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Apple Announces New iPhone and More at First Product Event of 2022: Here’s the Highlights

Apple just concluded its first product launch event of the year, which highlighted a number of new products including a new, more-affordable iPhone.

At a glance

  • Apple just released information regarding its new product line, to be released at the end of March
  • The company will offer an updated version of the “budget” iPhone SE
  • Apple will start selling a new Mac with increased processing power

In addition to the new iPhone, the Apple event also focused on a new iPad Air and a powerful new Mac chip. The new chip will make its debut in the new Mac Studio computer. Keep reading for some of the event highlights.

Apple’s new iPhone, called the SE, will succeed the 2020 model; but it will also come equipped with 5G capability and the newest iPhone processor (A15) standard. The device features the same 4.7-inch rectangular display and TouchID fingerprint sensor as its predecessor. It’s also equipped with a 12-megapixel rear camera.

The iPhone SE will retail for $429 — a bump in price over the original SE, which cost $399 back in 2020. Apple plans to release the new iPhone on March 18.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said his team developed the phone to satisfy people who especially like smaller phones that fit into purses and pockets easier.

In more iPhone news, Apple also announced an exciting aesthetics change to its product line. Customers can pre-order the iPhone 13 in two new colors: “green,” and “alpine green” (iPhone 13 Pro) starting Friday.

In addition to the new iPhone, Apple unveiled a new processing chip that promises incredible speed

Apple also announced a new version of its mid-range iPad, the iPad Air. The new hardware uses Apple’s M1 processor, which is the chip utilized in the iPad Pro and MacBook Air models. The iPad Air also comes equipped with optional 5G support.

The new iPad’s front-facing camera was also upgraded to a 12-megapixel camera with a wide angle lens. The lens enables a feature called “Center Stage” that follows subjects as they move around in the frame while videoconferencing.

The iPad Air will cost $599 (same as before), and comes with optional storage space and cellular upgrades. It will also hit store shelves on March 18 with the new iPhone.

In processor news, Apple also unveiled the new M1 Ultra chip, which the company says makes its desktop computers run faster than once top-of-the-line Mac Pro hardware.

Apple said that the M1 Ultra basically doubles the size of Apple’s previous M1 chips using a connection technology it calls UltraFusion. Apple said it has more transistors than any other PC chip and includes a 64-core graphics processor.

“We’ve transitioned nearly every product in the Mac lineup to Apple Silicon,” Cook said.

The chips will come standard in new Macs (dubbed Mac Studio) — the first of its kind in a few years from Apple. Mac Studio is a cube-shaped aluminum box with USB-C ports and a SD card slot on the front. Apple is also selling the display separately: users are encouraged to purchase the company’s new 27-inch display, called Studio Display with 5K resolution. The display is equipped with an Apple chip, speakers, and built-in camera.