Leaks around the iPhone 12 are beginning to be numerous, so much that we already know a lot about the future flagship of Apple. Features, design, price, release date… We take stock of all the rumors about the iPhone 2020 vintage!
In a few months, Apple will lift the veil on its new flagship, the iPhone 12. In this year 2020, the Cupertino company could drastically revise its copy, by not launching one, but four models of iPhone 12: the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Max, the iPhone 12 Pro and finally, the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Above all, there should be a change of chassis, as well as the characteristics much expected from iPhone users. What is planned for this 2020 vintage?
How many iPhone 12 models will there be?
All sources agree on the number of iPhone 12 models expected in September. The range of iPhone 2020 would be well composed of four models, two models in the range of iPhone 12, and two models in the range of iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 should, therefore, be available in two sizes: 5.4 inches and 6.1 inches. The iPhone 12 Pro will be slightly larger, with two models, 6.1 and 6.7 inches. All should opt for OLED, but the “Pro” range will have additional advantages.
What will the iPhone 12 look like?
After years of launching smartphones with rounded curves (since 2014, and the iPhone 6), Apple should blow a wind of nostalgia this year with its iPhone 12, by offering it straight edges like the old iPhone 4 / 4S / 5 / 5S. This feature is found in particular on one of the popular Apple products, the iPad Pro. On the iPhone 12 and 12 Max, we should benefit from aluminum slices, when the “Pro” models will always have the right to stainless steel. Finally, the back should always be made of glass, shiny on the iPhone 12, and frosted on the iPhone 12 Pro, to allow induction charging. We would still find this photo block, which would contain two sensors for the iPhone 12, and four sensors for the iPhone 12 Pro, which would change their layout.
On the front side, there should also be change. After several years without modification, the notch should finally be reduced this year, but also not disappear. Also, we do not know if this size reduction will be the prerogative of the “Pro” models or not. The complete disappearance of the notch, desired by many users, will however have to wait until next year or even the year after. We should however be entitled to a reduction in the borders which surround the panel, all the more on the iPhone 12, since the iPhone 11, its direct predecessor, has an LCD panel whose borders cannot be reduced as much as with an OLED panel.
Another characteristic outlined by certain leaks: the presence of a Smart Connector on a section of at least one of the iPhone 12 Pro models, probably the largest. If we still do not know what this Smart Connector could be used for, it could be that Apple has plans to offer a stylus to its future flagship, like a Galaxy Note. This new connector could thus serve to magnetically accommodate a new, smaller Apple Pencil, in order to jot down a few notes on the fly. Of course, this characteristic should be taken with tweezers, since the arrival of a stylus for the iPhone has already been repeatedly reported in rumors, and ultimately never saw the light of day. But after all, wasn’t the iPad also the case?
What screens will the iPhone 12 offer?
Let’s start with the iPhone 12. As predicted by previous rumors, we should find a 5.4-inch OLED panel on the first model and 6.1 inches on the second. The smallest of them would have a slab signed Samsung and would benefit from a definition of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, for 475 ppi, with colors in 8 Bits. On the side of the supposed “iPhone 12 Max”, we would be entitled to a 6.1-inch OLED panel provided by BOE and LG, with the definition of 2,532 x 1,1070 pixels, with 460 ppi, and colors in 8 bits. We would, therefore, have a slight advantage in terms of accuracy on the side of the small model, with a slightly higher pixel per inch rate. On the other hand, it is unlikely to be noticed with the naked eye.
Although the iPhone 12 will indeed switch to OLED this year, the “Pro” models should still benefit from certain refinements. The first iPhone 12 Pro would thus have a 6.1-inch OLED panel, just like the iPhone 12 Max, with the same definition. However, it would be manufactured by Samsung, and would have 10-bit colors, and therefore a more vibrant image. As for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, we would benefit from a 6.7-inch OLED panelat definition 2,778 x 1,284 pixels, with 458 ppi. This large panel would also be supplied by Samsung, and would also benefit from 10-bit colors. Also – and this is undoubtedly the big point that will differentiate the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro – only the “Pro” models will benefit from a display frequency set at 120 Hz.
What performance to expect from the iPhone 12?
All models of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro should opt for an SoC A14, designed by the brand. This should be engraved in 5 nm by TSMC, a big first for a smartphone chip. For comparison, at Intel, we do not wait for 5 nm before 2023, when Qualcomm announced that it could achieve this finesse in 2021 only with its Snapdragon 875. When we consider the extraordinary performance of the A13 chip contained in the iPhone 11, and still at the top of the benchmarks, we can, therefore, expect high performance. According to a MacWorld article published earlier this year, the A14 could even flirt with the performance offered by a 15-inch MacBook Pro equipped with a 6-core Intel Core i7 processor. Still remains to justify such an avalanche of power on a smartphone.
The iPhone 12 will it crush the competition in photo?
As every year, Apple should improve the photo performance of its smartphones. On the side of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Max, we could stay on a configuration quite identical to that proposed by the iPhone 11, that is to say two sensors: a main wide-angle and an ultra-wide-angle. On the side of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, we should benefit from four sensors: a main wide-angle, a telephoto, an ultra-wide-angle, as well as a LiDAR sensor. This latest sensor, which appeared on the iPad Pro 2020, would be primarily dedicated to the device’s augmented reality functions, rather than to managing the depth of field like on competing smartphones equipped with ToF (Time-of) sensors. -Flight).
For the time being, rumors about the sensors they will contain are quite stingy in detail, even if it is rumored that the iPhone 12 Pro could opt for the main sensor of 64 megapixels. Also, some sources speak of a physical enlargement of the sensors, or a longer telephoto on the iPhone 12 Pro. It is above all an improvement in the digital processing of the image that we expect, in particular thanks to the supposedly excessive power of the A14.
When will the iPhone 12 be released?
As every year, Apple should present its future iPhone in September, for a release in stride. Despite everything, several sources mention the possibility of a delay this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to them, Apple would have planned to delay the production, and therefore the release, of its new flagships by one month, that is to say in October, even November. It could be that the presentation conference will also be postponed to October, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who even believes that this conference could welcome a surprise with a “One More Thing”. Apple would take the opportunity to present its Apple Glass, augmented reality glasses that have been the headaches of the trade press for several years.
At what price will the iPhone 12 be sold?
According to leaker Jon Prosser, the prices of the different iPhone 12 models should not vary much compared to those of the iPhone 11 range, despite the presence of a new model with the iPhone 12 “quite simply “And its 5.4-inch screen. Thus, the iPhone 12 would be sold starting at $ 649, $ 749 for the iPhone 12 Max, $ 999 for the iPhone 12 Pro and $ 1,099 for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. These are the US smartphone prices, and it turns out that they do not move compared to those of the iPhone 11/11 Pro and 11 Pro Max last year, at least as regards the “Pro” models. Logically, we could expect prices similar to those of the iPhone 11, or around 800 euros for the iPhone 12, around 900 euros for the iPhone 12 Max, 1,159 euros for the iPhone 12 Pro and 1,259 euros for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.