Apple launches new iPhones with big screens and dual-sim support as it bids to maintain global market share

Apple has launched the latest iPhones, featuring its biggest smartphone yet as the world’s most valuable company seeks to maintain its global share and profitability.

At the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California, Apple executives unveiled two premium upgrades called the 5.8-inch iPhone XS and 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max. There was also a cheaper device, the iPhone XR, which is a follow-up to the iPhone 8. All three of the new iPhones feature an edge-to-edge screen, like the current iPhone X, alongside a TrueDepth camera system that can be used for Face ID.

The two premium models come with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, while the XR uses a cheaper liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The OLED models will be on sale this month and the LCD model in October. They could all feature significantly improved battery life thanks to the new Apple-designed A12 processor.

Apple is releasing its latest models at a time of declining global market share. In China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, Chinese challengers have chipped away at the lead of foreign brands by introducing features-laden models for a fraction of the price, targeting the vast segment of consumers who are not yet able to afford the top-range iPhones and Andropid handsets from Samsung Electronics.

China’s leading mobile phone brand, Huawei Technologies, outstripped Apple in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter this year, putting it in second place behind Samsung and signalling the rising popularity of its handsets around the world.