenos Aires – May 5, 2023
The global smartphone market faced further contraction in the post-holiday-season quarter with shipments declining by 14% YoY and 7% QoQ to 280.2 million units in Q1 2023, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service.
Source: Counterpoint Research Market Monitor Preliminary Data, Q1 2023 Note: OPPO Includes OnePlus
Commenting on overall market dynamics, Senior Analyst Harmeet Singh Walia said, “Smartphone shipments declined further in Q1 2023 following the weakest holiday-season quarter since 2013, as the slower-than-expected recovery in China was marred by alarming bank failures on both sides of the Atlantic further weakening consumer confidence in the face of unrelenting market volatility. The smartphone market was also hit by some major brands supplying fewer new devices to a market struggling with high inventories at a time when consumers are choosing to renew less often, but with more durable smartphones when they do buy.”
Consequently, global smartphone revenue and operating profit also declined, although not as much as shipments. This was due, in part, to the lower-than-usual decline in Apple’s shipments, to 58 million units in Q1 2023. Apple thereby managed to capture nearly half of all smartphone revenues. While Samsung’s shipments declined 19% YoY despite growing by 4% QoQ to 60.6 million units, the launch of the Galaxy S23 series enabled Samsung’s ASP to increase to $340, up 17% YoY and 35% QoQ, which in turn contributed to global revenues falling relatively less. Apple and Samsung also remain the most profitable brands, together capturing 96% of global smartphone operating profits.
Source: Counterpoint Research Market Monitor Preliminary Data, Q1 2023 Note: OPPO Includes OnePlus
Commenting on Apple’s performance, Research Director Jeff Fieldhack said, “Apple outperformed the market due to several factors. Firstly, the stickiness of its ecosystem prevents its customers from choosing a cheaper smartphone even in times of economic difficulty. Secondly, with sustainability becoming a priority for many, not only has Apple captured nearly half of the secondary market, it is also attracting users who are willing to spend more for longer-lasting devices. Thirdly, it is the preferred brand for Gen Z consumers in the West and is thereby positioning itself for sustained success. At the same time, it has been filling the void left by Huawei in China’s premium market. So, Apple is able to weather economic and other fluctuations better than its rivals while enjoying unflinching loyalty. This also meant Apple was able to meet the demand for the iPhone 14 series which spilt over Q4 2022, when it had problems at its Zhengzhou factory, rather than that share dissipating or transferring to rivals.”
Besides Samsung and Apple, the biggest global smartphone brands from China, Xiaomi, OPPO* and vivo, will have to wait longer for their shipments to rebound as each of them experienced double-digit annual declines in Q1 2023. This was due to a seasonal slowdown in China at a time when the country’s economic recovery is taking longer than expected. OPPO* has recently been facing challenges in overseas markets too. It has had to exit the German market after losing a patent lawsuit with Nokia. At the same time, the three brands’ revenues and profitability have struggled too. While OPPO* and vivo saw both annual shipment and ASP declines, leading to double-digit revenue declines, Xiaomi’s slight annual ASP growth could also not prevent a double-digit revenue decline in Q1 2023.
The smartphone market as a whole, too, is likely to struggle for the next couple of quarters. Commenting on the near-term outlook, Research Director Tarun Pathak said, “The persistent issues affecting the smartphone market are unlikely to abate anytime soon. Moreover, the recent decision by OPEC countries to cut oil production may lead to higher inflation rates, causing a reduction in consumers’ spending power. As a result, even if the decline in smartphone shipments stabilises, a significant recovery is unlikely before the year-end holiday quarter.”
*OPPO includes OnePlus
You can also visit our Data Section (updated quarterly) to view the smartphone market share for World, US, China and India.
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
The global smartphone market declined by 18% YoY to reach 304 million units in Q4 2022.
Apple replaced Samsung as the top smartphone player in Q4 2022, driven by the recent launch of the iPhone 14 series.
The 2022 global shipments declined by 12% to 1.2 billion units, the lowest since 2013.
Global smartphone revenue declined by 9% to $409 billion, the lowest since 2017.
Apple achieved its highest-ever global smartphone shipment, revenue and operating profit share in 2022.
London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, Beijing, Denver, Buenos Aires – February 3, 2023
The global smartphone market remained under pressure in Q4 2022 with shipments declining by 18% YoY to the lowest level for a holiday quarter since 2013, even as they grew by 1% QoQ to 303.9 million units, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service. Shipments for the full year 2022 also declined to 1.2 billion units, the lowest since 2013.
Commenting on overall market dynamics, Senior Analyst Harmeet Singh Walia said, “The war in Ukraine, inflationary pressures, economic uncertainty and macroeconomic headwinds kept the consumer sentiment weak in 2022 while smartphone users reduced the frequency of their purchases. The smartphone market remained under pressure in the fourth quarter of 2022 as the cost-of-living crisis, shortage in the labor market and a decline in consumers’ purchasing power resulted in double-digit declines in the shipments of each of the top five smartphone players.”
Consequently, global smartphone revenue and operating profit also saw a decline, although to a lesser degree than in shipments. An increased mix of premium phone offerings by major OEMs drove up the overall average selling price (ASP) by 5% YoY in 2022. The 9% decline in revenue, while lower than in shipments, resulted in annual smartphone revenues amounting to $409 billion, the lowest since 2017. A larger decline was prevented by a 1% growth in Apple, the only top five smartphone OEM to do so.
Commenting on Apple’s performance, Research Director Jeff Fieldhack said, “having proficiently managed its production problems, Apple was able to weather a year already marred by economic and geopolitical turmoil better than other major smartphone players. Its iPhone Pro series continued performing well and its share of iPhone shipments could have been even higher if not for the production issues caused by the COVID-19 breakout at the Zhengzhou factory, which produces the vast majority of Pro series volumes. As a result, some Pro series volumes got pushed to January.”
Consequently, its shipment, revenue and operating profit declined YoY in Q4 2022. However, it outperformed a struggling smartphone market in terms of shipment, revenue and operating profit growth, in turn achieving its highest-ever shares of 18%, 48% and 85% in these metrics respectively, in 2022.
Apple also benefited from the premium segment, its primary constituency, being less severely affected by the economic and geopolitical uncertainties that marred the year. Moreover, mature smartphone users are now choosing premium devices that last longer.
Elaborating on the ‘premiumization’ trend, Research Director Tarun Pathak said, “premiumization can also be seen within the Android ecosystem and is being led by Samsung with its foldable smartphones. As a result, Samsung was the only top five OEM besides Apple to see a 1% growth in revenue, even though its shipments declined by 5% in 2022 and operating profit declined by 1%. The performance of its flagship smartphones was stronger than market projections. Nevertheless, with a smaller profit decline than the overall smartphone market, its operating profit share increased slightly to 12% in 2022.”
Chinese smartphone players suffered from domestic lockdowns for much of the year in addition to facing global economic and geopolitical difficulties. As a result, the shipments of Xiaomi, OPPO* and vivo fell by more than 20% each. Despite offering premium phones at aggressive margins, Chinese brands are yet to make headway in the premium market and have not been able to capitalize completely on Huawei’s decline. Unsurprisingly, then, their revenue as well as operating profit saw double-digit declines.
We expect the market to remain under pressure until the end of the first half of 2023 and to start recovering thereafter.
*OPPO includes OnePlus from Q3 2021
You can also visit our Data Section (updated quarterly) to view the smartphone market share for World, US, China and India.
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.
Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.
At its first launch event of 2022, titled “Peek Performance”, Apple announced a new iPhone SE with refreshed hardware and 5G connectivity, a new iPad Air, a powerful new desktop computer, and much more. Apple also announced its most powerful SoC, the M1 Ultra, which completes the first generation of the Apple Silicon family. Below is a quick look at everything that Apple announced.
iPhone SE 5G: Affordable entry point to Apple ecosystem
The new iPhone SE 5G looks the same as the 4G iPhone SE that was launched back in 2020. In fact, it carries the iPhone 6 design language and compact form factor, with two major changes. Firstly, you get the A15 Bionic SoC under the hood, which is the same powerful chipset that we have seen on the iPhone 13 series that was launched in September 2021.
Source – Apple
The iPhone SE model with a 4.7-inch HD screen, thick bezels, and a physical Touch ID button may seem outdated, but there is still a market for this type of device. According to Counterpoint Research’s Smartphone Model Share Tracker, Q4 2021, the 4G iPhone SE 2020 accounted for 12% of Apple’s total iPhone unit sales from its launch in Q2 2020 to Q4 2021. Globally, Japan and US are the biggest markets for the iPhone SE. It was also among the best-selling smartphones of 2021, globally.
Apple claims that the new SE model is almost 2.2x faster than iPhone 8, and over 5x faster than the iPhone 6s. The 12MP camera on the SE misses out on sensor-shift image stabilization as seen on the 13-series. But there are some improvements on the computational photography side, which includes Deep Fusion, Portrait effects and Smart HDR 4.
The target audience for Apple seems to be these iPhone 6s to iPhone 8 users, who still prefer the form factor, but are looking for faster connectivity and new features. Though one thing to note here is that, unlike the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series, the new iPhone SE does not support mmWave 5G, and only comes with Sub-6GHz.
Source – Apple
The iPhone SE 5G is priced at $429 for the base model with 64GB storage, which is about $30 more than iPhone SE 2020 which was launched at $399. Despite the slightly higher entry price, we expect the new iPhone SE to do well.
iPad Air 2022 with 5G, M1 SoC: Pro Experience on Budget
Apple also announced the refreshed iPad Air model which is now powered by the M1 SoC, the same as the iPad Pro models and the MacBook Air M1. The new iPad Air follows the design language as the Pro models, featuring a bigger 10.9-inch screen with 500 nits of brightness.
The Touch ID sensor is now embedded in the power button, features stereo speakers along the top and bottom. What’s more, the front 12MP camera now supports the centerstage feature as well to automatically pan and keep you in the center in video calls.
Other features such as support for Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard, and Smart Keyboard are also present. The iPad Air (2022) will be available in both Wi-Fi and Cellular (5G) modes, and two storage options – 64GB and 256GB. The Wi-Fi-only base model starts at $599, whereas the Wi-Fi + Cellular model starts at $749.
Source – Apple
M1 Ultra SoC, Apple’s most powerful ARM-based Custom Processor
In the transition to move from Intel-based processors to Apple Silicon, Apple announced the M1 SoC. It was followed by the M1 Pro and M1 Max SoCs for laptops and Mac Mini. At the “Peek Performance” event Apple introduced the fourth and final member of the M1 family, the M1 Ultra. Apple says it is the most powerful ARM-based custom processor designed for Mac Studio desktop computers. It is essentially two M1 Max chips that are connected together.
Source – Apple
Apple is calling it UltraFusion interconnect architecture where a silicon interposer is used to offer bandwidth of up to 2.5TB/s. So, instead of having two separate chips connected to the motherboard, the UltraFusion solution helps in reducing latency. As the M1 Ultra is essentially two M1 Max SoC, it features:
A 20-core CPU (16-Performance cores, four-efficiency cores)
64GPU cores
32-core Neural Engine
114 billion transistors
Source – Apple
In terms of Memory bandwidth, the M1 Ultra SoC can reach 800GB/s and can be configured to have 128GB of unified memory. With all this power on hand, the M1 Ultra can decode media and simultaneously play back up to 18 streams of 8K ProRes 422 video. It can also support four 6K Pro Display XDR and one 4K display.
Studio Display: High-res Screen with Hi-Fi Audio
One of the other interesting products announced by Apple includes the Studio Display. This $1,599 Studio Display comes with a 27-inch, 5K Retina screen (5120×2880 pixels), and 600 nits brightness.
Source – Apple
Given the current work-and-learn from home scenario, the Studio Display includes a three-mic array and six-speaker system with support for Spatial Audio. There is also a 12MP front camera with a centerstage feature for video calls on apps like Webex, FaceTime, and Zoom. These features are enabled by the A13 Bionic chip that powers the Studio Display, along with “Hey Siri” voice command.
Source – Apple
In terms of connectivity, the Studio Display features one Thunderbolt 3 port connect and charge compatible Mac, and three USB-C ports for connecting your accessories. The Studio Display comes with two choices of stands – one which lets you tilt the screen up to 30-degrees, the other that lets you adjust the height as well. There is also a VESA mount option that lets you tilt the screen horizontally or vertically, depending on your needs.
Mac Studio: Powerful Desktop Content Creators and Creative Professionals
The Mac Studio is a small, yet powerful desktop computer that looks like a Mac mini, but packs a lot of punch inside. It is designed considering the needs of content creators, film studios, professional photographers, and animators in mind. Users can choose between M1 Max or M1 Ultra SoC model depending on their workflow.
Source – Apple
In terms of connectivity, the Mac Studio has four Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 10Gb Ethernet port. There is an HDMI out port, an audio jack, and two USB-A ports as well. Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity is also available on-board. Lastly, the front of the Mac Studio also features two USB-C ports and an SD card slot. Price starts at $1,999 for the base model with the M1 Max chip, whereas the M1 Ultra chip variant starts at $3,999.
Source – Apple
Apple did throw some performance numbers saying that the M1 Ultra powered Mac Studio offers 90% faster performance than a Mac Pro powered by Intel’s 16-core Xeon processor. It is also roughly 60% faster than a 28-core Mac Pro. Lastly, Apple did make a big claim that the M1 Ultra has the fastest GPU shipped on a Mac yet. Given how M1 family chipsets have offered peak performance, it remains to be seen how far these claims hold when users start using them.
Other Announcements from Apple TV+ to new colors for iPhone 13 series
Besides these big announcements, Apple also announced two new color options for the iPhone 13 series. The vanilla iPhone 13 will come in a new Green color tone, whereas the Pro model will be available in the Alpine Green color variant.
And lastly, for baseball fans, Friday Night Baseball will now be streaming on Apple TV+.
Global smartphone shipments grew 4% YoY to reach 1.39 billion units in 2021. Q4 2021 shipments declined 6% YoY to reach 371 million units.
Samsung led the global smartphone market in 2021 with annual shipments of 271 million units.
Apple, Xiaomi, OPPO^ and vivo recorded their highest-ever annual shipments.
The top five brands gained share thanks to a significant decline by Huawei, and LG’s exit from the market.
Apple surpassed Samsung to become the top smartphone vendor in Q4 2021, shipping 81.5 million units.
New Delhi, Hong Kong, Seoul, London, Beijing, San Diego, Buenos Aires – January 28, 2022
The global smartphone market grew for the first time since 2017, with annual shipments reaching 1.39 billion units in 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitorservice. Despite the 4% annual growth, however, annual shipments remained below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts as well as component shortages.
Commenting on the overall market dynamics, Senior Analyst, Harmeet Singh Walia said “the global smartphone recovery in 2021 followed a pandemic-hit 2020 and subsequent pent-up demand in regions like North America, Latin America and India. Growth in the US was driven largely by demand for Apple’s first 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series seeping through to the first quarter of 2021; demand which continued throughout the year ending on a strong Q4 thanks to Black Friday and holiday season promotions. India, too, had a good year due to higher replacement rates, better availability and more attractive financing options in mid-to high-tier phones. However, China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, continued to decline due to supply-side issues caused by the ongoing component shortages, as well as demand-side issues resulting from lengthening replacement cycles.”
Singh Walia added, “the market recovery could have been even better if not for the component shortages that impacted much of the second half of 2021. The major brands navigated the component shortages comparatively better and hence managed to grow by gaining share from long-tail brands.”
Samsung shipped 271 million units in 2021, up 6% from 2020, mainly due to increased demand for its mid-tier A and M series smartphones. Samsung’s annual shipments grew despite supply-side issues starting with its Vietnam factory being shut in June due to COVID-induced lockdown. While its shipments grew YoY to reach 67 million in the last quarter, the growth was limited by intensifying competition from Apple and Chinese brands in some of its markets such as India and Latin America. Nevertheless, the brand gained a good mind share with the launch of its third-generation foldable phones that did well in the premium segment.
Apple’s global smartphone shipments grew 18% YoY to reach a record 237.9 million units in 2021 due to strong performance by the iPhone 12 series. Apple also grew in key markets such as the US, China, Europe and India. In China, it became the top smartphone brand in Q4 after six years thanks to the iPhone 13, consequently overtaking Samsung as the top smartphone globally in Q4 2021.
Xiaomi’s global smartphone shipments grew 31% YoY to reach a record 190 million units in 2021. The bulk of this growth was in the first half of the year, driven by regions such as India, China, South-East Asia and Europe. While its shipments declined in Q3 after a record Q2, it grew marginally in Q4 to ship 45 million smartphones despite slipping to the fifth position in China as it faces severe component shortages.
OPPO^ was another of the top smartphone players to achieve record 2021 shipments, growing by 28% YoY to 143.2 million units. Its performance in China remained strong in the first half of the year, while it grew in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and South-East Asia in the second half. However, shipments remained flat at 33.5 million units in the last quarter due to supply-side constraints.
vivo grew by 21% YoY to reach annual shipments of 131.3 million units in 2021. vivo leveraged its strong offline penetration and a wide-ranging product portfolio to achieve its highest-ever annual shipments globally. In Q4 2021, however, it declined by 9% YoY, as it lost the number one spot in the Chinese smartphone market to Apple.
Other OEMs also had a notable 2021.
Motorola was the fastest-growing brand among the top 10 smartphone OEMs based on annual global shipments. It took advantage of LG’s exit in the US, where it gained share in the sub-$300 price band by offering a strong lineup of widely available devices. It also continued to perform strongly in Latin America while expanding in overseas markets (including a resurgence in Europe).
realme entered the top five android OEMs globally for the first time as its affordable 5G strategy started to pay off. It also did well in markets such as India where it had a record year. The brand continued to expand its presence in new markets such as LATAM, Europe and the Middle East and Africa.
HONOR managed to finish its first full year as an independent OEM with a ranking among the top ten smartphone OEMs globally, and is already among the top five OEMs in China where it benefitted from the reinstation of its relationship with its suppliers since its separation from Huawei.
Transsion Group continued to perform well in its key markets such as South Asia and the Middle East and Africa. TECNO did well in the entry-tier, while Infinix gained the most in the entry-to mid-tier segment, especially in the countries where it is currently expanding. Going forward, Transsion’s fundamentals are expected to remain solid, as it continues to hold significant clout in its home market of Africa.
Research Director Jan Stryjak concluded, “2021 was a tough year, with component shortages adding further pressure to a market battling with lingering COVID-19 issues. However, the world is slowly getting on top of the pandemic, despite the threat of a resurgence towards the end of last year, and with supply issues hopefully coming to an end towards the middle of this year, there is reason to be optimistic for good growth in 2022 as a whole.”
^Note: OPPO includes OnePlus since Q3 2021
Feel free to reach us at press@counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.
You can also visit our Data Section (updated quarterly) to view the smartphone market share for World, US, China and India.
Some of our latest regional smartphone market analyses:
Background
Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech
Apple announced the new iPhone 13 series with four models.
Watch Series 7 brings a bigger, brighter display along with faster charging.
iPad mini gets 5G connectivity, high-res front camera and Apple Pencil (2nd gen) support.
At the “California Streaming” event on September 14, Apple announced the new iPhone 13 series, Apple Watch Series 7 and two new iPads. There aren’t many major design changes to the new iPhones but minor tweaks, like a smaller notch, the new A15 Bionic chipset with an improved neural engine, and new camera features to name a few. But the Apple Watch Series 7 and iPad mini get interesting upgrades, such as new design, bigger display and improved hardware. Here are all the announcements from the Apple Event along with our analysis.
New Shows and Movies on Apple TV+, More Workouts, Guided Meditation on Apple Fitness+
Apple is ramping up its original programming with CEO Tim Cook announcing new seasons of popular Apple TV+ shows such as Ted Lasso and Morning Show. The announcement comes at a time when the one-year free subscription announced last year is about to expire for many users. With such engaging TV shows and movies on the platform, users are likely to move from a free to paid subscription, adding to Apple’s revenues in the coming months.
With the Apple Watch, Apple has been heavily focusing on the fitness side of things. The Fitness+ service makes for a perfect companion, bringing intelligent workout recommendation videos that users can stream on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Apple is now expanding the service to 15 new countries, including Brazil, UAE, Malaysia, Italy and Indonesia. But that’s not the only announcement. Apple has added new features such as Group Workouts with SharePlay to keep you motivated and work out with your family and friends.
Apple A15 Bionic with Faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine
The iPhone 13 series will be powered by the new 5nm A15 Bionic SoC. Apple says that the new CPU is 50% faster than the competition while the GPU is 30% faster. With double system cache over the previous generation, the A15 Bionic SoC brings a new video encoder and decoder, a new ISP for improved photography and videography.
Key Highlights of A15 Bionic:
Six-core CPU (BIG.Little architecture) – two performance, four efficiency cores
Four-core GPU (5-core on Pro models)
15 billion transistors (compared to 11.8 billion on A14 Bionic), 15.8TOPS (trillion operations per second)
This is the first time Apple will be shipping two variants of the A15 Bionic SoC for the new iPhones. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will get the four-core GPU variant, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro will get a five-core GPU, given its cameras need higher processing for new features. The A15 Bionic improves on AI performance with 15.8TOPS, compared to 11TOPS on the A14 Bionic. But this is still less compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ that features 32TOPS AI performance.
BONUS VIDEO: Thoughts on the new iPhone 13, Watch 7, iPad mini
iPhone 13 Series: Doubled Base Storage, New SoC, Camera Improvements yet Same Starting Price
The latest iPhone 13 series still has four models — iPhone 13, iPhone mini, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max. Among the many upgrades that the iPhone 13 brings, one of the biggest ones is in the base storage, which now starts at 128GB, while the maximum storage goes up to 1TB. Despite the global chip shortages and other challenges in procuring components, the new iPhones still start at $699.
Apple iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13: What’s New
Besides the smaller notch, the rear camera arrangement has also been changed on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini. They are now diagonally placed to make more room for Apple’s new sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS). The resolution of dual cameras remains the same – 12MP wide (f/1.6) paired with 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), but the new sensors can capture more light to offer a better experience in low light. There are two big improvements to the cameras. The first one is the cinematic mode for videos, which allows for shallow depth of field while keeping the subject in focus. You can refocus later while editing the videos.
The other big change is where you now get the ability to record 4K 60fps videos in Dolby Vision HDR, compared to a cap of 30fps in the iPhone 12 series. Apple has also introduced new photographic styles that let you boost or mute skin tones between rich contrast, vibrant, warm and cool.
Source: Apple
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max: What’s New
Moving to the iPhone 13 Pro models, big improvements come to display, camera and processing compared to iPhone 12 Pro. Starting with the display, Apple has introduced a new Pro Motion panel with a 120Hz refresh rate to offer a smooth experience, whether you are scrolling through the UI or a webpage, watching videos, or gaming. It is an LTPO panel, meaning it can dynamically adjust the refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on the on-screen content. This helps in saving battery life as the display will not constantly run at 120Hz.
As mentioned above, the new iPhone 13 Pro models come with a five-core GPU. It makes sense as the Pro models have more heavy lifting to do, be it in terms of display or camera processing. Moving to cameras, there are some big changes compared to the iPhone 12 Pro models. While the resolution is still the same at 12MP for all three cameras, the sensors do bring some upgrades.
Source: Apple
The primary 12MP sensor now has an f/1.5 aperture as opposed to f/1.6 on the iPhone 12 Pro. The 12MP ultrawide sensor also gets a wider f/1.8 aperture, as opposed to f/2.4 on the iPhone 12 Pro, to improve low-light photography. Lastly, the 12MP telephoto lens now has an f/2.8 aperture with a focal length equivalent to 77mm which enables 3X optical zoom (and 6X optical zoom range across three cameras). Just like the iPhone 13 and mini, the sensor-shift OIS is there in the Pro models as well. One other feature making its way to the iPhone for the first time is the ability to click macro photos, and videos too. The ultrawide lens doubles as a macro lens, and lets you go as close as 2 cm to the subject. In comparison, most Android phones with the macro lens only let you click photos from 4 cm away.
Another feature worth mentioning is the ability to record broadcast-ready ProRes videos (4K at 30fps) and edit them in Final Cut Pro. This feature will not be available at launch but will be rolled out later this year. Other features such as cinematic video mode and photography styles are also available on the iPhone 13 Pro models.
Apple Watch Series 7: Bigger, Brighter Display; Faster Charging
The new Apple Watch Series 7 brings a 20% larger display over the Series 6, and Apple claims it is also 70% brighter. The big display means it can cram 50% more text compared to the previous generation. This also makes it possible to have a full-size QWERTY keyboard with gesture input support.
Source: Apple
Despite bigger displays, the casesize just increases by 1 mm compared to the previous generation. The new models are available in 41 mm and 45 mm. Apple also highlights that the screen is crack-resistant, and the watch now also supports IPX6 rating for dust resistance, in addition to 50M water resistance. Another improvement comes in the form of USB Type-C charging, which is now 33% faster than Series 6. Apple claims that even eight minutes of charging can offer eight hours of sleep tracking.
Source: Apple
In terms of fitness features, the Apple Watch Series 7 can now track your outdoor cycling. It can prompt when cycling is detected, and automatically pause when you stop and resume when you continue. Moreover, fall detection is now supported in workouts too, including outdoor cycling. New users get a free three-month trial of Apple Fitness+ in supported countries. Talking about the pricing, the Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399 and will be available this fall.
New iPad, iPad mini: Double Storage, Improved Front Camera, and more
Lastly, Apple has also refreshed its iPad and iPad mini models. Starting with the iPad (9th gen), you now get an upgraded A13 Bionic SoC, compared to the A12 Bionic on its predecessor. The second improvement comes in the form of 64GB base storage, compared to 32GB on the previous model. The third big improvement comes in the form of a 12MP ultrawide front camera with center stage feature with active subject tracking, a massive upgrade over the 1.2MP camera on the 8th gen iPad.
Source: Apple
But the biggest improvement Apple has given this year is to the iPad mini. It comes with a new design that is in sync with the iPad Pro models, offering thinner bezels and a slightly bigger 8.3-inch screen compared to the 7.9-inch one on the 5th gen iPad mini. The next big upgrade comes in the form of ultra-fast 5G connectivity (Sub-6GHz) and a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer.
Source: Apple
Moving on, the new iPad mini also comes with an upgraded 12MP rear camera with an LED flash, and a 12MP front camera with the center stage feature. For security, there is a Touch ID sensor enabling biometric authentication. And lastly, the new iPad mini also comes with support for Apple Pencil (2nd gen) to jot down quick ideas, draw sketches, and more. The Pencil magnetically attaches to the side of the iPad mini, making it easily accessible.
Key Takeaways from the Apple Event
The latest iPhones focus on faster performance and improved camera systems with new features such as macro-photography, cinematic video and photographic styles.
With the Watch Series 7 and Fitness+ service, Apple is looking to offer a more holistic health and fitness experience.
Support for 5G and Apple Pencil on the iPad mini shows that Apple wants to bring premium experiences at lower price points. As more users start seeing the benefits, they can then be upgraded to bigger, more premium iPad models.
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