Are Apple’s new iPhone 12 models any different from the iPhone 11? Everything you need to know about 2020’s hottest smartphone release – available for pre-order this month

Oct 15 , 2020

The Apple iPhone 12 is one of the most highly anticipated smartphone releases of 2020 – but is it worth digging deep for? Photo: Buro Malaysia

Ushering in a new era for smartphones, the iPhone 12 – featuring iOS 14 – is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. Now Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 12, along with the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing, said in a press statement that “the arrival of 5G marks the beginning of a new era for iPhone and we’re thrilled to bring these impressive new capabilities to our customers with iPhone 12.” Yes, you read that right – the iPhone 12 models come with 5G technology.

Now with 5G: the new iPhone 12. Photo: Buro Malaysia

With 5G capability enabled on the iPhone 12 models, expect improved speeds for faster downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity in apps, as well as FaceTime in high definition. In addition, the iPhone 12 models are also equipped with Smart Data mode – extending battery life by assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage and speed.

The iPhone 12 models come with 5G and Smart Data mode. Photo: Buro Malaysia

A14 Bionic

Another important feature is the A14 Bionic chip – the first chip in the smartphone industry built with the hi-tech five-nanometre process. Said to be faster and more efficient than ever, the chip allows the iPhone 12 models to experience console-quality gaming experiences, powerful computational photography and great battery life.

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Design

The 6.1-inch (15.5cm) iPhone 12 features a new flat-edge design with an aerospace-grade aluminium enclosure that’s combined with the ceramic shield front cover. Furthermore, there is also a new high temperature crystallisation step that grows nano-ceramic crystals within the glass matrix. This actually helps to increase drop performance by four times.

Equipped with all-screen Super Retina XDR displays that stretch further to the edges, the iPhone 12 is said to be able to deliver a two million-to-one contrast ratio for true blacks as well as an immersive HDR viewing experience for high-definition video and photos. Oh, the iPhone 12 models are also water resistance up to six metres for up to 30 minutes.

The iPhone 12 Pro models boast a sophisticated flat-edge design featuring a surgical-grade stainless steel band that’s paired with a precision-milled matt glass back. The smartphones are also equipped with the ceramic shield front cover that is said to be tougher than any smartphone glass.

In addition, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max feature a Super Retina XDR display with system-wide colour management for industry-leading colour accuracy. The latter actually comes with the largest display ever on an iPhone and the highest resolution featuring nearly 3.5 million pixels.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is 6.7 inches while the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are 6.1 inches. Photo: Buro Malaysia

Camera

Of course, the camera always matters. There’s a new dual-camera system that includes the both the Ultra Wide camera and a new Wide camera – which delivers 27 per cent more light for improved lowlight photos and videos. For improved photos in any environment, computational photography is taken to the next level on the iPhone 12 with night mode and the faster-performing Deep Fusion. These features are now available on all cameras: TrueDepth, Wide and Ultra Wide.

The iPhone 12 Pro models feature the new Apple ProRaw combining Apple’s multi-frame image processing and computational photography with the versatility of a Raw format. The iPhone 12 Pro now has the new seven-element lens Wide camera, the Ultra Wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 52mm focal length Telephoto camera (bringing the optical zoom range to four times).

As for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the smartphone has a Wide camera that boasts a 47 per cent larger sensor, the expansive Ultra Wide camera, and a 65-millimetre focal length Telephoto camera – offering a combined optical zoom range of five times.

The iPhone 12’s powerful cameras. Photo: Buro Malaysia

The iPhone 12 is also the first and only device in the world to enable an end-to-end Dolby Vision experience – featuring the first camera to shoot HDR video with Dolby Vision. This means that you can now capture, edit and share cinema-grade videos easily. You can also enjoy improved cinematic video stabilisation, more true-to-life selfie videos with Dolby Vision, and night mode time-lapse.

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MagSafe

How about MagSafe wireless charging? According to Apple, MagSafe “delivers a unique experience to iPhone, featuring an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil, optimised for alignment and efficiency, that perfectly connects to iPhone every time”. You can expect improved wireless charging and a more efficient experience.

Colours and options

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB in blue, green, black, white and Product Red starting at US$799 and US$699 respectively.

As for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, they will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue starting at US$999 and US$1,1099 respectively.

The new devices no longer ship with a charger or headphones as part of Apple’s sustainability efforts. They only come with a USB-C to lightning cable.

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Availability for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will begin in many countries on October 23, with the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max following on November 13.

In Hong Kong, meanwhile, pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will open on October 16, 2020. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will open slightly later, on November 6.

One thing’s for sure – fans are thoroughly excited. What are your thoughts on Apple’s latest smartphones and which will you be getting?

This article originally appeared in Buro 247.

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Apple

The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini come with 5G technology, iOS 14, better battery life and – as the first smartphones to shoot HDR videos in Dolby Vision – make for some truly cinematic selfies