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As expected, Apple finally exposed its latest iPhone generation at the unusually named ‘Hi, Speed’ even tonight, 13 October. Pretty much all the information about the launch leaked ahead of time, but the company still accomplished to place on a persuasive and impressive show. Everyone is excited particularly about the new iPhone 12 mini. Here is everything you will need to know about the iPhone 12 launch that includes release date, design changes, new features, and network connectivity.
Apple also has announced that League of Legends: Wild Rift will be released for the iPhone 12 later this year.
iPhone Detail
No surprise here – the only question was whether Apple would go for the “mini” branding on the smallest model and yes it has. There are four models available:
- iPhone 12 mini (5.4in)
- iPhone 12 (6.1in)
- iPhone 12 Pro (6.1in)
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7in)
Changes in Design
Apple has gone for a return to the flatter and thinner, squarer-edged design of the iPhone 4 and the posterity, rather than the curved-edge style you have grown by using in current years
Whether that is good news it totally depends on your personal tastes. I think the squared-off design that looks better, but devices in that style are harder to pick up and feel less enjoyable in the hand.
Very much for shape, but there are two other important changes to the design, one is enormously practical, and the other is totally cosmetic and let’s do the practical one first.
Cameras
We don’t get any more predictable lenses this year. Apple has not conducted a Gillette and pushed to four lenses on the rear – not have the specs of the main camera modified. But in addition to its obvious AR capabilities, apart from an advanced LiDAR scanner opens up new photographic possibilities – quick autofocus in the less light, and an advanced feature: Night Mode portraits.
Talking of which, Apple also had added Night Mode time-lapse photography, and an advanced version of its Smart HDR feature for merging numerous exposures to grab even in complex lighting conditions: Smart HDR 3 and this created some terrific-looking mixed-conditions shots in the demo, but we will have to try it before we can give the verdict.
Color Finishes
There are some outstanding new colors to choose from. The iPhone 12 and 12 mini comes in white, blue, black, green, and Red. iPhone users know that blue and green are new where green is amazingly pale and also looks decent, the blue is dark and rich and has superb looks.
The 12 Pro and 13 Pro Mac, meanwhile, come in gold Graphite and silver (possibly a rebranding of Space Black/Grey) and the totally advanced Pacific Blue. It is a bit greyer than the blue of the iPhone 12, possibly aimed at a more serious market, but my initial preference is for the reasonable model’s animation.
Ceramic Shield
Apple has normally talked up iPhone screen strength in the past. To a degree that is fair, thanks to the inclusion of the Gorilla Glass of Corning, but no iPhone I have ever tested has been completely scratch-proof.
Corning was namechecked specifically in the iPhone 12 presentation as it is supplying a new material for these handsets known as Ceramic Shield. This is apparently “infused with nano-ceramic crystals” to “dramatically improve toughness” provides 4x better drop protection than the previous generation and is “stronger than any smartphone glass”.
5G, Just Wow!!
Now, we are into the new features and the main headline feature for this generation is support for 5G that Apple calls “the most exciting step yet”. The company actually couldn’t have played this any bigger, with the broadcasters at several points standing in front of the wide 5G logo that covers the whole stage.
Apple made a lot of boasts about how well 5G is going to works, but yes the carriers which will have to do the heavy lifting. Apple had a representative from the Verizon on stage, who started by promisingly proclaiming “With iPhone, the wait is now over. 5G just got real” but the, understandably – spent most of the time by talking about how great Verizon’s 5G network is and very quickly will be, the stadiums and the airports it will cover and the latency and capacity it will offer.
Unfortunately for those here in the UK, he focused on the areas and cities which be covered in the US rather than elsewhere. The common benefits of 5G are obvious and you get faster internet access when away from home Wi-Fi, perhaps as much as 4Gbps under optimal conditions, Verizon reckons. But the actual specific speeds will depend hugely depending on time and location.
The iPhone 12 range supports the most 5G brands of any smartphone, Apple has said, and offers a Smart Data Mode whereby, when 5G doesn’t offer any benefits, the phone will switch to LTE to save on battery. They support specifically high-speed mmWave version of 5G.
Pre-orders for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro kick-off at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, October 16, with the first and foremost orders set to arrive at customers on Friday, October 23. People who want an iPhone device will be available for pre-order on November 6 with a launch to follow on November 13.
