Apple unwraps iPhone 12 lineup with OLED screens, 5G speeds

After missing its traditional September launch window, Apple has finally announced the long-awaited iPhone 12 series, four new iPhones sporting OLED screens and hi-speed 5G.

In a virtual event, Apple took the wraps off its vaunted next-gen lineup: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. “The next generation is here. Today is the beginning of a new era for iPhone. Today, we’re bringing 5G to iPhone. Introducing, iPhone 12.” shares Apple CEO Tim Cook during the online event streamed live from Cupertino, California. 

Design-wise, the new iPhone 12 lineup features straight lines and flat sides reminiscent of the iPhone 4 series that launched a decade ago. Apple veered away from the curved edges of the previous generation and has decided to go back to the widely popular metallic sharp edges and smooth finishes for the 12-series.

For Apple, 2020 is the year of 5G and it intends to enter the 5G space by equipping their next-gen phones with the latest tech to match current offerings from rivals. The new iPhones are compatible with mmWave and sub-6GHz, two of the most common 5G networks used worldwide, allowing it to connect to hi-speed internet in any part of the globe.

Gorgeous OLED screens

All four of the new iPhones will feature Super Retina XDR displays, a type of OLED screen that boasts of a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, capable of producing true, deep blacks and vivid colors. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and HLG. It gets plenty bright as well, capable of displaying from 625 up to 1,200 nits of maximum brightness, nearly twice than the iPhone 11.

Shatter resistant and waterproof

Protecting the display is the Ceramic Shield front cover. Packed with nano-ceramic crystals, this new glass cover will protect the newest iPhones up to 4x more compared to the previous glass. The lineup will also feature an industry-leading IP68 rating for water resistance up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes, and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda.

Fastest A14 Bionic processor

Powering the new iPhones is the new Apple A14 Bionic processor, a 5nm chip with a 16-core Neural Engine that can perform 11 trillion operations per second. Compared to the previous A13, this new chip gives the absolute best performance for intensive tasks like graphic-intense work.

Wireless charging, clickable accessories with MagSafe

To improve wireless charging capability, Apple has also decided to re-introduce MagSafe in all four, a system of aligned, built-in magnets to ensure that the iPhone perfectly lines up with supported MagSafe accessories, from cases, charges, clips and other peripherals. 

As for the software, all four phones from the 12-series will come with iOS 14.1 out of the box.

Here’s a quick rundown of the iPhone 12 series with their corresponding technical specs and prices. Note that these are direct USD to PHP conversions, not accounting for other pricing factors like taxes and duties. Expect an increase in price one it becomes officialy available in the PH market.

• iPhone 12 mini that starts at $699 (P34,081) Sporting a 5.4-inch OLED display, the iPhone 12 mini is the tiniest of the bunch, with Apple dubbing it as the “smallest, thinnest, and lightest 5G phone in the world.” It’s protected by the new “Ceramic Shield” protection and has wireless charging capabilities. On the rear, it has a dual-camera module, a 12-megapixel primary snapper with f/1.6 aperture lens, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Base storage starts at 64gb, followed by 128gb and 256gb.

• iPhone 12 that starts at $799 (P38,955) The base model iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch OLED display. Size-wise, it’s just like the previous iPhone 11 but with smaller side and bottom bezels. An interesting addition is the significant increase in screen resolution, registering 2532 x 1170 for an ultra-crisp 460 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Its dual camera set up is the same as the iPhone 12 mini: a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.6 aperture lens, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. It has a built-in Night Mode, as well as night time lapse. Like the Mini, the iPhone 12 comes in 5 colors: black, white, product RED, green and gorgeous blue.

• iPhone 12 Pro that starts at $999 (P48,646) Dimension-wise, the iPhone 12 Pro is the same size as the regular iPhone 12, but sporting a more durable stainless steel frame compared to the aluminum sides of its sibling. For the cameras, the iPhone 12 Pro sports three snappers, 12-megapixel main snapper, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a telephoto lens. An interesting addition is the 1-millimeter LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor located just beside the main camera. LiDAR technology will allow for 6x faster low-light autofocus on photos and video, as well as instant AR recognition.
• iPhone 12 Pro Max that starts at $1,099 (P53,499) The largest in the series is the  iPhone 12 Pro Max with an expansive 6.7-inch OLED display. It also has the same Ceramic Shield glass, stainless steel frame and LiDAR sensor as the iPhone 12 Pro model. Its tri-camera configuration – a 12-megapixel main snapper, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and a telephoto lens – offers 5x optical zoom. It is available in four shiny finishes: silver, graphic, gold and Pacific blue.

  Availability and release dates

  The new iPhone 12’s up will be available for pre-order starting Oct. 16 in the US, Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and more than 30 other countries and regions. Shipping and availability starts on October 23. For the iPhone 12 Mini, pre-orders begin at Nov. 6, with shipping and availability commencing on Nov. 13. No word yet on when the new line-up will officially arrive in the PH market.