Tuesday October 13th, 2020, Apple Inc [stock_market_widget type=”inline” template=”generic” color=”default” assets=”AAPL” markup=”({symbol}) {currency_symbol}{price} ({change_pct})” api=”yf”] announced their new lineup of iPhones ranging from the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple also unveiled a new Homepod Mini and new iPhone 12’s at a more affordable price than the Pros this afternoon.
Here’s What’s New
All New Squared-Off Design and New Colors
Apple has made the design of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max look more like the iPad lineup with a new squared-off design similar to the recently-announced iPad Air. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max come in the following colors:
- Pacific Blue
- Gold
- Graphite
- Silver
5G Support
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max off the new 5G experience globally, engineered with seamless integration of hardware and software. 5G on iPhone 12 and 12 Pro boasts improved speeds for faster downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity in apps, FaceTime in high definition, and more.
Ceramic Shield Glass
Apple is claiming their new glass is 4x less likely to shatter with a new display made from Corning glass. We will soon find out whether this is true or not, as it seems apple frequently claims that their glass is very durable, yet phones still frequently crack.
Better Cameras
The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max come with improved cameras containing:
- 10-bit HDR video recording
- Record in Dolby Vision HDR
- 4K at 60 fps
- LiDAR Scanning for Augmented Reality
Apple has also created Apple ProRAW which allows for more in-depth editing of photos taken on the new phones.
Apple MagSafe Charging
Remember the Apple MagSafe connector on the old MacBook Pros? Apple is bringing back the famous feature this year by introducing a new way to charge the iPhone and connect to multiple new accessories, called MagSafe. This feature will be available on both the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro lineup.
Apple A14 Bionic Chip
This year, Apple announced that the A14 Bionic chip is being shipped with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro lineup. This is the first chip in the smartphone industry built on a 5-nanometer process.
Pricing
iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max for $1099. Apple has also upgraded the starting capacity to 128GB compared to last year’s starting capacity of 64GB.
Our Take
The iPhone 12 Pro lineup was a rather disappointing upgrade, given there was no support for the highly anticipated 120hz Pro-Motion display, which is currently in the iPad Pro lineup. Also, while Apple’s commitment to the environment is important and admirable, it is a shame to see that the iPhone will no longer ship with a charging brick for new customers.
This upgrade had a lot of potential but ended up feeling like a minor upgrade instead of the revolutionary one they claimed. Honestly, the iPhone 12 is a much more worthy upgrade than the 12 Pros.
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