The postponed iPhone event is finally reality and the new series of iPhones have been unveiled. This year, we get a grand total of four iPhone 12 models — wow! And all of them are ready for the 5G era.
- Apple has just announced the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max
- The iPhone 12 starts at $799. It’s positioned to be the most popular choice
- iPhone 12 pre-orders begin: October 16th
- iPhone 12 release: November 23rd
The new “mainstream” iPhone
Last year, Apple positioned the iPhone 11 as “the iPhone to buy”. It started at $700, yet it had the same internals and same main camera as the Pro models. Yes, some corners were cut — no AMOLED, no telephoto camera, and no steel frames. But, in the end, the users voted with their wallets and it turned out the iPhone 11 was immensely popular.
Now, the iPhone 12 brings a ton of upgrades to the beloved model filling some of the aforementioned holes.
iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11: what’s new?
- iPhone 12 has OLED screen, instead of LCD
- iPhone 12 has the same A14 processor found in the iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 body has flat sides — reminiscent to the new iPad Air, iPad Pro
- iPhone 12 has a slightly upgraded camera — wider aperture, improved software processing
- iPhone 12 has a reimagined MagSafe connector. The phone is compatible with magnetic chargers and accessories
iPhone 12 design and display
The iPhone 12’s design is a mix of modern and classic. Look at it from the front and it resembles the good ol’ iPhone XS and all of the reiterations that came after it. Angle it slightly and you will see beautiful flat sides that will remind you of the classic look of the iPhone 5.
The back is your typical flat deal, even down to the dual camera module. No telephoto lens on the “iPhone for the masses” — you will still need an iPhone Pro to get the triple camera.
The screen is also an improvement over the iPhone 11 model. No, no, I am not talking about 120 Hz here. Unfortunately, that feature did not make it to the iPhone 12. But, at the very least, the display panel is AMOLED now. Deep blacks, vibrant colors, cleaner-looking animations, and thinner bezels.
It’s a 6.1-inch screen with a 1170 x 2532 pixel resolution (aspect ratio of 19.5:9). That’s a pixel-per-inch density of 457, much sharper than the 324 PPI — the magic number that Apple insisted to stick with all the way up to iPhone 11.
iPhone 12 camera
The iPhone 12 doesn’t come with a triple camera, but it still did get a slight bump in camera specs. So, we have a 12 MP main wide-angle camera and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. But the lens aperture is significantly bigger — F1.6 (compared to F1.8 on the iPhone 11). This means that the sensor will get more light in the same unit of time, making it easier to get stable footage and improving low-light results.
Additionally, a wide aperture makes for a shallow depth of field, meaning you will get natural defocus in the background easier.
Apple has also upgraded the Deep Fusion post-processing for better results, Night Mode has been touched up, and Smart HDR has been updated to Smart HDR 3. What does it all mean? We’ll have to get our hands on an iPhone 12 to figure that out.
What about the selfie camera? Well, it’s a 12 MP shooter again and, for all intents and purposes, it seems like it’ll be the same one that we have on the iPhone 11. Which means — very good.
iPhone 12 processor and memory
The iPhone 12 series — all four of them — are powered by the Apple A14 chip that was talked up during the iPad Air introduction. It’s a new Apple silicon, built on a 5 nm processor. That means more productive power, less energy requirement. The Apple chips have always been quite potent and we expect the iPhone 12 would not disappoint.
Then, we have the storage tiers. The iPhone 12 starts with 64 GB of storage, which is still good enough for non-heavy users. If you are among the people who spend their life on the phone, you can still get by with 64 GB, but you will need to do some housekeeping from time to time.
The next tier is 128 GB, then it maxes out at 256 GB.
iPhone 12 specs:
- Display: OLED, 6.1″, 1170 x 2532 pixels
- Processor: Apple A14, hexa-core, 5 nm (30% more energy efficiency)
- Cameras: 12 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide; 12 MP front camera
- Storage options: 64 GB; 128 GB; 256 GB
iPhone 12 5G
Yep, the iPhone 12 is ready for the 5G era. With support for a wide range of 5G bands, it allows for up to to 3.5 Gbps download speeds. In the US, the iPhone 12 will support both mmWave (up to 4 Gbps down, 200 Mbps up speeds) and sub-6 GHz networks, meaning you will be covered no matter which operator you favour. And Well… if they have 5G coverage in your area, that is. And yes, the iPhone will automatically shift down to 4G connectivity whenever you don’t need 5G to save that precious battery charge.
iPhone 12 release date and price
The iPhone 12 is in the first wave of new iPhones that will be released. You will be able to pre-order it on October 16th, and shipping will begin a week after — on October 23rd.
The starting price of the iPhone 12 is $799 for the 64 GB model, then $849 for the 128 GB version, and $949 for the 256 GB variant.
