Tech
12 Reasons Why I’m Watching the iPhone 12
Two days ago (Jun 19), new leaks suggested the iPhone 12 could be the smallest iPhone since eight years ago. Yes, even smaller than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE.
Updated: New leaks! We have a first look at the premium dummy models obtained by iupdate:
Its the time of the year again. Nothing quite like a new iPhone during a pandemic.
Following tradition in a timely fashion, new leaks about the iPhone 12 were out two days ago. Being a sucker for gadgets, I went to search them up. I list here 12 reasons why I will be watching the iPhone 12.
Because why not?An iPhone 12 leaks round-up in the name of fun during trying times.
Personal Reasons
SO I list 12 reasons why I am watching the iPhone 12. I break them up into three categories, first up: personal reasons. (Then, aesthetics and geek out)
#1 A Timely Upgrade
I owned my first iPhone on 2016 on my birthday, it was the iPhone 7 Plus I bought with my own hard earned money from part-time side work during college.
Before that, I had been using Android phones all along since smartphones came about. One after another, they always end in the same story: the phone would crash, overheat, and fry itself of circuit. On one faithful day, that would happen to my last Android phone that I owned.
I desperately needed a phone to do basic calls and stay contactable, so I borrowed an iPhone 5 from a kind friend. Instantly, I was a convert. “It just works.” I thought.
“It just works.”
Two months later, I would buy the newly released iPhone 7 Plus and kept using till four years later, with little to no troubles, until lately. The apps started crashing. I discovered my battery degrade was at “Service” — 78% — and suspected that might be the culprit that was affecting performance.
Out of both necessity and curiosity, I find myself watching the iPhone SE and 12 leaks and anticipating its launch — a feeling that I have forgotten for almost four years.
#2 The Size
Having owned the iPhone 7 Plus, the size bugged me. I was not able to easily take pictures with one hand.
iPhone SE almost had me on the hook for its smaller size if not for the city lockdowns as I have a thing for buying electronics first hand in the physical. Soon after, the leaks came out.
There will be size changes in all the models in the iPhone 12 line-up.
- Firstly, Apple is releasing four iPhone models, the iPhone 12 , iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
- iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be larger, at 6.1 and 6.7 inch respectively, while the entry-level iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max will spot a 5.4 inch and 6.1 inch design respectively.
To me, this is the biggest selling point. I am looking at the 5.4 inch iPhone 12, which is expected to be even smaller than the 4.7 inch SE. The smaller iPhone will practically seal the deal for me, providing a competitive smaller phone with the same capabilities. We live in an era where few phones fit in the front pockets of our jeans.
#3 Cheaper Pricing
Cheaper price for all the models in the iPhone 12 lineup. What is there not to like:
5.4-inch iPhone 12 (codename — D52G) — OLED / 5G — Dual Cameras — $649
6.1-inch iPhone 12 (D53G) — OLED / 5G — Dual Cameras — $749
6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro (D53P) — OLED / 5G — Triple Cameras + LiDAR — $999
6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max (D52G) — OLED / 5G — Triple Cameras + LiDAR — $1,099
iPhone 12 may not be a huge upgrade over the iPhone 11, but it surely is a cheaper one.
In comparison, the price of the iPhone 12 models will not differ much from the current iPhone 11 models, considering that the new models will feature historically expensive hardware like 5G and OLED screens, that has other brands marking up price by up to 20%.
With new partnerships with chip company Qualcomm, iPhone 12 may even become more affordable than flagship level android phones.
#4 Touch ID in Display?
In a May update, China’s Daily News claimed that Apple is looking to integrate an in display fingerprint sensor, much like Touch ID except on screen.
This addition may seem quaint to FaceID users, but even they can empathise with the limitations of FaceID when wearing face coverings.
This technology has already been used in the Samsung’s galaxy S10 lineup, albeit heavily criticized for its performance issues.
In a post-pandemic world, this could be a helpful feature to have, or even set a standard in the future, not to mention coming from an iPhone 7 TouchID user like me.
#5 Minimal Delays Amid Coronavirus
When the iPhone SE came out in April, it was caught right smack in the middle of city lockdowns around the world. While it could have been the worst time to release the first iPhone in the line-up for the iPhone 12 series, Apple did not disappoint with clockwork efficiency. The iPhone SE quickly earned hype as the biggest bang for the buck.
Apple can’t do the same for the iPhone 12 itself. The company has announced that it will delay the mass production by about a month, citing the virus impact on manufacturing and demand.
A one month delay is still pretty minimal.
Nevertheless, leaks quickly came out and stopped me in my tracks to pick up the SE. See me again on October.
Aesthetics Reasons
NEXT up, aesthetics. Because everyone knows few things beat a sleek sexy looking phone in hand.
#6 Angular Design
Angular design reminiscent of iPhone 5 seems slated to make a comeback this time.
Like trends in fashion design, retro-inspired style often come in and out of popularity, in a cyclical resurgence of distinctive styles not commonly seen in current trends anymore. The round edge of the iPhones was used every year since iPhone 6 launched in 2014.
Surely it would be refreshing both to the eye and touch.
#7 Smaller Notch? Or Not
Conflicting news on this one.
Initially the notch was thought to be smaller along with the new angular design, but a new leak dated June 20 suggests otherwise. This is based on the series of metal molds and schematics that Apple is known to send to resellers for accessories like case makers.
If it is any consolation, the iPhone 12 Pro Max may be primed to receive a time-of -flight LiDAR sensor to supplement its rear camera, based on the same schematics.
Based on multiple sources, the presence of LiDAR time-of-flight scanner to act as a rear-facing 3D camera of the iPhone 12 seems likely, given that the iPad Pro released earlier this year included one.
#8 iOS 14
iOS 14 could prove a turning point in iOS updates, especially for iPhone 12 which is reimagined to support widget.
If so, this would be a great edition to rival the long standing feature in android phones. I may finally use those rarely used apps, like knowing direction with the compass app, without ever making a conscious attempt at opening them.
Speculation aside, the iOS 14 is rumored to include more hidden features such as built-in translator for Safari and support for Apple Pencil.
Updates:
Breaking news! It appears the widget is pretty much confirmed, with Apple just announced “Smart Stack” widget, “App Library” view, and “App Clips” mini apps amongst other things. Check it out:
#9 Colour
Few things shouts aesthetics more than the iPhone colour in a mirror selfie.
Rumor has it that Apple is introducing the Navy Blue colour on the iPhone 12 Pro, replacing the Midnight Green colour offered on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Check out the beautifully made concept video here:
Traditionally, the Pro models spot darker and more silver colour schemes, while the entry level models will carry more colours. Also, like the Midnight Green for iPhone 11, the new hues could be exclusive to the Pro models. There is little reason to think Apple will detrack from this.
Nerd Out Reasons
APPLE’S upcoming A14 Bionic processor promises a generational leap that could be an industry game-changer, capable of MacBook Pro-grade performance. Expect a 50% improvement in high-end graphics performance used in games.
More than just improvements in game graphics, the A14 chipset will enable many other software and hardware possibilities. Here’s what to expect:
#10 5G for all models
The 5G connectivity across the board may be the biggest improvement in the iPhone, with support for augmented reality and time-of-flight scanners.
Hardware wise, iPhone 12 may be the first phone to feature Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X60 modem, which uses aggregation for faster 5G speeds, making the service carriers the limiting factor. AR apps performance will then depend heavily on the speeds provided by the telecommunication carriers.
If that all seem too much, Apple may also offer a cheaper iPhone 12 without 5G.
#11 USB-C
Apple has been receiving some flak lately, particularly on the App Store 30% cut on all app indiscriminately. The European Commission always had an issue with the monopoly of both Google play store and Apple app store. This time, they are inquiring antitrust complaints based on anti-competition grounds, made by Rakuten’s Kobo subsidiary.
Four months backin January, the EU Parliament voted for a common charging port after calls from the EU commission to do so for more than a decade (since inception of smartphones).
While Apple is certainly facing pressures to switch over to the USB-C interface on their device, the company probably won’t back down without a fight or a workabout (through a loophole like it did with iPhone 5).
#12 Screen
Welcome the long overdued 10-bit colour support and 120Hz refresh rate.
Honestly, the screen of my LED iPhone 7 was good enough for me. So this is just technicalities.
- 2778 x 1284 resolution
- 100% P3 wide colour gamut, 10-bit colour support — that is billion colours
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- XDR compatibility (extreme dynamic range)
- 1600 nits of peak brightness
- 1M:1 contrast
If these numbers mean nothing to you, just know that Samsung has not achieve this yet in comparison, and Samsung OLED displays are magnificent.
#13 Bonus: Camera
Rejoice! For even better cameras.
The iPhone 11 camera was a completely new camera employing never before used segmentation and post-processing by machine learning. Following the “Beautygate” controversy, which had faces of subjects in photos airbrushed and smoothed out, Apple has since quietly stepped up it’s camera game.
Rumor says to expect a huge camera upgrade for the iPhone 12 with quad-lens set up — three rear cameras and a LiDAR sensor. The fourth “camera” presumably used for more accurate object tracking in immersive augment reality apps.
Other hardware upgrades rumored included “sensor shift” technology that can detect movement of the phone and compensate for that movement by moving in the sensors in the opposite direction using small actuators, allowing for stable pictures. This is markedly different from Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) which compensates for the movements by shifting the lens instead of the sensor. Other improvements include:
- periscope-like telephoto lens to provide longer zoom range
- IMX686 image sensor
- stitching of synthetic group selfies
With multiple reviews of the iPhone camera against the DSLR, the iPhone proves a compelling competitor to the mainstay of professional photographers.
Leaks and WWDC 2020
With the iPhone 12 slated to no more than a month’s delay, I can only wait in anticipation like a child waits for Christmas.
In the meantime, the leaks and WWDC blog can entertain my gadget geek out periods.
“See me again on October.”
Reference:
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/new-iphone-12-release-date-price-specs-and-leaks
https://wccftech.com/iphone-12-all-oled-10-bit-color-resolution-details-included/
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