Following numerous small tidbits over the last two months, we basically know everything about the iPhone 12 series – 5 months before they actually launch. Twitter tipseters Max Weinbach and Jon Prosser have sourced all the information from their “trusted sources / insiders”, and here’s what it looks like. The majority of the leaks had been rumored or speculated on earlier, but this is final confirmation.
Starting off with the names: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. All models will have the new square-ish design from the iPad Pro as seen in renders. The 12 and 12 Max will be made of Aluminum, while the Pro models will use Stainless Steel. The flat edges of the new design are apparently much stronger than the curved edges of older models too.
Let’s talk about the cheaper models first. The 12 will have a 5.4″ display, while the 12 Max will have a 6.1″ display. Both models have 60hz OLED displays from BOE, with the “Super Retina” moniker. It will be interesting to see what compromises the displays have taken to bring OLED to a cheaper iPhone for the first time. Both will have the A14 Chip, 4GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 5G, and a Wide + Ultrawide camera setup similar to the iPhone 11.
Pricing is expected as follows:
- iPhone 12 128GB: $649
- iPhone 12 256GB: $749
- iPhone 12 Max 128GB: $749
- iPhone 12 Max 256GB: $849
Coming to the expensive models, the 12 Pro will have a 6.1″ display, while the 12 Pro Max will have a 6.7″ display. Both models have 120hz “ProMotion” OLED displays from Samsung, with the “Super Retina XDR” moniker with HDR and 10-bit color reproduction. These Samsung OLED panels seem to be higher quality compared to the BOE in the cheaper 12 models, but regardless OLED for the enitre lineup is a great move and the general public won’t even notice the difference.
Both will have the A14 chip, 6GB RAM, 128/256/512GB storage, 5G, and a Wide + Ultrawide + 3x Optical (25/50x digital) Telephoto camera setup similar to the iPhone 11 Pro, but with an added LiDAR sensor for accurate depth sensing. It will help with getting better Portrait mode shots and autofocus speeds in low light.
A word of caution on the 120Hz though: the panels do physically support the higher refresh rate, but Apple engineers are having trouble with accurate color reproduction. 120Hz is also a huge battery drain, so Apple is working on a dynamic 60Hz/120Hz switching based on usage. If the color reproduction and battery life aren’t upto par, it may not happen. There will also be no toggle switch in iOS 14 for high refresh rate, it either comes out of the factory with it enabled or it doesn’t.
Pricing is expected as follows:
- iPhone 12 Pro 128GB: $999
- iPhone 12 Pro 256GB: $1,099
- iPhone 12 Pro 512GB: $1,299
- iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB: $1,099
- iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB: $1,199
- iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB: $1,399
There are some finer details too. Navy Blue will likely replace Midnight Green, and the Frosted Glass finish will remain. FaceID will work at more intense angles and new “Dynamic Zoning Algorithms” with increase it’s speed. The module is physically smaller, enabling a smaller notch. Apple did try experimenting with 64MP sensors, but it wasn’t good enough. They want Dual Pixel full sensor autofocus before going to higher MP counts, so we’re still getting lower MP sensors but with larger pixel sizes.
Subject detection in low light is going to improve, EIS in Night Mode is also improving to stabilize hand-held night shots. Night Mode will get longer exposure times, and is being implelented in the telephoto lens too. Unfortuntely, the Ultrawide lens won’t get it. Slow-motion and low-light video are going to get better.
That’s a whole lot of information to digest, and even more suprising is that we know basically everything 5 whole months before launch day (yes, the launch is delayed to October/ November). Hats off to the analysts, leakers and souces giving out the information. With these prices and the feature sets, brand like Samsung and OnePlus are in for a beating. Although I have to ask, with so much being leaked, are elaborate launch events even needed anymore?
Last modified: May 12, 2020
[…] Komiya, Max Winebach, and EverythingApplePro have leaked information about the iPhone 12 series almost 5 months ago, with unprecedented detail about the products. Prosser has provided the bulk of the information […]