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Apple has peeled the curtain back on two new iPhones: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
"[The iPhone 6 devices represent] the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone,” Apple CEO Tim Cook stated during Apple’s event earlier today in California.
As rumoured, the devices will be sized at 4.7 and 5.5 inches – with the iPhone 6 carrying a resolution of 1334 x 750 and the iPhone 6 Plus boasting 1920 x 1080. The new displays include 38 per cent and 185 per cent more pixels than the iPhone 5.
That’s according to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, who claimed that the phones are the thinnest Apple has ever made and have equal or better battery life compared to iPhone 5S.
Both phones will tote a new 8 megapixel camera, with improved focus, metering and more. The lenses on both devices protrude from the back – a first for Apple’s iPhone line. The iPhone 6 Plus will also support split-pane views when held in landscape mode.
The pair will include NFC (near-field communication) technology tied to the newly-introduced Apple Pay – a service which allows device owners to save their credit/debit info and pay for items with their phones instead of cards.
The freshly announced A8 chip will power iPhone 6 devices – it’s 13 per cent smaller and carries 20 per cent faster graphics than its predecessor the A7.
The chip will utilize iOS 8’s Metal technology to enhance quality and efficiency in regards to graphics, with developer Super Evil Megacorp taking the stage to show the hardware’s ability to handle 1.3m polygons running at 60 fps.
Apple also confirmed companies such as Ubisoft, EA, Disney and Zynga have already pledged support for the new OS and hardware.
Like the iPhone 5S, both devices will be offered in gold, silver and space gray. iPhone 6 will be priced at $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 32 GB and $399 for 64 GB with a two-year contract, while the same two-year deal with iPhone 6 Plus runs $299, $399 and $499 at the respective GB tiers. Apple plans to sell the iPhone 5C free with contract and the iPhone 5S starting at $99 moving forward as well.
Pre-orders for both iPhone 6 models will begin this Friday, September 12th – with Apple outlining its goal to launch in 115 countries by the end of 2014. iOS 8 will release on September 17th, while iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will begin shipping on September 19th in the US and eight other countries.
