Following yearly tradition, Apple has shifted its focus to two of its product lines in the first wave of announcements. First up is the iPhone 17e, the successor to last year’s iteration, that now sports the latest-generation A19 chip — the same processor in the base iPhone 17 — and other updates absent from its predecessors, such as MagSafe compatibility and its C1X cellular modem, which is said to be “2x faster than C1 in iPhone 16.”
The overall look remains unchanged, but the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has been fortified with Ceramic Shield 2, offering three times better scratch resistance and reduced glare. The iPhone 17e is also slightly lighter at 160 grams, down from 167 grams, and sports a 48-megapixel (MP) Fusion camera on the rear, much like the iPhone Air. Other notable features include IP68-rated water and dust resistance, “all-day battery life”, support for satellite tools, and the Apple Intelligence suite of AI capabilities.
In terms of storage, users can expect it to start at 256GB, double that of its predecessor, with pricing still fixed at S$949 — a nice little treat, considering the rising costs of RAM. The 512GB alternative retails for S$1,249, and both models will be available in the standard black and white colourways, as well as a new soft pink option.
On the tablet front, Apple has announced a new version of the iPad Air kitted with the company’s M4 processor, which powers the 7th-generation iPad Pro and the MacBook Pro and Mac mini models introduced in 2024. The updated hardware delivers “30 per cent faster” speeds with an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, according to the Cupertino giant, while its N1 wireless networking chip boasts “up to 50 per cent cellular data performance”, alongside Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity.
Like before, the device comes in 11- and 13-inch models, and inherits the same Liquid Retina LED display with a 2,360 x 1,640 and 2,732 x 2,048 resolution, respectively, and a 60Hz refresh rate. Similarly, storage options start at 128GB and top out at 1TB. The tablet will also run on iPadOS 26, which means access to the unified Liquid Glass design language, a new windowing system, a supercharged Files app that features an updated List view and new folder customisation options, and more.
The RAM standard, however, has been raised to 12GB, up from 8GB in its predecessor, with the starting price point unchanged from S$899 for the 11-inch iPad Air, and S$1,199 for its bigger sibling. Four colour options are available for both models: blue, purple, starlight, and space grey. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air open on 4 March at 10.15pm SGT (GMT+8), before they launch officially on 11 March.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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