Another year, another lineup of Apple iPhones. Apple has unveiled its latest iPhone 12 series of smartphones, which are yet again touted to be the company’s best phones yet. However, this year’s lineup is a bit different as it consists of not only the regular iPhone 12 but also an iPhone 12 mini. Additionally, there’s the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max for people who need a bigger display and better cameras. Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone 12 lineup.
iPhone 12 gets a miniature version this year
This year, Apple has decided to bring a smaller version of the iPhone 12. No, we’re not talking about the SE 2020 but the rather unexpected iPhone 12 mini. Both phones, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini are similar in every aspect, apart from display size and form factor. The iPhone 12 features a 6.4-inch Super Retina XDR display and the 12 mini gets the same panel, but it measures 5.4-inches in size. Their display also gets ‘Ceramic Shield’ protection, of which they claim to be up to 4 times more durable than previous generation display glasses.
As mentioned, the phones are similar in almost all aspects. They both run on the latest A14 Bionic processor. Apple has maintained a tighter grip on its chip manufacturing, and it goes to show in the 5nm fab process, which was used to manufacture the chip containing over 11 billion transistors. Additionally, the phones will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256 GB internal storage variants.
With a flat-edge design for the display and an aerospace-grade aluminium chassis, the phones feature a dual-camera setup on the back. It consists of a 12MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 120-degree field of view. On the front is a 12MP camera that still supports FaceID.
The Apple iPhone 12 and 12 mini will be available in blue, green, black, white and (PRODUCT)RED colour options. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 commences from October 16th, and it will go on sale starting October 23rd. The iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order from November 6th and will go on sale on November 13th. The iPhone 12 and 12 mini prices are starting at €876.30 and €778.85 respectively.
The Apple iPhone 12 series also supports MagSafe, which enables magnetic wireless charging and accessory support. For the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, Apple has announced the MagSafe Charger and the MagSafe Duo charger, which can charge an iPhone as well as an Apple Watch. There are also new silicone, leather and clear cases with MagSafe support as well.
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
Coming to the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the handsets feature a bigger display and a triple-rear camera setup. The iPhone 12 Pro is equipped with a 6.1-inch display while the 12 Pro Max gets a 6.7-inch screen. Both phones have the same Super Retina XDR panels that support HDR and have been claimed to hit 1200 nits of peak brightness.
The two Pro phones run on the same A14 Bionic chip, which brings 5G support to the entire iPhone lineup this year. The Pro variants are IP68 certified, which means they can submerge in up to six meters of water for up to 30 minutes. In terms of camera, the iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max support clicking RAW images and the feature is called Apple ProRAW. The handsets feature three 12MP camera sensors on the back, with a wide, an ultra-wide, and a telephoto camera lens.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s wide-angle lens sports an f/1.6 aperture. It is said to offer 27% improved performance in low-light photo and video shooting. The ultra-wide-angle lens provides a 120-degree angle while a 52mm focal length telephoto lens enables up to 4x zoom.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a slightly upgraded camera over the 12 Pro. It features a 1.6 aperture for the wide-angle lens. With a 47% larger sensor and 1.7-micron pixels, Apple claims it offers 87% improvement in low light shooting conditions. There’s also the ultra-wide-angle lens and a 65 mm focal length telephoto lens close-ups and tighter shots. In combination, this system offers 5x optical zoom. Lest we forget, there’s also a LiDAR on the Pro variants, which helps in focusing the camera in low light and helps with accurate object placement in AR applications.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB versions. In terms of colour option, one will get to choose from graphite, silver, gold and Pacific blue. The iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro max start from €1,120 and €1,217.50 respectively.
Image credits: Apple
