iPhone 12 Pro latest leaks, rumours and predictions August 2020
We are now around a month or two away from seeing the official unveiling of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. Here are all of the latest leaks, rumours and predictions surrounding Apple’s newest phone.
Last April, we did a round up of all the rumours surrounding the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro due to make its debut in October. Since, we have updated you with titbits surrounding the release, such as 5G information, performance details, 120Hz fluctuation, CAD designs, and the controversial decision to not include the power adapter or EarPods in the box. Remember, none of this is confirmed by Apple, so details may change.
Models, Size, Storage, Cost, Pre-Order & Release Date
All base model iPhone 12 and 12 Pros will be start at 128GBs for the same base cost of the iPhone 11s. This is a welcome improvement upon the 64GB offered in the iPhone 11s. The iPhone 12 event is expected to livestream on the 12th October, with predicted pre-orders and shipping dates below. While rumours circulated around a September 10th stream, there are multiple reasons this is highly unlikely, most notably Apple favour early week press releases, to drum up the most amount of hype during the week. The 6.7-inch display on the 12 Pro Max will be the largest display used in an iPhone and its resolution is thought to be 2788 x 1284.
iPhone 12 (5.4-inch) – Pre-Order October 12, Shipping October 19
- 126GB – $699
- 256GB – $799
iPhone 12 Max (6.1-inch)
- 128GB – $799
- 256GB – $899
iPhone 12 Pro (6.1-inch) – Pre-Order November 20, Shipping November 27
- 128GB – $999
- 256GB – $1099
- 512GB – $1299
iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7-inch)
- 128GB $1099
- 256GB $1099
- 512GB $1399
Apple are thought to launch a cheaper 4G only iPhone 12 Pro in early 2021 for around $800.
As for older models, iPhone XR and iPhone 11 Pro will be axed from the lineup, with iPhone 11 sitting neatly between the iPhone SE and iPhone 12 for around $549.
Screen
The biggest question mark surrounding the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are the details around a 120Hz high refresh rate. Since the implementation of Pro Motion displays on iPad Pros and continued support of high refresh rate on Android phones, users have been eager to see Apple implement the tech on iPhones. Since the introduction of the iPhone, screens have been stuck at 60Hz, meaning the screen refreshes 60 times per second. 120Hz allows for a much more fluid experience, leading to a perceived ‘faster’ phone.
Their are still some conflicting reports on whether or not Apple will include a high refresh rate display on iPhones this year. Apple have reportedly had the tech fully working on the larger 12 Pro Max, but are stuggling on the smaller 12 Pro models. Most recent reports indicate high refresh rate diplays will come to the iPhone 12 Pro models.
😏 there’s still hope pic.twitter.com/yFi1d9Hdf5
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) August 25, 2020
Design
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro should represent the biggest design change to the phone since the introduction of the iPhone X in 2017. Flatter sides should replace the rounded edges, reminiscent of the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S and SE (1st gen). Brushed metal and aerospace aluminium materials should provide a higher quality finish to the iPhone 12 Pro, as well as greater resilience to extreme temperatures, which should keep the phone cooler in the high temperatures and warmer in the cold.
Another flip-flopping comes from the camera orientation on the rear of the iPhone 12 Pro, with previous mockups showing a square quad-lens layout. LiDAR is thought to make its way from the iPad Pro to the iPhone 12 Pros, with the orientation of the three lenses staying in the same triangular position, but the smaller LiDAR cutout placed below the ultra-wide on the lower right.
iPhone 12 Pro is thought to get even slimmer bezels, with the same sized notch. Face ID should work from wider angles, hopefully leading to less leaning needed when placed face-up on a table.
Improved seals should lead to better water resistance, with a similar feature to the Apple Watch, that can eject water via vibrations from the speakers.
Internals
5G will almost certainly debut in the iPhone 12, with Sub 6GHz hopefully on all models and mmWave perhaps being available on certain models in certain markets.
A14 will power the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. We briefly detailed some calculations of the A14 in a post surrounding Apple Silicon. It should be around as powerful as the A12X, thus the first mobile processor to exceed 3GHz and more powerful than a baseline 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro. A14 should have 30% improved effciency and 15% gain in performance. A14 may lead to increased battery performance, with reports of iPhone 12 Pro Max achieving an additional 2hr 50min over the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Interesting new details around a circular magnetic array on the rear of the device have popped up. It will be under the rear housing and is thought to allow for easier alignments on AirPower (see Accessories), car phone mounts or reverse wireless charging. The magnets have also appeared in leaks of the teared down official iPhone 12 cases.
Accessories
A more durable braided lightning cable will be included in the box, but as previously discussed, the 20W wall-power adapter and EarPods can be purchased separately from Apple.
AirPower was a three device wireless charger, first previewed on stage alongside the iPhone X in 2017, but after multiple delays and issues in production, was later cancelled. Now, Apple AirPower is thought to be going ahead, perhaps in a smaller form factor and with the magnets mentioned above for easy alignment.
Other Apple Products
Apple Watch usually gets an update during the same iPhone event, however, with Apple’s iPhone event being pushed back to October due to COVID-19 delays in production, Apple will likely release Apple Watch Series 6, an iPad and AirPods Studio in a press release slated for September 7. A cheaper Apple Watch SE has been rumoured as well, which should feature a Series 3 body with newer internals. This is thought to be previewed and released in early 2021.
The first MacBooks with Apple Silicon are expected to be released via a press release in September/October this year.