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The annual show with the release of the next iPhone in 2020 dragged on for obvious and not very reasons. The pandemic, economic uncertainty, disrupted industrial ties and the development of Apple’s new technologies cost fans of the company an extra month of waiting.
But they paid back handsomely – now there are four iPhones and they really look like a step forward, unlike last year’s 11th.
iPhone 12 release date and prices
Smartphones were shown at the second autumn Apple presentation, which took place on October 13, 2020 online. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 in Our Country began to be accepted from October 21, and for the iPhone 12 mini from November 6. Live devices went on sale at the same time as the rest of the world – on October 23 and November 13, respectively. These dates also apply to the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.
Prices for new iPhones are high again, but there is good news – 128 GB became the base option for Pro versions. iPhone 12 Pro in Our Country starts from 99 rubles, Max will be asked for 990 rubles. iPhone 109 mini starts at 990 rubles, and the standard “twelfth” is priced at 12 rubles.
IPhone 12 Overview
Screen
Insiders were right – in the new generation there was no place for a model with an IPS matrix. Now all iPhones are OLED only. Apple called the Super Retina XDR displays, increasing their resolution along the way. Even the smallest iPhone boasts a 5,4-inch fullhd+ screen. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro feature 6,1-inch displays, while the Max has grown to 6,7 inches.
All smartphones received a particularly durable Ceramic Shield glass from Gorilla Glass, which should withstand even a fall from a height of human growth. But in all this barrel of honey, there was also a fly in the ointment – the new iPhones still work with a picture frequency of 60 Hz, which looks at least strange by the standards of 2020.
Chassis
But the transition to a case design reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and 5 did take place – the new smartphones from Cupertino have really become more angular and look like, for example, the current iPad Pro. Otherwise, there are few external changes – there remains a dubious screen “bangs” in which FaceID sensors are hidden, and a massive square camera module also stands out on the back panel. Interestingly, younger and older models now differ in case materials, or rather, a metal frame. Pro-models are made of surgical stainless steel.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini received a variety of colors. From the very beginning there were five of them – black, white, red, green and blue. Later, Apple introduced smartphones in a purple case. In the design of more premium iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max limited to silver, graphite, gold and “Pacific blue” colors.
For new smartphones, Apple introduced a line of accessories. It all started with MagSafe fast charging cases. Then special cardholders appeared on sale, which, through a magnet, fix a set of several bank cards or a driver’s license on the iPhone 12 case. Of course, that soon third-party manufacturers began to produce similar covers.
Processor, memory, communications
Regardless of the version, all iPhone 12 are built on the Apple A14 Bionic platform. This 5nm processor was already shown in September on the new iPad Air, but at the presentation of smartphones they talked about it in more detail. As noted in the company, the computing and graphics performance of the A14 is 50% higher compared to “some other” smartphones. But they did not explain which models the platform was compared with.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini models received 4 gigabytes of RAM each, and the older iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models received 6 gigabytes each. By the standards of iOS and its optimization, this is more than enough. Miracles did not happen with the volume of the drive – the younger models also start with 64 GB, which is frankly not enough in 2020. There are versions for 128 and 256 GB. iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max can be 128, 256 or 512 GB.
At the presentation, they devoted a lot of time to the fact that the iPhone finally received support for fifth-generation mobile networks. By default, all models are equipped with a 5G modem, but there are nuances. Firstly, the mmWave standard, which assumes the maximum data transfer rate at a close base station, will be exclusive to the US market – such Pro versions are distinguished by an additional antenna on the right side of the case. Secondly, 5G simply does not work in many countries, for example, in Our Country. Therefore, the new iPhone in 2020 in our country will work with the good old LTE.
There are no other innovations in terms of communications in the iPhone 12 – Wi-Fi 6, NFC, not the latest Bluetooth 5.0 and, of course, the proprietary Lightning connector. By the way, now there are no wired headphones in the package, as well as a charging box, but the cable was saved and made according to the Lightning-USB-C scheme.
Camera
Formally, the cameras of the new iPhones have changed little compared to their predecessors. 12 and 12 mini are content with two sensors – the main one at 12 megapixels and a wide-angle of the same resolution. The Pro models add a third sensor, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. It would seem that nothing new, but it is not.
So, the main sensor received a lens of seven lenses, the “wide” captures 27% more light, which will help smooth out the eternal problem of such sensors that shoot poorly in low light. The optical zoom on the iPhone 12 Pro has become four times, and on the 12 Pro Max it is even five times. Moreover, the latter also received matrix stabilization of the main sensor, which is still rare in smartphones.
Pro-versions were also received by lidar, which insiders persistently warned about. Apple promises that it will be used not only for specific tasks, such as building a depth map, but also for more precise focusing.
iPhone 12 can now shoot photos in Apple ProRAW and video in Dolby Vision with 10-bit HDR. None of the manufacturers before Apple has implemented the latter in smartphones.
Battery
Some time after the official release, official data on the battery capacity of the iPhone 12 line appeared. So, the smallest iPhone 12 mini received a battery of only 2227 mAh. The battery of the standard iPhone 12 fit 2815 mAh, the same battery was received by the iPhone 12 Pro. The most voluminous battery was installed in the iPhone 12 Pro Max model – 3687 mAh.
But the main thing is not this, but the new wireless charging MagSafe (Macbook fans, of course, remember this name), based on a magnetic coil with a power of 15 watts. Accessories announced at the presentation are also compatible with it, such as a dual charger or a magnetic credit card case. The power of wired charging remained at the same modest level – 18 watts.
By the way, recently the first powerbank from Apple appeared on sale. The magnetic MagSafe portable battery attaches to your iPhone and charges it wirelessly on the go. It is noteworthy that the situation can also work in reverse – the user will be able to give a charge from a smartphone to a powerbank. A similar design will be charged by wired charging at the same time.
Operating system
All iPhone 12 will be preinstalled with the latest version of iOS 14 at the time of release. In it, the developers revised the widget system, worked on the “window in window” system, and improved the security of the system as a whole.
Later, users of the iPhone 12 series were offered to upgrade to the more current iOS 14.5. In this version, the work with the protection of information that a smartphone can receive has been improved. Not without less significant updates, for example, new emoji.
In the fall of 2021, owners of the iPhone 12 line will be able to officially upgrade their smartphone to iOS 15. The update should turn out to be very interesting. Apple is preparing the biggest update to Facetime, as well as messages and navigation systems. Continuing the theme with widgets from iOS 14, they will be allowed to be added to the smartphone’s lock screen.
Also, iPhone 12 users will be able to participate in the testing system for the new iOS 15 before the official user release. You can do this in the system settings. To do this, you need to join the Apple Software Beta Program¹.
Sources of
- https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/