APPLE ANNOUNCES IPHONE 12 WITH OLED SCREEN AND 5G SPEEDS

Preorders begin Friday, and it goes on sale October 23rd starting at $799

It might be happening a bit later than usual, but Apple has just announced the iPhone 12. Featuring the same 6.1-inch display size as the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR before it, the latest “main” iPhone — and likely the model most people will gravitate toward — is making the transition from an LCD screen to OLED. And as rumored, the phone has flat aluminum sides for an overall look that more closely matches the iPad Pro and iPad Air (plus the iPhone 4 from years ago).

The iPhone 12 will come in black, white, blue, red, and green. Pricing starts at $799. Preorders start this Friday, and the iPhone 12 will be available on October 23rd. For storage, you can pick between 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Aside from the flat sides, it still largely resembles the iPhone 11. There’s still a notch at the top that houses Apple’s Face ID technology, though the bezels around the screen have been reduced — another perk of the OLED switch. (Crushingly, the combo Touch ID / power button from the new iPad Air didn’t make it to the iPhone this year.) Around back, the iPhone 12 has two cameras housed in a matte glass squircle, which makes for a nice contrast with the rest of the glossy back panel.

The iPhone 12’s OLED screen has a peak brightness of 1200 nits and supports Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and HLG. The glass is coated with what Apple describes as a “ceramic shield” for better durability when dropped. Water resistance has also been improved.

Apple’s latest iPhone is powered by the company’s new A14 Bionic processor, which the company says is the first smartphone chip built on a 5nm process, leading to improved performance and efficiency. Apple claims it’s “up to 50 percent faster” than the leading chips in Android smartphones. Same goes for the GPU, which Apple says is the best in any mobile phone.

The iPhone 12 represents Apple’s first major foray into 5G cellular technologies. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg was on hand during the event to announce the nationwide launch of the carrier’s sub-6 5G network. Apple says it has designed the iPhone 12 lineup to achieve ideal network performance while balancing battery life. A “smart data mode” uses LTE when your current activity doesn’t demand 5G speeds. Apple says it has tested 5G performance with 100 carriers across 30 countries to ensure a smooth launch.

The iPhone 12 has a 12-megapixel f/1.6 main camera — the fastest aperture in any iPhone yet — and a 12MP ultrawide. Apple says low-light performance has improved, and the company has continued its advancements in computational photography to maximize detail and dynamic range. The front camera on the iPhone 12 is gaining Night Mode, as well.

Apple has also sought to improve wireless charging on the iPhone 12, which contains a “MagSafe” system with built-in magnets to guarantee that the iPhone properly lines up with supported MagSafe accessories. Cases, charges, and other accessories snap onto the iPhone 12 magnetically. Apple is introducing a dual wireless charger for the iPhone and Apple Watch that utilizes the new MagSafe tech.

As rumored, Apple is removing the charging brick from its iPhone 12 boxes, a move it says is meant to push forward the company’s environmental goals.

Alongside the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, Apple also introduced a smaller 5.4-inch model that it calls the iPhone 12 mini.

Macs, iPads and iPods (RIP) aren’t the only Apple products to get the mini treatment. Tim Cook has just unveiled the iPhone 12 mini: the “smallest, thinnest and lightest 5G phone in the world.”

If the name has you delighted/devastated that Apple is returning to the good/bad old days of 3.5in screens, you should know that the term «mini» is relative. This is a 5.4in handset, which doesn’t sound particularly diminutive but, clearly, the company decided that audiences needed a way to differentiate the entry-level iPhone 12 from the regular 6.1in model. The iPhone 12 mini’s 5.4in screen is, like its siblings, OLED «Super Retina», with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080, which translates to 476ppi.

Like the larger models, the iPhone 12 mini uses Apple’s latest A14 processor – the same one powering the recently announced iPad Air 4. Apple claims this new chipset will lead to performance that’s 50% faster than previous phones, with up to 50% faster graphics. The company is also going big on its neural engine, which Apple claims is up to 80% faster on “the most critical machine learning models”.

 
More importantly, this generation of iPhones is the first to feature 5G connectivity. Apple is somewhat late to the party here but not disastrously so, given 5G connectivity is still patchy around the world.
 
In terms of camera performance, Apple says we’ll be getting a dual-camera array, with 12-megapixel wide (f/1.6) and ultra-wide (f/2.4) lenses. Apple says that this new wider aperture will “maintain sharp detail in your photo from edge to edge”, with low-light performance which is 27% better than on the iPhone 11.
 
While it may be hard to imagine leaving the house much at the moment, the iPhone 12 mini is also considerably more hardy. Apple has teamed up with Corning for a feature called Ceramic Shield, which it claims is “tougher than any smartphone glass” with four times more chance of surviving a drop. According to the company, this represents “the biggest jump in reliability we’ve ever had on iPhone”.
 
Finally, Apple is bringing back the MagSafe charger… but not as you remember it. While it’s still magnetic, it’s aimed at the iPhone’s wireless charging. A magnetic ring on the back will help compatible MagSafe chargers and other accessories snap to the back, rather than requiring you to awkwardly line things up every time.

 
 
Colour wise, we’re not quite getting the same rainbow of iPhones as in previous years. Instead, there’s just five different models: black, white, green, blue and the charity tie-in PROJECT Red colour scheme. 
 
The iPhone 12 mini is available to pre-order on 16 October with a release date of 23 October, and prices will start at $699/£699 for the entry-level 64GB model, with the 128GB and 256GB models costing $749/£749 and $849/£849 respectively. As with every other iPhone since the original, expandable storage isn’t supported, so if you think you’ll need more space than that, then you’ll just have to absorb the extra costs at launch. 

Oh, and the rumours were true: you’ll just get a cable in the box with no plug for it, and no headphones either. This makes sense for the health of the planet, but obviously makes the phones slightly weaker value for those without a spare plug kicking around at home…