Much is always said about the new Apple iPhones without even having been launched, not in vain are the company’s flagship products. This year is marked by an infinite number of contradictory rumors or that do not end up clarifying anything, so we are going to recapitulate some of the most outstanding information on the upcoming devices of the Californian company and try to shed light on these data that seem so imprecise. We recall that so far Apple has not offered official information about these teams.
What will the iPhone 12 be like
There will be four iPhone 12
It is already an open secret that Apple will divide this year its smartphone generation into two categories: two top-of-the-range models with the highest performance and two with high-end specifications, but with some features not included and a lower price. In the absence of confirming that they are called so, they are now known as iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The first of them would have 5.4 inches , 6.1 inches the next two and 6.7 inches the ‘Pro Max’ model. All of them would have OLED panels, although perhaps those of the iPhone 12 and 12 Max are a somewhat less cutting-edge technology than that of the ‘Pro’ models. In addition, all would come with the new A14 processor designed by the company.
New design and, with less notch?
Despite the fact that the back and front of the iPhone has been varying to a greater or lesser extent in recent years, the truth is that it has not been so with the sides of the device. We carry from the iPhone 6 with a curved edge design that although it is very aesthetic and even comfortable in the hand, it ends up being somewhat repetitive. The company will not offer a revolution in this regard because there is not much room for it either, so it will choose to rescue a classic design like that of the iPhone 4 and 5 with flat and rounded edges in the corners. This was already inherited by the iPad Pro in 2018 and from the renders that have been seen, mobiles feel great. This seems to be one of the only great certainties we have today.
Something different happens with the reduction of the notch. The famous eyebrow of the iPhone incorporated into the ‘X’ model of 2017 and that they have been inheriting is already a characteristic element of Apple mobiles. However, there are those who have been asking for it to be smaller for a long time. The reason that Apple has not opted for a smaller frame and even make it in the form of a small hole like other manufacturers lies mainly in the complex system of cameras and sensors that allow Face ID, the so-called True Depth. The company has plans developed to reduce it a little, but today it is not known if they will finally arrive on time with this development or we will continue with it for another year. In any case, it seems that if it is reduced it would be only in the ‘Pro’ models.
120 Hz display
ProMotion is what Apple calls its delicate display technology in the iPad Pro from 2017 onwards, which have a refresh rate of 120 Hz that makes navigating the system more fluid and in certain videos you notice improvement. On the iPhone we had not seen it and the truth is that it was somewhat envious to see how phones from other brands such as OnePlus or Huawei do incorporate it. Apple had planned to finally incorporate it this year in its top-of-the-range models, but … we spoke in the past because it is possible that they had to discard this idea due to a problem with the suppliers. It is not entirely clear that it is discarded, but it is possible that if it arrived it did so with 90 Hz instead of 120 Hz, which would be a novelty considering the current rate of 60 Hz.
Finally with 5G technology
It is true that this is connectivity more of the future than of the present, since the infrastructures that allow it are still scarce throughout the world. However, it had been a necessity for years due to the fact that there are those who do not renew the iPhone in years, so they could find themselves in situations in which this technology is already fully operational and yet their phone is not capable of take advantage of it. It is also a great evidence of the fact that the iPhone 12 will have these chips and in fact it was expected that all the models would be without distinction that some have 4G and others this 5G as other companies do. However, some information has emerged in recent weeks that suggests that there could be an LTE version ready to launch before these other models. We will have to wait to confirm it, but it is already sure that whoever wants 5G on their Apple phone can have it.
128 GB base
There are those who easily survive with 64 GB of base on an iPhone taking full advantage of services such as iCloud, but the truth is that it has already been very scarce for a majority. That is why the next phone from the Cupertino company would incorporate a 128 GB base that could be accompanied by two other 256 GB and 512 GB. Perhaps in the most economic models this last capacity is not present. In any case it will be a very celebrated news and it has also left some evidence that it will be fulfilled after having seen how the iPad Pro 2020 made this change.
Without headphones, without adapter, but with braided cable
The main complaint in previous years was that the iPhone still did not incorporate USB-C while all the competition adopted it long ago and even the iPad Pro already had it. This year the controversy is even greater, since Apple may not incorporate a power adapter in the phone case. The motive that the Californian company presumably uses will be that of the environment, although each one will be free to interpret this movement as a bad move with which to save costs. What it seems that it will have is the Lightning cable, since this if it could not disappear according to certain regulations. In fact there are already products in Apple itself that come with a cable and without an adapter, such as AirPods or certain models of Apple Watch. This could be a step prior to finally launching in 2021 a computer without any type of connector that favors wireless charging on the iPhone, which is also a major reason not to switch to USB-C this year, since changing charging method twice in a year would be even more chaotic. Perhaps by this same rule they could have incorporated the adapter this year, but it does not seem that it will be so.
Another significant change is the elimination of EarPods , the company’s classic wired headphones and that in recent years have been set apart by wireless headphones such as the AirPods themselves. Perhaps this weighs less than the charger, since the other is essential to use the device without running out of battery, but for many it is their first iPhone and they do not have Lightning adapters, it will be an important handicap in the absence of bluetooth headphones.
Cameras and new sensors
Double and triple camera. That is what we have had in iPhone 11 and 11 Pro and it seems to be the line that their successors will follow. Of course, they will have obvious improvements in terms of resolutions, video recording and even construction materials. The big question arises around the LiDAR sensor . This serves to explore the augmented reality technology that Apple has been doing so much for years. In fact, we have already seen iPad with these sensors that, far from being just another camera, serve to better measure the distances and depths of objects and people. At the beginning of the year, it was expected that the two ‘Pro’ models would add the sensor, but today it is more committed to having it only the ‘Max’ model and even that they do not have either. The reason for this would be related to a possible delay in the supply chain of these sensors.
Less battery but better autonomy
This is contradictory because logic itself tells us that a battery with a lower capacity is going to give less performance than one with a larger one. However at Apple this is always something to take with tweezers, since its processors and operating systems created by and for their teams allow further optimization of resources. The iPhone 11, especially the ‘Pro Max’ model, has managed to be one of the phones with the best autonomy on the market despite having less mAh than its rivals, something highly appreciated by the consumer. There have been several leaks in these months that have suggested a lower capacity for the iPhone 12, but it is expected that these have a new technology that, accompanied by the other components, can allow at least the same autonomy and even greater autonomy in some cases.
Presentation, launch and price
Here we are not going to make mental straws, since there are no certainties about anything . The COVID-19 pandemic has generated numerous order delays and prevented iPhone 12s from entering production in time to launch in September as usual. That is why it is already a fact that they will be delayed by a month or two. The latest information known at the time of writing this article refers to the end of October or the beginning of November, with the possibility that some of the models may be launched earlier. We do not know if this would also imply a delay in the famous presentation keynote or if Apple will choose to do it on the usual dates, since other years there have already been similar delays with a device such as the iPhone X and that did not change the event. The fact of not having any guarantees that a face-to-face event can be held with the public could also be key.
As for what we will have to pay for these iPhone, there are no exact data either. Prices are expected to be maintained to a greater or lesser extent. It is true that some technologies such as 5G have implied a higher production cost, but not including a power adapter and cutting other components could be key for the price not to rise. The company has gone 3 years without raising prices and has even lowered that of the iPhone 11 regarding what the XR cost at the time, but nothing is clear today.
