Last week, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple would support LEO satellite communications with iPhone 13, then, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman gave more details about the feature and its implementation.
Now, in his Power On newsletter, the journalist goes a little bit further and says satellite features will be available only in select markets.
“Theemergency features will only work in areas without any cellular coverage and only in select markets. Apple envisions eventually deploying its own array of satellites to beam data to devices, but that plan is likely years away from taking off.”
He also says Apple won’t give the ability for iPhone users to make calls when without cellular coverage.
“Some have asked me if these new features mean that the iPhone can be used as a satellite phone and have the ability to make calls anywhere in the world without cellular coverage. The answer is a big no. That’s not happening now, next year, or anytime in the near future.”
Gurman explains that launching this feature would require hardware that’s not ready yet. Also, it would be “expensive and could cause a revolt from the phone carriers that Apple relies on.”
According to the Bloomberg report from last week, Apple is working on at least two approaches: transmitting short emergency texts and sending SOS distress signals for crises, like plane crashes, or sinking ships, in remote areas.
Apple will apparently integrate emergency satellite messaging into the Messages app, allowing users to contact emergency services and close friends without any cell signal. Bloomberg says emergency messages would appear as gray bubbles, joining the traditional iMessage blue and SMS green. Phone calls may eventually be supported as well.
Connecting to a satellite would require the user to be outside, according to the report. It may take up to one minute to get a signal.
Apple is expected to officially unveil the iPhone 13 at a media event in September. We don’t know yet if Apple will give customers an early sneak peek of the satellite features or not.
Apple today released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 beta 5 to developers. These updates don’t include as many changes as the previous betas did, but they do include a handful of smaller tweaks. Head below as we roundup everything knew in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 beta 5.
With the fifth betas of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple is focusing more on refinement than major changes. There are no major changes to the controversial Safari redesign in this beta, unlike the previous releases.
iOS 15 beta 5 features the build number of 19A5318f. Developers can update from beta 4 via the Settings app. Open the Settings app, choose General, then choose Software Update.
iOS 15 is also available to public beta users, but no new beta has been released to those users this week. It’s possible that the next iOS 15 public beta build is released later today or tomorrow, but a release next week is not out of the question. Apple has also not released new betas of macOS Monterey or watchOS 8.
What’s new in iOS 15 beta 5?
The Weather app has a new icon that adds depth, making it similar to the Maps icon in iOS 15
New onboarding screens for the Maps, Home, and Photos applications
In iPadOS 15 beta 5, Apple has made a small change to the Safari interface, so the address bar is now outlined instead of filled in
Safari
iPadOS 15 beta 5 also brings a new “Use Large Icons” setting to the “Home Screen & Dock” area of the Settings app. This was previously located in the “Display & Brightness” settings area
In the Settings app under Safari then Accessibility, there is a new option for “Show Color in Top and Bottom Bars”
New tappable message for “iPhone Findable After Power Off”
Tweaks to the “Notifications while in Focus” design in Notification Center
According to Apple’s release notes: “Legacy Contacts has been removed from iOS & iPadOS 15 beta 5 and will return in a future release.”
New indicator in the App Store for when you have a TestFlight beta version of an app installed
You can ensure your data remains safe through erasure.
One of the most powerful features added years ago to macOS and iOS was Find My iPhone—and iPad and Mac. The iCloud-connected service lets you track an accidentally misplaced item and potentially recover a stolen one. With the service active on a device, you can use Find My for macOS, iOS, or iPadOS or via iCloud.com to erase your computer, phone, or tablet or to queue an erasure signal for the next time the device is on the Internet. iPhones and iPads with a Secure Enclave and Macs with FileVault enabled simply delete the encryption keys for storage. This renders the data irretrievable. (It doesn’t affect your local or iCloud backups, so don’t worry.) On a Mac with a T2 Security Chip or M1 Apple silicon, disk encryption is always enabled even if FileVault isn’t, allowing Secure Enclave to destroy the disk encryption keys instantly even with FileVault disabled. Pre-Secure Enclave iPhones and iPads and Macs that predate the T2 Security chip and have FileVault disabled take longer to delete files, as each byte of data has to be overwritten. If you’re not sure whether your iPhone, iPad, or Intel Mac has a Secure Enclave, consult the list Apple provides here. You can determine if FileVault is enabled by going to the Security & Privacy preference pane’s FileVault tab.
How to erase a device
Apple warns you about the consequences when you’re about to erase your Mac remotely.
Apple’s tweaked the process slightly for its native apps but left iCloud.com virtually untouched for years. In macOS, iOS, or iPadOS, launch the Find My app. Tap the Devices tab and then tap your hardware. (If you have Family Sharing enabled, you can also see the devices of family members.) On an iPhone or iPad, tap Erase This Device and follow the prompts. On a Mac, right-click the device and select Erase This Device.
With iCloud.com, log in to your account and click the Find iPhone link—no “My” in there. Enter your iCloud password again if prompted. Click the All Devices menu and select your hardware:
For a Mac, click Erase Mac and follow prompts; you’ll note the text says it “may take up to a day to complete,” the worst-case example for a hard-drive-equipped Mac without FileVault enabled and neither a T2 nor M1 chip.
For an iPhone or iPad, just click Erase iPhone or Erase iPad.
If the device is connected to the internet via whatever method it has at its disposal—Wi-Fi, cellular, tethering, a…dial-up modem—erasure begins immediately after the Mac receives the signal relayed via Apple’s servers. In the cases noted above, the drive or flash storage almost instantly becomes irretrievable.
The erase command is queued by Apple, so if the device ever is briefly back on the internet, it erases itself. Once your device starts wiping its data, finding its location via Find My is no longer possible.
For devices that ne’er-do-wells have taken offline or put in a metal box, they may never return online to receive an erase command. But for iPhones, iPads, and Macs with a Secure Enclave, the stored data can’t be interacted with unless someone also obtained the password. (For a running Mac, there might be cracks that work, but it’s unlikely; if powered down and FileVault is enabled, effectively impossible.)
Find My lets you see all your devices and select among them for several purposes—including erasure.
It can be wiped, which securely removes your data—and then Activation Lock kicks, a part of Find My. (Macs have a few additional requirements.) Activation Lock prevents an erased device from being set up again without knowing the iCloud password associated with the account that turned on Find My on it.
Criminal groups have apparently figured out ways to bypass Activation Lock in at least some cases, but those methods still require erasing the device, so your data remains inaccessible.
A future of remote erasure?
I can imagine a future in which the Find My Network could be used to trigger erasure, too. Right now, the system is used entirely as a passive relay: an AirTag tracker and most Apple devices can broadcast their position over Bluetooth in a carefully encrypted manner. Nearby Macs, iPhones, and iPads with Find My Network enabled relay this data via Apple so you can get updates about location without the party relaying it knowing who you are or which device is transmitting.
But AirTags point the way to a potential two-way process. If Apple determines an AirTag has been traveling with you and you’re not the owner of it, you’re presented with a dialog on an iPhone or iPad that lets you play a sound. That command is passed via Bluetooth.
An iPhone that spots an unknown AirTag traveling with it over time can send a signal to prompt an action on the AirTag.
that preserves privacy and yet could be turned to device erasure, too. In Apple and Google’s joint notification system, your smartphone recorded all specially formatted Bluetooth signals around you and retained for those a period of time; this is quite similar to the signals emitted for the Find My Network by Apple devices.
If someone who had been near you receives a COVID diagnosis and enters a code into their smartphone provided by their healthcare provider, the encrypted Bluetooth IDs associated would then be uploaded to a database that all devices in your region or country regularly downloaded and compared to stored IDs.
Now, consider this: what if you could report your device as stolen and that you wanted it erased. That signal would then be distributed in encrypted form across all Apple hardware in your area or an expanded region. If any of those devices picked up an encrypted Bluetooth signal that matched, they could transmit a similarly encrypted erasure instruction. Thieves try to disable all the wireless on a device, but Bluetooth is often harder to block than Wi-Fi or cellular.
The safeguards around this would have to be strong, but it’s not far-fetched—just far-reaching!
If you’re concerned about recent reports of the Pegasus spyware reportedly installed by the Israeli NSO Group to hack journalists and world leaders, there’s a tool to check if it’s hidden on your iPhone. But you probably have nothing to worry about.
According to a report in the Washington Post in conjunction with nonprofit groups Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International and several others, military-grade spyware developed by an Israeli firm was used to hack some 40 smartphones “belonging to journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women close to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
It’s extremely unlikely that your phone has been hacked using NSO software, but there is now a way to check your iPhone for Pegasus spyware – or, at least, some tell-tale signs.
However, if you are concerned, Amnesty International has released a tool designed to help you check.
The bad news, as TechCrunch explains, is that it’s not an entirely straightforward process.
The Mobile Verification Toolkit, or MVT, works on both iPhones and Android devices, but slightly differently. Amnesty said that more forensic traces were found on iPhones than Android devices, which makes it easier to detect on iPhones. MVT will let you take an entire iPhone backup (or a full system dump if you jailbreak your phone) and feed in for any indicators of compromise (IOCs) known to be used by NSO to deliver Pegasus, such as domain names used in NSO’s infrastructure that might be sent by text message or email. If you have an encrypted iPhone backup, you can also use MVT to decrypt your backup without having to make a whole new copy.
The toolkit works on the command line, so it’s not a refined and polished user experience and requires some basic knowledge of how to navigate the terminal. We got it working in about 10 minutes, plus the time to create a fresh backup of an iPhone, which you will want to do if you want to check up to the hour. To get the toolkit ready to scan your phone for signs of Pegasus, you’ll need to feed in Amnesty’s IOCs, which it has on its GitHub page. Any time the indicators of compromise file updates, download and use an up-to-date copy.
Once you set off the process, the toolkit scans your iPhone backup file for any evidence of compromise. The process took about a minute or two to run and spit out several files in a folder with the results of the scan. If the toolkit finds a possible compromise, it will say so in the outputted files.
There has been some misreporting of the spyware, suggesting that iPhones were somehow more vulnerable. The reality is that Amnesty focused its efforts on iPhones because the improved security they offer make it easier to detect when a phone has been compromised. It is possible to check Android phones, but with many more false negatives.
The phones appeared on a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers, according to the Post. NSO has denied the allegations.
There’s a good chance your iPhone isn’t on that list. While the legality of the operation may be in question, reports say the NSO seemingly targeted high-level politicians, government officials, and journalists in the operation and were only successful less than half the time. For example, Amnesty International examined 67 phones and found that “23 were successfully infected and 14 showed signs of attempted penetration.” Of those, nearly all were iPhones, according to the investigation.
But if you’re concerned, there’s a way to test whether your iPhone has been targeted. It’s not an easy test, mind you, but if you’re using a Mac or Linux PC and have backed up your iPhone using it, Amnesty International’s the Mobile Verification Toolkit will be able to detect whether your phone has the Pegasus spyware installed on it. The tool, which TechCrunch tested, works using the macOS Terminal app and searches your latest iPhone backup on your Mac, “is not a refined and polished user experience and requires some basic knowledge of how to navigate the terminal.” You’ll need to install libusb as well as Python 3 using Homebrew. (You can learn more about the installationhere.) TechCrunch says the check only takes “about a minute or two to run” once it’s been set up.
An explosive report from Amnesty International interpreted device logs to reveal the scope of targeted malware attacks in active use targeting Android and iPhone devices, since July 2014 and as recently as July 2021. Exploited devices can secretly transmit messages and photos stored on the phone, as well as record phone calls and secretly record from the microphone. The attack is sold by Israeli firm NSO Group as ‘Pegasus’.
Whilst the company claims to only sell the spyware software for legit counterterrorism purposes, the report indicates it has actually been used to target human rights activists, lawyers and journalists around the world (as many have long suspected).
Perhaps most alarming for iPhone users, the findings show that there are active exploits against iPhones running the latest iOS 14.6 software, including ones that take advantage of a zero-click vulnerability in iMessage that can install the spyware without any user interaction.
Over the last few years, the Pegasus software has adapted as Apple fixed security bugs with iOS. However, each time, NSO Group has been able to find alternative security bugs to use instead. The lengthy report details several different variants of Pegasus that have been used in the wild.
The records indicate that, in 2019, a bug in Apple Photos allowed malicious actors to gain control of an iPhone perhaps via the iCloud Photo Stream service. After the exploit installs itself, crash reporting is disabled likely to prevent Apple from discovering the exploit too quickly by looking at submitted crash report logs.
Also in 2019, Amnesty says that an iMessage zero-click 0-day was widely used. It appears the hackers create special iCloud accounts to help deliver the infections. In 2020, Amnesty found evidence to suggest that the Apple Music app was now being used as an attack vector.
And fast forwarding to the present day, Amnesty believes Pegasus spyware is currently being delivered using a zero-click iMessage exploit that works against iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 14.6. The exploit also appeared to successfully work against iPhones running iOS 14.3 and iOS 14.4.
Apple significantly rewrote the internal framework that handles iMessage payloads as part of iOS 14, with a new BlastDoor subsystem, however clearly that has not fazed the intruders. It remains unknown whether iOS 14.7 — which will be released to the public this week — or iOS 15 — currently in developer beta — are susceptible to the same zero-click exploit. Perhaps what’s more scary is the fact that NSO Group seems more than able to find and deploy new exploits as soon as Apple patches the current holes, as shown by the five year history of evolving attack vectors reported by Amnesty.
Check out the Amnesty International post for a full detailed breakdown of all the evidence they have published.
The folks at Funn Media are out with a new iPhone and Apple Watch app today that gives you a new way to view and analyze health and fitness data. Dubbed FitnessView, the app takes data from from your Apple Watch and the Apple Health app and makes it easy to drill down into more detail about that data, including trends, goals, heart rate graphs, and much more.
FitnessView app integrates with the Apple Watch Activity and Apple Health apps – it allows you to see your health & fitness data in a different way, by allowing you to drill down to more details in an easy and insightful way.
FitnessView takes data from the Apple Health app and Apple Watch, including active calories, stand hours, calories, workout time, heart rate, and more. When you first launched Fitness View, you’ll see a breakdown of all of your data, including details on that day’s goals, your recent workouts, and your Activity Rings for the day.
You can configure goals for every stat in the Settings tab of the app, including steps, calories, caffeine, and more. Here is where you can also configure settings for workouts, the home screen layout, dark and light mode, and activity settings.
In the Stats tab of the app, you can view details for each of your tracked metrics over the last day, week, month, and year. You can tap on each metric to view averages, trends, and insights over time. One of my favorite features of FitnessView is the Workouts tab, which shows all of your recent Apple Health workouts including detailed heart rate data through warmup, fat burn, cardio, and peak stages of the workout.
FitnessView also includes home screen widgets for your iPhone as well as Apple Watch complications for your watch face. This makes it easy to visualize your Activity and Health data from your iPhone home screen and Apple Watch face. You can also configure custom widgets for each metric and goal.
You can download FitnessView on the App Store today for free. In-app subscriptions are available for monthly, yearly, and lifetime access: $1.49 per month, $9.99 per year, and $14.99 for lifetime access.
In 2020, after a four-year wait, Apple finally updated the iPhone SE to… the iPhone SE 2020. Hanging on to the same name is a little confusing—Apple differentiates the new model when necessary by calling it the 2nd-generation iPhone SE, but most people either call it the iPhone SE (2020) or iPhone SE 2.
Whatever you call it, it’s not very likely to be updated in 2021. It’s also not very likely that Apple will wait another four years to update its most affordable iPhone. We currently expect the new iPhone SE (which may be called the iPhone SE (2022), iPhone SE (3rd-generation), or iPhone SE 3) to be released in the first half of 2022. Here’s a summary of all the latest rumors, leaks, and other information we’ve been able to gather about the next revision of Apple’s most affordable iPhone. All of this is subject to change until Apple officially announces it.
2022 iPhone SE: The latest rumors
In a note to investors seen by MacRumors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will position the 3rd-generation iPhone SE as the “cheapest 5G iPhone ever.” (Apple will undoubtedly not use the word “cheapest.”)
2022 iPhone SE: Design and display
Currently, the most reliable analysts expect the next iPhone SE to physically resemble the current model. That’s perhaps a little disappointing—the iPhone SE is based on the body of the iPhone 8, which is now discontinued. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple plans to move ahead with another SE model to feature the 4.7-inch LCD display, a Home button with Touch ID, and no Face ID. In other words, the next iPhone SE is once again rumored to be based on the iPhone 8’s shell, with select new components.
Apple is also said to be working on an updated version of the iPhone 11, which features a 6.1-inch LCD and Face ID. If this were to release in 2022, the iPhone 11 would be more than two years old, which fits in with Apple’s pattern of the iPhone SE using old iPhone bodies and screen technology with some new internal components. This potential phone may launch as the iPhone SE Plus that was originally rumored to release in the second half of 2021, but more recent rumors suggest a 2022 or 2023 release date.
2022 iPhone SE: 5G
The big selling point of the next iPhone SE is said to be that it is the most affordable 5G iPhone ever. The iPhone 12 mini is currently the least expensive 5G iPhone at $699, so you can expect the iPhone SE to cost less than that, though it may not retain the $399 price of the current iPhone SE.
It’s unknown if the iPhone SE will support mmWave 5G in addition to sub-6GHz frequencies. The iPhone 8’s body was never designed for antenna modules necessary for good mmWave reception, though it’s not clear to what degree that would be a problem, or if Apple could easily modify it.
2022 iPhone SE: Processor
Apple has historically outfitted the iPhone SE with the very latest Apple A-series processor; the one used in the most recent high-end iPhone models. That means a 3rd-generation iPhone SE launching in the spring of 2022 would have the same processor as the iPhone 13 launching later this year, which we expect to be the A15. That will make it fast, a great value, and eligible for iOS updates for a very long time, as was the case with the prior iPhone SE models. Apple’s cost-cutting comes from the body, display, cameras, and other such features (don’t expect MagSafe, for example).
2022 iPhone SE: Camera
When the iPhone SE 3 lands, it is expected to carry the same single 12MP wide-angle rear camera as the current model, along with a lone front-facing camera. The current model has a 7MP front-facing camera, which we would like to see upgraded to 12MP, but we’ve heard no rumors about it one way or the other.
Don’t expect huge improvements in camera quality from fancy new sensors, though. Apple is likely to tout the improved camera quality of the new iPhone SE, but it will come mostly from improved visual processing of the A15 relative to the A13 in the current 2nd-gen iPhone SE.
2022 iPhone SE: Price and release
We don’t know what the iPhone SE will cost, only that it should be less expensive than any other iPhone. The iPhone 12 mini currently retails for $699, and the iPhone SE for $399, each offering 64GB of storage. With the inclusion of 5G and the associated licensing costs, it’s quite possible that the iPhone SE gets a price hike to something like $449 or $499, but we don’t expect it to cost more than that.
Apple has released the last two iPhone SE models in the spring, and that tracks with the current rumors for the 3rd-generation model, which pegs it as coming in the first half of 2022. The rumored iPhone SE Plus, based on the iPhone 11 with Face ID, would definitely carry a price premium of at least $100 (placing it in the $499-599 range) and may be released in 2022 alongside the next iPhone SE, though some rumors say it may not be released until 2023.
AT&T, Delta, and Apple have announced a new partnership that will see the airline upgrade its fleet of devices to 5G-capable iPhone 12 models. Through this partnership, Delta will equip all 19,000 of its flight attendants with an iPhone 12 device.
In a press release, AT&T explains that this is part of Delta’s efforts to “lead the commercial airline industry into the 5G era.”
Delta Air Lines will help lead the commercial airline industry into the 5G era. Together with AT&T Business and Apple, Delta will equip every one of their 19,000+ flight attendants with iPhone 12, enabling them to harness the power of AT&T’s nationwide 5G network to enhance the travel experience for all passengers.
While a variety of smartphones support 5G nowadays, Delta and AT&T also point to the iPhone 12’s AR capabilities as reasons for choosing it over the competition:
More accurately assessing in-cabin inventory quickly using AR with the camera on iPhone 12.
Immersive training using AR to help flight attendants perform critical tasks – from safety checks to passenger assistance – from nearly anywhere.
Delta will also work with AT&T and Apple going forward to “develop new use cases and applications that will help Delta continue to set new standards for service.”
Delta is not the first airline to team up with Apple on rolling out iPhones to flight attendants. In 2019, British Airways gave all 15,000 of its cabin crew members an iPhone XR to help enhance the customer support experience. Apple and IBM also worked with United Airlines to distribute iPhones and iPads to its employees in 2017.
Delta Air Lines will help lead the commercial airline industry into the 5G era. Together with AT&T Business and Apple, Delta will equip every one of their 19,000+ flight attendants with iPhone 12, enabling them to harness the power of AT&T’s nationwide 5G network to enhance the travel experience for all passengers.
2021 is a crucial year as pandemic-driven travel behaviors continue to change. This new infusion of technology and connectivity from AT&T and Apple will help Delta and its flight attendants better adapt to whatever the future of travel holds.
The powerful capabilities in performance, durability and connectivity on iPhone 12 combined with the high-speed, low-latency connectivity of the AT&T 5G network opens entirely new possibilities on the ground and in the air.
This could mean unleashing the potential of augmented reality (AR) to shape the future of air travel and the passenger experience with capabilities like:
More accurately assessing in-cabin inventory quickly using AR with the camera on iPhone 12.
Immersive training using AR to help flight attendants perform critical tasks—from safety checks to passenger assistance— from nearly anywhere.
These new capabilities are not only possible, but are on the horizon, and Delta will continue work with AT&T and Apple to develop new use cases and applications that will help Delta continue to set new standards for service.
The Apple-designed A14 Bionic — the fastest chip in a smartphone — powers every experience on iPhone 12 while efficiently managing battery life.
It also features a new flat-edge design with an aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure, and the breakthrough Ceramic Shield front cover, with 4x better drop performance.iPhone 12 also has an industry-leading IP68 rating for water-resistance, giving flight attendants peace of mind while on the go. Viewing training and customer itineraries even in dim cabin lighting will be made easy with an expansive, edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR display with OLED for a brighter, more immersive viewing experience.
Flight attendants can also feel confident knowing that AT&T was recently named the fastest network for iPhones according to Speedtest® by Ookla. The iPhone 12 can also access AT&T’s fast, reliable and highly secure 5G network, reducing the need to connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots in between flights. AT&T’s 5G network reaches over 230M Americans in more than 14,000 cities and towns. The iPhone 12 is also capable of tapping into the AT&T 5G+ network, which is available in parts of 38 cities in the U.S.
In addition, Delta utilized the trade-in value of iPhones to enable a cost-effective lease from AT&T Capital Services and Apple Financial Services.
There’s another virtual assistant you can call using your iPhone. Starting today, you can say “Hey Spotify,” with the Spotify app opened, to start playing a song, an album, or even a playlist.
Last month, reports surfaced that Spotify was working on enabling a hands-free wake word: “Hey Spotify”. Today, I received a notification in the Spotify app on my personal Galaxy S21 device that walked through the feature and how to enable it. Let’s look at what it is and what it does.
A notification was received by the Spotify app. It brought us to a screen that prompted us to turn on “Hey Spotify”. Saying the wake phrase will prompt Spotify’s built-in voice search while the screen is on and the Spotify app is open. This means that the app is continuously listening for the wake phrase. Spotify’s privacy policy for voice data usage states that Spotify says it only holds recordings and transcriptions of the searches that you perform when tapping the voice button or saying the wake phrase.
As you can see, there’s nothing much to do with the “Hey Spotify” feature apart from asking for things inside the app. Because the feature is only starting to roll out, not every user will be able to find it, but here’s where it should be:
To enable the “Hey Spotify” feature, tap the Settings icon on the Spotify homepage
Then click on “Voice Interactions
Click on the “Hey Spotify” toggle and that’s it
Now, when you’re using the app, you can just say the wake word to improve your listening experience.
This new “Hey Spotify” feature is in addition to the voice search feature that has previously been available for Premium users. The difference is that “Hey Spotify” is truly hands-free.
In the last several months, Spotify has announced several new things, such as its plans to add a HiFi subscription tier, combining music and podcasts on the same page, and a revamped design in all its iOS, Mac, and web apps.
The feature doesn’t really add any function outside of enabling Spotify’s own voice search for hands-free use. It’s just as easy to use” Hey Google” or “Hey Siri” on either Android or iOS to ask Spotify to listen to an artist, playlist, podcast, or album. Perhaps Spotify is hoping that users will be more inclined to user Spotify’s built-in voice search if it has a wake word to activate it.
Spotify’s voice search feature first launched back in 2019 for users on Spotify Premium and evidence of the Hey Spotify wake phrase was spotted as early as March 2020.
Apple iPhone SE. The Special Edition. Even if the Smaller Edition was more appropriate. And just like the first iPhone SE, its second generation is both – Small, even if larger than the first one, and Special – as such launch happens once in four years or so.
We are sure Apple had plans for a great premiere event last March, but COVID-19 turned everything upside down and such plans were abruptly scrapped. The new iPhone was unveiled fanfare-less on the maker’s website, out of the blue, but it quickly became famous for being not only one of the cheapest iPhones ever made but also as one of the season’s hottest bang for the buck offers.
Imagine that – bang for the buck coming from Apple! Indeed, the highlight feature of the new iPhone SE is the A13 Bionic chip – that’s Apple’s latest platform – the one that’s powering the iPhone 11 trio. As for the rest, well, it’s mostly iPhone 8.
Apple did use the 2.5 years old iPhone 8 as a canvas in more than one way. The shell is the same, as is the screen (sans the 3D Touch layer), same front and rear cameras ergo photo and video capabilities, same stereo speakers, same battery capacity, same charging capabilities.
A thorough look reveals the iPhone SE (2020) is indeed small by today’s standards, and while it brings features introduced more than two years ago, those are hardly outdated – the phone is water-resistant, its single camera offers numerous features such as portraits, Smart HDR and even 4K at 60 with both OIS and EIS available, while the stereo speakers are of an excellent quality that is tough to beat even to this very day.
Apple iPhone SE (2020) key features
Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass front with oleophobic coating, Gorilla Glass back with glossy finish, IP67 certified for water and dust resistance. Red, Black, and White color options; 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm; 148g.
Screen: 4.7″ 16M-color LED-backlit IPS LCD screen of 750p resolution, 326ppi, True Tone adjustment via four-channel ambient light sensor.
OS: Apple iOS 13.
Chipset: Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+) chip – 2×2.66 GHz Lightning + 4×1.8 GHz Thunder) Apple CPU, four-core Apple GPU, 8-core Apple NPU 3-gen.
Camera: 12MP camera with F/1.8 lens, optical image stabilization, quad-LED flash with slow sync, phase detection auto focus, Smart HDR, wide color capture.
Video recording: 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps video recording
Selfie: 7MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with BSI sensor and HDR mode, 1080p@30fps video
Storage: 64GB, 128, or 256GB of built-in storage.
Connectivity: 4G LTE Cat.12; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 5.0; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS; NFC (Apple Pay only).
Battery: 1,821mAh battery, 18W fast charging, wireless charging (Qi compatible).
Misc: Stereo speakers, pressure-sensitive Home key with fingerprint scanner, Taptic Engine.
The bezels are what looked old on the iPhone 8, and now they look ancient on this new SE model. They are wonderful as thumb rests for when you are using the phone in landscape orientation for gaming or videos, but they will be a target for many laughs either way. And the battery capacity could have been improved a bit, but we are yet to see the new A13 chip in action, so let’s not judge just yet.
And now, it’s time to unpack our red iPhone SE.
Unboxing the Apple iPhone SE (2020)
The iPhone retail bundle has seen few changes over the year with the most prominent being the 18W charger replacing the 5W adapter for the iPhone 11 Pro models. That is not the case with the iPhone SE, though.
The Apple iPhone SE (2020) retail box contains the prehistoric 5W charger and the usual Lightning cable. We do appreciate the EarPods that are included with every iPhone, though. Two Apple logo stickers and the SIM ejector complete the SE bundle.
The iPhone SE supports USB-PD fast charging (up to 18W), as well as wireless charging (up to 8W), so at least you are not without other options. You just have to get yourself a quick charger separately.
Wrap-up
The new Apple iPhone SE is indeed one of the most compact smartphones not only within the iPhone ranks but among the Android phones as well. It is thin and lightweight, yet powerful and dependable, with great speakers and a high-quality screen, and impresses with camera performance even if it misses a feature or two.
iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone SE 2020
Recycling the iPhone 8 parts and design may be a letdown to some, though it’s hardly surprising – the first iPhone SE was an iPhone 5s with an iPhone 6s chip, so it was kind of obvious the next SE would be an old iPhone (8) with a new iPhone chip (11). Still, the iPhone SE (2020) does remarkably well across the board, with Apple delivering some nice improvements in camera quality thanks to the power of A13 chip and the latest software tweaks.
iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone SE
And the most important part – the price is quite attractive. The base storage has grown to 64GB (up from 16GB on the old SE), and the 64GB model costs $399 in the US or €479 in the EU. These price tags are quite cheap for such a powerful phone, let alone an iPhone.
Alternatives
Being the cheapest of the iPhones there really is no alternative. If you are on the budget, the iPhone SE is your only option, but it is a great one if you can live with the bezels.
Or, you can add about €220 on top of the SE and get the iPhone XR with a larger 6.1″ screen with tiny bezels and Face ID within its notch. The iPhone XR is about 1cm taller and wider than the SE, so it is not a giant. It may have the previous A12 chip, but most importantly, it offers a much better overall battery life.
For €300 on top of the iPhone SE you may as well go for the iPhone 11, which will give you the same screen as the XR, but with the new Apple A13 underneath and the iPhone 11 Pro main camera with Night Mode. You also get doubled battery life over the SE.
The first-generation SE is still available from various retailers across the globe, mostly refurbished by now, but it is still a good option if you want a decent phone with the size of a credit card.
Finally, if you aren’t chained to iOS, the yet-to-be-revealed Pixel 4a looks like what many hoped for the iPhone SE to be – an all-screen phone with an excellent camera. We know Google can deliver on camera with the Pixels, and our fingers are crossed for an issue-free screen, though the Pixel 4a won’t match the gaming performance of the iPhone with that rumored Snapdragon 730.
Apple iPhone XR • Apple iPhone 11 • Apple iPhone SE • Google Pixel 4a
The verdict
The small iPhone is dead! Long live the small iPhone! That is pretty much the deal with every new iPhone, and it was about time to happen with the SE generation. The second SE is a small and powerful phone, water-resistant and beautiful, with a capable camera and great iOS support.
The new iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone right now, but also one of the cheapest flagship-like phones on the market if we are to compare bang for the buck. The only things you must do to like it is to embrace the bezels and buy a fast charger.
Pros
Compact and lightweight, water-resistant.
Bright and high-contrast screen.
Outstanding performance from the A13 chip.
Loud stereo speakers.
Touch ID is back and we love it.
Excellent daylight photos and good low-light ones.
Very good video recording capabilities with proficient stabilization.
Future proof with the latest chipset and regular iOS updates.
The cheapest iPhone yet.
Cons
Bezels, bezels, bezels.
The battery capacity is uninspiring.
Night Mode in the camera is sorely missed.
Slow 5W charger in the box.
The iTunes file exchange can be frustrating for many.
