In the early hours of this morning, Apple held the first new product conference of the year, iPhone, iPad, Mac and monitor four product lines fully updated, may not stay up late to see the conference, then let's first briefly sort out these spring new products:
iPhone 13/13 mini new green model, iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max new Cangling green, the price remains unchanged;
iPhone SE updated to the third generation, the appearance and the previous generation are the same, the configuration is upgraded to the latest A15 bionic chip and supports 5G networks, as well as a series of software updates, starting at 3499 yuan;
The fifth generation of iPad Air is also upgraded with "internal power", equipped with a self-developed M1 chip, but also brings the function of character in the middle, starting at 4399 yuan;
Equipped with M1 Ultra (of course, there is also M1 Max version) Mac Studio and the new monitor StudioDisplay, all aspects of the parameters are beautiful enough, but it is more for professional users and studios, after all, with a set of beggar version price is also more than 40,000 yuan.
In addition to watches, apple's several major product lines have been updated, and this conference can be said to be full of dry goods. Of course, some people complained that Apple's old bottle of new wine, the two iPhones and iPad Air have not changed in appearance design.
So, is it still worth buying?
Two years of an update, the iPhone SE has been upgraded
As we all know, Apple's Chinese official website "whole life" level is quite high, and the appearance part of the new iPhone SE has only one sentence: "Face value, no need to say much."
Yes, it doesn't need to be said, after all, we have been watching for too many years: 4.7-inch LCD screen, double-sided glass panel, aluminum alloy frame... Oh yes, and the familiar Touch ID fingerprint recognition module, which looks just from the outside, obviously doesn't look like a new machine released in 2022.
Its main upgrade point is still on this A15 bionic chip, and it is the same 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU version as the iPhone 13, which is only one less GPU core than the full-blood version of the iPhone 13 Pro series. In terms of performance, it can still beat most Android phones.
In addition, after the improvement of computing power, it has also brought stronger image strength, supporting the photography style of the iPhone 13 series and computational photography functions such as intelligent HDR4, as to whether its single camera can meet the current needs, it will vary from person to person.
In addition, after the chip upgrade, it has also supported 5G networks, becoming the cheapest 5G version of the iPhone. On the whole, the target population of the third-generation iPhone SE is the small screen party that values performance, the old iPhone nail households that are not sensitive to the full screen, and the students who have limited budgets and want to enter the Apple ecology.
Because the price is cheap and very portable, coupled with AirPods, Apple Watch and other small pieces, you can also experience the complete Apple ecology.
About the choice of small screen iPhone
Comparing the third-generation iPhone SE with the second generation, it is definitely a comprehensive improvement, and there is no need to tangle in the new model, so the third-generation iPhone SE and iPhone 13 mini, which are also "small steel cannons", may be the place where the small screen party is entangled. Both have 128GB and 256GB versions, and the difference between the memory configuration is 1300 yuan, or it is necessary to carefully compare it.
The similarity between the two products is the size of the fuselage, the difference between length and width is only a few millimeters, the grip is not much different, the difference is that the iPhone 13 mini is designed for a full screen (support Face ID), the front space utilization rate is higher, the screen is 5.4 inches and supports HDR display, and the material is also upgraded to a super porcelain crystal panel, which is more durable. As for the processor, it is an A15 bionic chip, and the performance is relatively close.
The main difference is in the rear camera, the third generation of the iPhone SE is a 12-megapixel wide-angle single camera, while the iPhone 13 mini adds sensor displacement stabilization and an ultra-wide-angle camera on this basis, and also supports movie effect mode shooting. In addition, there is also a difference in the experience of details such as waterproof level and battery life.
If you already have a large-screen Android phone, or have been using the iPhone 8 or even older Apple phones before, the third generation of the iPhone SE is a good choice, under the premise of ensuring performance and most of the basic experience, more than 3,000 yuan can buy a latest Apple 5G mobile phone, or good.
The iPhone 13 mini has a more complete experience, the color matching is also richer, and the green model should be more popular after it is launched. However, you know, its 256GB version of the price has also come to 5999 yuan, perhaps only users who have a special love for small screens will choose it.
Let's talk about the iPad Air after the core change
After talking about the iPhone, let's take a look at the new iPad Air.
We noticed that Apple's official website has removed the old iPad Air, and the iPad Air after the core change combines Apple Pencil and smart keyboard, which already has a strong productivity attribute, and it will not be difficult to deal with large pictures and videos. At the same time as many upgrades, the starting price of 4399 yuan is 400 yuan cheaper than the previous generation, and the appropriate increase is also reduced.
Moreover, the fifth generation of iPad Air is also apple's cheapest M1 device, so its target user group is very clear, suitable for users with certain productivity needs, after the threshold is further reduced, the budget is not so tight.
But if your main need is only "iQiyi", and your productivity needs are limited to document editing or sending and receiving emails, the fourth-generation iPad Air (A14 Bionic) is enough.
After the release of the fifth-generation iPad Air, it is similar to the third-generation iPad Pro (11-inch version) with the same M1 chip, with a starting price difference of nearly 2,000 yuan, and the cost performance is outstanding.
But comparing the two devices, we can see that the main advantage of the third-generation iPad Pro (11-inch version) is that the screen supports ProMotion adaptive refresh, which is very important. In addition, it has an extra wide-angle camera and flash, lidar scanner. In everyday use, the screen experience and shooting level are better.
It should be noted that for users with video editing needs, the maximum memory of the iPad Air is only 256GB, which may not be enough, and the iPad Pro can be equipped with a 2TB version, and the storage space is more generous. Therefore, the new iPad Air is still more entertainment and light office, and will not affect the status of iPad Pro professional productivity tools.