Welcome back to another installment of Editor's Desk, iMorians! And it's certainly been an exciting week in the Apple world, to say the least.
Apple announced the iPhone SE (2020) in the middle of the week, with pre-orders beginning early Friday morning. The new iPhone SE features the design of the iPhone 8 (now discontinued), the internals of the iPhone 11, and the camera of the XR, for just $399. This little "Frankenphone" is actually a great idea, especially right now, because it is giving consumers modern hardware at a much more affordable price point.
I already know that I'm not the target consumer for the iPhone SE - I love my iPhone 11 Pro — but this is still an exciting product release. Not everyone wants to drop $700 or more, upwards to the mid-thousands, for a smartphone, and the iPhone SE is the solution to that. Plus, in today's world where it is frustrating that Face ID can't recognize you because you're wearing a face mask, having a Home button with Touch ID could actually be easier to deal with, and still provides ample security for your device.
If you have held out on upgrading because you wanted a more affordable device or can't do without the Home button, then the iPhone SE is a no-brainer. It's a little unfortunate that the new SE loses that flat-edge design of the iPhone 5, but it's still a gorgeous device that is modernized and affordable.
Speaking of that classic iPhone 5 designs that a ton of people love (including myself), it seems that the design for the iPhone 12 Pro Max has been leaked early by Max Weinbach and EverythingApplePro. This leaked design seems to feature flat edges similar to that of the old iPhone 5, but it features a 6.7-inch display with reduced bezels and a possibly smaller notch. It may also feature a LiDAR sensor on the camera housing, as well as other changes.
I must admit that I'm pretty excited if this is indeed the design of the next flagship iPhone line. I always liked the flat edges from the iPhone 5 era, and it would be nice to see them return. I'm also always going to upgrade for the better cameras, so hearing that it may have the LiDAR scanner that was introduced with the 2020 iPad Pros is exciting. And if the iPhone 12 Pro comes in that blue color as depicted in that leaked video? Heck yeah, sign me up!
Of course, take this all with a grain of salt, but it seems that Jon Prosser and Max Weinbach have good track records so far, so we'll see.
In other news, Apple also released the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pros a little earlier than originally anticipated. I put in an order for the 11-inch version, and hopefully, I get it sooner rather than later. So far, I've been using a Brydge Pro+ and Logitech Slim Folio Pro, but I'm excited to see how much better the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard is compared to Brydge (it works, but it's not very good).
If you're looking for distractions this week, make sure to check out what you could watch on HBO Now. And if you are able to ever find a copy of Ring Fit Adventure for your Nintendo Switch, grab it! I highly recommend it for those who want to get some exercise in and stay active while in quarantine.
That's it for this week, iMorians. See you next week, and stay home, stay safe.
- Christine Romero-Chan
