Each year in September a new iPhone is announced. We all rant about it, question the need for a second kidney and line up at stores on launch day. Jokes are made, and jokes about those jokes. It is all very meta. This year because of the pandemic, iPhone was delayed until October. On October 13th event, Apple formally announced four new iPhones namely iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 is a successor to iPhone 11, while 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini is all-new sized. This makes it the smallest iPhone Apple has introduced since the 2016 iPhone SE. These two phones are almost identical with the only difference being screen size and battery size. Both of these phones feature a dual-lens camera setup, consisting of a 12-megapixel main wide camera with a larger f/1.6 aperture for better low-light performance and a second 12-megapixel f/2.6 ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field-of-view which is similar to what we got in iPhone 11 series. The two new Pro models are available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch (the biggest size Apple has ever made) options. What separates the Pro models is the addition of a third telephoto camera sensor to the existing dual sensors in iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini, similar to what we saw last year in iPhone 11 Pro series. In addition to that, there is a LiDAR sensor included which Apple says will help with faster autofocus for better Night Mode performance.
For the very first time, whole 12 series feature an OLED display, unlike last time when only Pro models had an OLED display. Design this year features a flatter edge rather than a curved one we have been seeing since iPhone 6 and is reminiscent of iPhone 4s and iPhone 5. All four phones rock a Super Retina XDR Display that is edge-to-edge with the familiar notch at the top for Face ID. Protecting this display is what Apple calls ‘Ceramic Shield’ and touts its tougher than any other smartphone glass (sad Gorilla Glass noises) with four times better drop performance. How effective is it going to be against micro-scratching is yet to be seen. Powering these four phones is Apple’s A14 Bionic system-on-chip, which was announced with the 2020 iPad Air. iPhone 12 is the first smartphone to feature a chip fabricated using TSMC’s 5nm process. It promises better performance and efficiency with Apple claiming it is up to 50 percent faster than any other high-end chip used in Android smartphones.
This year also marks Apple’s foray into 5G cellular technology with new iPhones. All four phones support 5G bands and testing has been done with over 100 carriers in 30 countries to ensure consistent performance. Apple has also added a ‘Smart data mode’ which switches between 4G and 5G depending on a user’s bandwidth demand helping save battery. Coming out of its grave this year is MagSafe, the proprietary charging port Apple introduced for Macbooks. Exclusive to iPhone 12 series there are magnets underneath the glass back which helps MagSafe accessories like a wireless charger, cardholder and cases simply snap onto its back.
Talking about things that are dead, Apple has decided to ship the iPhone 12 series without its in-box wall charger and earphones citing their environmental commitments and also claiming their customers already own a wall plug. It has also been removed from iPhone 11 and iPhone SE units that ship subsequent to the announcement. The wall brick that Apple claims its customers already have, is a 5W USB-A charger while the phone ships with a Lightning to USB-C cable. It was with iPhone 11 that a USB-C wall charger was included in the box. Those who don’t have one will have to buy one separately. Apple very conveniently sells a 20W USB-C wall charger.
Apple undeniably has a huge role in driving the smartphone industry forward, even though some of its moves sound ridiculous initially. We have been here before when Apple decided to kill the headphone jack in iPhone 7 which seemed like a drastic decision at that time and its competitors trolled them but soon those very companies followed. It was this very step that pushed the emergence of wireless earphones considerably. Almost a similar thing has happened this time as well with Samsung Galaxy S21 being rumoured to remove its charging brick and earphones as well. The first 5G phone was announced in April 2019 and since then about 80 more 5G phones have been released. Now it is with Apple’s entry into 5G that we will see faster implementation of 5G infrastructure. Doesn't matter if you are team Apple or team Android, it is a win for all of us.
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