It's that time of year again when you're on the look out for the perfect Christmas gift. If you're an Apple fan like us then you'll love the new Apple product releases for 2019. We've put together the perfect Christmas Gift Guide.
You'd probably prefer to receive one of these as a gift rather than give one! But, as Christmas is a time of giving, the products listed here would make an ideal Christmas gift for a loved one. Maybe you can leave subtle hints for the one you want, like forwarding this blog post on!
So here goes this year's latest products from Apple.
iPhone 11
Apple announced the release of the iPhone 11 at their event in September of this year. You can get the phone in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB. It runs on the A13 Bionic chip processor with third-generation neural engine.
The camera comes with a 12 megapixel lens, next generation Smart HDR and Portrait Lighting. It has a dual camera, unlike the iPhone XR with a single camera, making the iPhone 11 a more superior camera.
It has an ultra wide lens and 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 5x. And a pixel density of 326ppi.
The screen size is the same as the iPhone XR at 6.1 inch.
It's estimated that you get up to 17 hours of battery life with the new iPhone 11. Roughly an hour and a half longer than the XR.
The main differences between the iPhone 11 and XR are the processor and camera capabilities. Also the colours are more pastel than the bright colours of the XR. You'll still get a great experience with the XR so don't rush to buy unless you specifically want a better camera and processing speed.
For further details check out Apple's iPhone 11 spec. You can buy the iPhone 11 from €609 with a trade in, otherwise it starts at €829.
iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone 11 Pro sees the introduction of the triple camera. Like the iPhone 11 it too uses the A13 Bionic processing chip, which is the fastest phone chip available. The OLED display is also a lot brighter than the iPhone 11.
It has a tripe 12 megapixel lens with two lenses being the same as the iPhone 11 and a telephoto lens with an aperture of f/20. Thanks to the third lens the iPhone 11 Pro has 2x optical zoom in. It has also has 2x optical zoom out and a 10x digital zoom. The pixel density is 458ppi.
The screen size is the same as the iPhone XS at 5.8 inches. Unlike the iPhone 11 the Pro has OLED displays giving brighter and sharper colours.
The pro is smaller and lighter than the 11 with a new frosted glass finish.
Battery life is similar to the iPhone 11 with maybe an extra hour added.
It has a Super Retina XDR display, whereas the iPhone XS has a Super Retina HD Display. They are similar in size but the the iPhone 11 Pro has a higher brightness compared to the iPhone XS.
Should you upgrade from the XS to the iPhone 11 Pro? If you want a camera, processor and material upgrade, along with display and battery improvements, and a move from 3D Touch to Haptic Touch, then maybe an upgrade is for you.
You can read more detailed specs for the iPhone 11 Pro. The price starts at €859 with a trade in or €1,179 without.
iPhone 11 Pro Max
The iPhone 11 Pro Max has all the features of the iPhone 11 Pro with some added benefits, mainly display and battery.
The display size for the iPhone Pro Max is 6.5 inch Super Retina XDR, 2688 x 1242 compared to the Pro with 5.8 include Super Retina XDR, 2436 x 1125.
It has a five hour longer battery life than the XS Max.
With the added benefits comes a difference in size. The iPhone Pro Max is 77.8 x 158 x 8.1mm. Compare this to the iPhone Pro at 71.4 x 144 x 8.1mm.
There's no difference between the performance or camera. Both the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have the same specs for these.
The biggest difference between the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the triple rear camera on the iPhone 11 Pro Max along with better battery life.
You can read the full iPhone 11 Pro Max spec and compare it to the iPhone 11 Pro.
Prices start from €859 with a trade in and from €1,279 without.
iPad 10.2 inch
Along with the release of the iPhone 11 Apple also released a new iPad, the 10.2 inch. The iPad 10.2 inch replaces the 9.7 inch, which has now been discontinued. Although you may still be able to pick it up.
The iPad 10.2 inch is 10mm longer and 5mm wider than the iPad 9.7 inch.
There aren't many other differences between both versions. They both have a pixel density of 264ppi and the iPad 10.2 inch has a resolution of 2,160 x 1,620, whereas the 9.7 inch has a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536.
Both have the same internal processor (A10 Fusion) and 10 hour battery life. The camera is also the same on both at 8 megapixels.
The only real difference with the iPad 10.2 inch is the screen size is bigger and it is now compatible with the Apple Smart Keyboard. It also supports Apple Pencil.
You can read the full spec and prices start from €399 for 32GB €499 for 128GB.
iPad Air 10.5 inch
If you are looking for speed and space then maybe the iPad Air is a better choice over the iPad 10.2 inch. Both iPads are the same size at 9.8 inch by 6.8 inch. The Air is slightly thinner. They also have the same pixel density of 264 pixels per inch.
The Air supports Apple's TrueTone tech, which adjusts the colours on the screen to better reflect the light around you.
The big advantage over the 10.2 inch is the speed. The iPad Air has an A12 Bionic chip compared to the A10 Fusion chip of the 10.2 inch version.
The 10.2 inch iPad comes in 32GB and 128GB, whereas the iPad Air starts at 64GB and goes up to 256GB.
If you want the Smart Keyboard with your iPad then the iPad Air is a better fit. Although the 10.2 inch fits with the Smart Keyboard the iPad Air is a better fit. It also has a better FaceTime camera. The iPad 10.2 inch has a 1.2 megapixel camera that records video in 720p. The iPad Air, however, has a 7 megapixel camera that records at 1080p.
You can read the tech spec and the price starts from €579 for 64GB and €749 for 256GB.
iPad mini 5
The iPad mini 5 launches with Apple's iOS 13 update and will also see four years software support. The design and measurements are the same but there has been changes to the spec.
The iPad mini 5 has a 7.9 inch display and 2048 x 1536 resolution. It has a pixel density of 326ppi. It has Touch ID and comes in silver, space grey and gold. Battery life is 10 hours. This is the same for the iPad mini 4.
The differences start with the camera. Both iPads have a rear camera of 8MP and 1080p video. While the iPad mini 4 has a 1.2MP front camera with 720 video, the iPad 4 mini now has a 7MP front camera with 1080p video.
The iPad mini 4 had 16GB, 32BG, 64GB and 128GB storage capacity, whereas the iPad mini 5 comes with 64GB and 256GB storage.
The iPad mini 5 has the A12 Bionic chip processor, which is a big jump from the iPad mini 4 A8 chip. This should see a significant difference in speed.
You can read the full spec and the price starts from €469 for 64GB and €639 for 256GB.
Apple Watch Series 5
The Apple Watch Series 5 launched in September with two key features; the always-on display and S5 chip. It's pretty much the same as the Series 4 with a 326 dpi display at resolutions of 324 x 394 or 368 x 448 pixels. It comes in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm and has the same Haptic technology as the iPhone.
The always-on display is a key feature change this year. Unlike the Apple Watch Series 4 where the screen came on with a wrist raise, the new display is always on. You can turn the always-on feature off and hide elements you don't want appearing on the screen.
The display is the same as the Apple Watch Series 4 as in it uses a low-temperature polycrystalline OLED display.
The Apple Watch Series 5 has been upgraded to 32GB of storage. The Series 4 has 16GB of storage. Even with the S5 chip there doesn't seem to be a differences with speed or loading times compared to the Series 4. Battery life is also the same as the Series 4.
You can read the full spec, and prices start from €459 and come in a variety of straps and colours.
MacBook Air 2019
The newly refreshed MacBook Air is a welcome addition to the entry level MacBooks. With upgraded features and a price drop what's not to like?
The MacBook Air 2019 has the same slim aluminium design as the 2018 model. The screen size on both models are the same at 13.3 inch Retina display. The add on to the 2018 model is the addition of True Tone technology. This automatically adjusts the display for better viewing. It has a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution at 227 pixels per inch.
Both the 2018 and 2019 models have the same processing power. They are powered by 1.6GHz dual-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz. They both also have Intel UHD Graphics 617 and a base of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage.
There has also been an upgrade to the butterfly keyboard and the battery life for the new MacBook Air is almost nine hours.
You can read the full tech spec and prices start at €1,279 for the 128GB and €1,529 for the 256GB.
MacBook Pro
Unlike the MackBook Air which is aimed at the every day user, the new MacBook Pro is aimed at professionals. It comes with two screen sizes; the 13 inch and the 15 inch.
The 13 inch MackBook Pro has a 1.4GHz quad-core 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB RAM. It has Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 and 128GB SSD storage.
The 15 inch MackBook Pro has a 2.6GHz 6-core 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor, Radeon Pro 555xGPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory. It also has 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM and 256GB SSD storage.
The 13 inch model is almost as thin as the 2019 MacBook Air but the 15 inch is bigger and heavier. The 15 inch also has a screen resolution of 2,880 x 1,880 and has 500 nits brightness with P3 support. Both the MackBook Air and 13 inch MacBook Pro have 2,560 x 1,600 screen resolution with a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch.
As with the MacBook Air, the pro model has an improved keyboard. Apple has still maintained the Butterfly switch but have tweaked the materials used.
You can read the full specs for the 13 inch and the 15 inch. The price starts at €1,549 for the 13" model and €2,799 for the 15" model.
Apple TV
Apple TV 4k is one of the best streaming devices on the market. It's menu and navigation system is easy to use. Each app is displayed in a visually pleasing way making it easy to navigate. You can drag and drop your icons into whatever order suits you.
You have a complete cinematic experience with Apple TV 4K and it's Dolby Atmos-compatible sound system.
Not only does Apple team up with some of the world's largest TV networks and broadcasters, it's also introducing Apple TV+ for a €4.99 monthly subscription. Apple TV+ will offer original shows, movies and documentaries. If you purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac you get Apple TV+ for one year for free.
You can read the tech spec and prices are from €199 for 32GB and €219 for 64GB.
AirPods
Apple introduced its second generation AirPods this year. It's more of an upgrade to the original AirPods. They now have a H1 chip and wireless charging.
The H1 chip should improve connectivity and battery life. There's also a new Siri voice activation feature. The wireless charging allows you to use a Qi-compatible charging mat to charge the case.
If you want to have the wireless option you'll need to purchase the charging case separately and pay extra for the wireless charging feature. The charging case gives up to 20 hours battery life. This is on top of the 5 hours for the buds.
You can read the full spec and the pricing starts at €179 for the AirPods with charging case and €229 for the AirPods with a wireless charging case. The wireless charging case on its own costs €89.
AirPods Pro
The new AirPods Pro have been released with some big improvements on the basic AirPods. Probably their biggest distinction is their new noise-cancelling feature. This is the first time Apple has introduced this feature and are looking to compete against the normally chunkier earphone market.
There's been an improvement with design also with three silicone tip sizes included. You can also do a fit test on your iPhone to make sure you have a good seal. The test will tell you to adjust the fit or try a different silicone tip.
The AirPods Pro come with their own wireless case as standard. You get 24 hours battery life in the carrying case and 4.5 hours of continuous music when noise-cancellation is enabled. They have five hours battery life without noise-cancellation enabled.
You can use Siri to announce any text messages that come and dictate a reply if you want. This feature can work for all text messages that come in or only for favourites or the most recent.
If you don't like the noise-cancellation feature you can always switch back to Transparency Mode.
You can read the full spec and prices start from €279.
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service from Apple that can run on iOS, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. It's a monthly subscription that allows users access to a number of games with no additional costs such as in-app purchases.
The great thing about Apple Arcade is that it allows family sharing. Up to six family members can use Apple Arcade. You just need to set up Family Sharing and all family members must have the same credit card associated with their Apple ID. You can also play the games offline making it handy for travel.
The games are all new and specifically created for Apple. You can access Apple Arcade through an Apple Arcade subscription on your iPhone. You just go to the App Store and download the games.
The cost is €4.99 monthly and you can also get a free trial for a month as a new user. Check out further information on Apple's site.
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