12 Things to Expect from the iPhone 12

The iPhone 12 announcement and subsequent release feel close – at least it should. The last few weeks have seen the hype and rumors go into overdrive. Some rumors have been debunked along the way but new ones always seem to pop up – like an endless game of whack-a-mole. It is understandable to want to believe every single rumor. The thought of the perfect iPhone brimming with features is an annual rite of passage. That is until the over-the-top rumors slowly die, taking pieces of our hearts with them. Either way, the thrill, and excitement are always too good to pass up. Here is what to expect so far from the 2020 iPhones.

1. 120Hz ProMotion

The release of the 2020 iPad Pro saw the 120Hz that made its debut in 2018 retained. Naturally, Apple fans expected the technology to make it to the 2019 iPhones. When it eventually did not, it became almost universally agreed that 2020 would be that year. Obviously, right?

Well, not really. Twitter leaker Max Weinbach stated that while the Pro models would likely ship with a 120Hz-capable display from Samsung, the high refresh rate would not be activated. This means that none of the iPhones would be sporting a ProMotion display. Maybe next year? Cue the sad faces.

2. Design

While there will be no radical shift in design, it is said that all the iPhones would have even thinner bezels than the iPhone 11 range. Most people might not even notice as the bezels are already pretty small, except the imposing notch.

Speaking of the notch; while earlier reports had stated that the iPhone 12 range would have a much smaller notch, that will probably not happen either. A leak of the display panel, when super-imposed on various iPhone sizes showed that the notch would pretty much stay the same. It is barely even noticeable anymore, right?

Reports state that the notch will stay the same until Apple has the technology to make major changes to sensor placement.

3. Sound

Apple’s sound technology has always been above par. This year’s iPhones will feature richer and clearer sound with deeper bass if the sound samples obtained by Max Weinbach are anything to go by. This is when compared to the iPhone 11 range, which already had great sound.

4. Ports and Cables

Again, the 2020 iPad Pros are to blame for this. No, there will be no USB-C port on the iPhone 12. Alongside ProMotion, a more standard USB-C port was high on most people’s wishlists for this year’s iPhones. Not that there’s anything wrong with Apple’s proprietary lightning port. It would just be great to have one cable for all your smart devices. Think about it this way though, what would you possibly do with all the lightning cables you currently have?

Probably throw them away or find some creative use for them. Why? The new lightning cable will be braided. That’s right, no more damaged iPhone cables. Braided ones look better ad have superior durability. Still not USB-C though.

5. Packaging

The news has been everywhere, raising split opinions. Apple will exclude a charging brick from this year’s packaging. This means a smaller box and a thank you from the environment. Apple says that you have enough charging bricks already. What do you think?

6. Cameras

The collective belief is that this year’s iPhones will have a LiDAR scanner as part of the camera setup. Save for the bigger 120Hz screen, this is bound to make this year’s iPhones great AR devices.

What is not generally agreed on is the layout of the cameras. Earlier leaks showed uniform lens placement in each quadrant of the camera bump, with the flash in the middle. Newer, conflicting leaks show something similar to the current camera array. Time will tell with this one.

As for the camera quality, Ming-Chi-Kuo detailed certain improvements in the iPhone 12. The autofocus is said to be much-improved thanks to VCM OIS (Voice Coil Motor | Optical Image Stabilization) technology. From spring-based to magnet-based stabilization.

7. 5G

The iPhone 12 will be capable of mm-wave and sub-6GHz 5G. Rejoice.

Reports however say that 5G capability for next year’s iPhones will be region-dependent. This means that some regions may have not 5G iPhones at all or will have either mm-wave or sub-6GHz 5G. A story for another year though.

8. Batteries and Charging

iPhones are not known to have the largest batteries, but the iPhone 11s had great battery life for the most part. It is still disappointing, however, when iPhone batteries have a lower battery capacity than expected, as may be the case this year. Max Weinbach’s earlier prediction of 4000 to 4400 mAh batteries was seemingly debunked by another publication. The 3969, 3046, and 3110 mAh batteries for the Pro Max, Pro, and standard 11 respectively will reportedly be 3687, 2815, and 2775, plus 2227 for the new 5.4-inch model.

With those capacities, it is hard to believe reports of the inclusion of reverse wireless charging.

There are also reports that Apple will release a Qi wireless charging case with no lightning port to charge the iPhone wirelessly.

9. RAM

Leaks have continued to confirm that the Pro models will have 6GB of RAM while the standard models will have 4. With Apple’s optimizations in their devices, the 8, 12, and 16GB of RAM seen in high-end Android phones have never been necessary.

10. Processors

Leaks continue confirming the coming of the new A14 Bionic processor with this year’s iPhones. The chip’s architecture is yet to be confirmed but is likely 5nm.

11. Price

Twitter user Komiya stated that the iPhone prices will be as follows:

iPhone 12 | 5.4” | 5G | 64GB – $699

iPhone 12 | 5.4” | 5G | 128GB – $749

iPhone 12 | 5.4” | 5G | 256GB – $849

iPhone 12 Max | 6.1” | 5G | 64GB – $799

iPhone 12 Max | 6.1” | 5G | 128GB – $849

iPhone 12 Max | 6.1” | 5G | 256GB – $949

iPhone 12 Pro | 6.1” | 128GB – $1049

iPhone 12 Pro | 6.1” | 256GB – $1149

iPhone 12 Pro | 6.1” | 512GB – $1349

iPhone 12 Pro Max | 6.7” | 128GB – $1149

iPhone 12 Pro Max | 6.7” | 256GB – $1249

iPhone 12 Pro Max | 6.7” | 512GB – $1449

12. Launch

The notion is that there will be 4 iPhone models being released this fall. Mac Otakara claims that 4G variants of the iPhone 12 will be released first in October, followed by the 5G variants in November. The launch may be staggered, with some models coming before the rest. The Max tag is said to be changed to Plus for this year.

Are you excited or are you bummed out? As you decide, check out the best protective cases for your beloved devices.