Photo: Apple Newsroom

Apple just announced the new iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max. Featuring massive all-screen designs, powerful A12 bionic chips, and a breakthrough dual camera system.

The iPhone will be available by September 21st and will start at $999 for the iPhone Xs.

iPhone Xs with 5.8-inch screen and iPhone Xs Max with 6.5-inch screen unveiled

Available for pre-order Friday, September 14 and in stores Friday, September 21

Starting at $999 for the iPhone Xs and $1099 for the iPhone Xs Max

Breakthrough New 12MP Dual Camera System

Apple’s New 12MP Dual Camera System – Photo: Apple Newsroom

The New 12MP Dual Camera System

With the iPhone Xs Apple continues to innovate in the mobile photography space. The 12-megapixel dual camera system features dual optical image stabilization and more pixels to improve low-light performance.

Apple’s new Smart HDR feature creates photos with more highlights and shadow details by combining and splicing multiple frames of the same shot, exposed at different values.

Some have compared this feature to features offered by the Google Pixel camera. The Verge reports that “Apple then says it takes the best parts of each frame to produce the best possible imagery. Google’s approach is to take a whole bunch of underexposed photos and combine them — so Apple isn’t doing the exact same thing, but it’s a very similar approach.”

Photo: Apple Newsroom

Advanced Portrait Mode

Advanced Portrait mode helps you create even more sophisticated bokeh. This is possible because of advanced depth segmentation. The New Depth Control features literally allow you to ‘dynamically adjust the depth of field in the Photos app both in real-time preview* and post-capture to create portraits with a beautiful background blur’. What this means is that you can effectively edit and adjust the depth of field on your portraits with the iPhone Xs.

* Apple says that real-time preview in Depth Control will be available via a free software update later this fall. (Apple Newsroom)

Photo: Apple Newsroom

The highest‑quality video capture of any smartphone

Photo: Apple Newsroom

According to Apple, the iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max bring the highest quality video capture of any smartphone.

With more pixels and a faster sensor, this iPhone enables improved low-light performance and video stabilization. The Xs also features extended dynamic range for more highlight and shadow detail in video modes up to 30 frames per second.

The Xs and Xs Max have four built-in mics, allowing users to record stereo sound and get better quality audio for their video recordings.

Advanced Facial Recognition

The final major camera related featured that Apple shared with the announcement of the iPhone Xs is a major improvement to Face ID. Face ID is Apple’s facial recognition system that users can utilize to unlock their phone, make payments, and more.

The advanced TrueDepth camera system uses precision depth-sensing technology that goes far beyond the capabilities and security of two-dimensional facial scanners and enables users to unlock iPhone, use Apple Pay, gain access to secure apps and many more features with a simple glance.

Apple calls the updated Face ID ‘the most secure facial authentication system ever in a smartphone’.

Photo: Apple Newsroom

iOS 12 Photo Features

iOS 12 is coming on September 17th. 9to5Mac posted a full transcription of the release notes if you’d like to view all the specific details.

In their Newsroom, Apple focused heavily on the improvements to Photos that are available in iOS 12. Apple says that ‘photos are even easier to share in iOS 12 with smarter suggestions and improved search’.

This is what was shared in the Photos sections of the release notes:

New For You tab helps you discover great photos in your library with Featured Photos, Effect Suggestions, and more

Sharing Suggestions proactively recommend sharing photos taken at events with the people who are in them

Search enhancements make it easier to find your photos with intelligent suggestions and multiple keyword support

Search for photos based on the place, business name, or event where you were when you took them

Improved camera import with faster performance and a new large preview mode

RAW support for editing images

RAW image support in mobile interfaces is becoming more and more common. Apps like Lightroom Mobile (Adobe Lightroom CC) and Snapseed offer RAW image support. You can even edit/transfer RAW images in certain cameras like the Canon EOS R now.

Photo: Apple Newsroom