Every year, Apple’s new set of iPhones are usually out by now. This year, however, things are obviously different. Due to delays caused by COVID-19, Apple is finally launching its next-generation of iPhone 12 devices this year.
And there is actually a bunch of them: four new models, to be exact. The new iPhone 12 line consists of the iPhone 12 Mini, the regular iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. And they all have some important differences. Let’s talk about the new iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 first, which are the entry-level models. You can learn more about the iPhone 12 Pro Models here.
Let’s get the new design out the way first: Apple is going back to the iconic squared-off edges that we saw in devices like the iPhone 4. Although Apple shifted to rounded phones with the iPhone 6, it’s going back to the much-loved squared edges from the iPhone 4. I, personally, am a big fan of this change in design.
Apple’s new iPhone 12 Mini features a 5.4-inch screen, which is smaller than the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 and the 5.8-inch iPhone X. But for the first time, all four iPhones coming out this year feature OLED displays. The larger iPhone 12, on the other hand, features a 6.1-inch iPhone, much like last year’s iPhone 11. Although a lot of people were expecting Apple to introduce refresh rates of 120Hz to the new iPhones, that doesn’t seem to be happening — yet. They all include the new Super Retina XDR displays.
Apple says the new design, combined with the new display, enables the iPhone 12 to be 11% thinner, 15% smaller, and 16% lighter. The device features Ceramic Shield, a new protection layer over the display that Apple built in partnership with Corning. It introduces 4x better drop performance, and Apple says it’s the biggest jump in durability on the iPhone.
Instead, we have 5G across the board. In the United States, Apple is introducing the new iPhone 12 line with both sub-6GHz 5G and the faster mmWave 5G — however, you will only be getting sub-6GHz 5G outside of the US. The new iPhone 12 features a new Smart Data Mode, which adapts between using 5G and LTE depending on whether you need fast internet speeds in order to save on battery usage. If you were waiting for the 5G iPhone, this is it.
Powering the new iPhone 12 line is Apple’s new A14 Bionic chip, a variant of which was first announced alongside the company’s newest iPad Air. Like usual, the new processor introduces major performance upgrades for AR and AI computations. A14 Bionic features a new 6-score CPU, the fastest in any smartphone, and Apple says it’s up to 50% faster than any other smartphone chip. It features a 4-core GPU, and it also offers 50% faster graphics than any other smartphone graphics chip. The new chip features a more powerful Neural Engine, which now includes 16 cores instead of 8, offering an 80% performance boost.
For the camera, Apple is keeping things largely unchanged on the entry-level iPhone 12 models. You will still get the dual-camera setup here, with a 12MP wide-angle sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Apple says there’s been a 27% improvement in performance for low-light pictures. Apple is also bringing Night Mode to all cameras — including the ultra-wide and selfie cameras.
Apple is also improving the wireless charging experience on the iPhone 12. More on that here. The company also confirmed that the iPhone 12 will not ship with power adapters in the box, it will, however, ship with a USB-C to Lightning cable, which will enable faster charging.
Anyways, here are all the colours of the new iPhone 12:
The iPhone 12 Mini starts at $699, while the iPhone 12 starts at $799. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 will be available for pre-order this Friday, and ship on October 23. iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini will be available for pre-order on November 6, and ship November 13.