Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 12 family during the Apple event today. The new iteration of the iPhone brings a new design with flatter edges all around, in addition to being thinner and lighter than the previous model. It also features Apple's Super Retina XDR display technology, which means it's now OLED instead of LCD, and it also has an increased 2532x1170 resolution.
Apple got help from Corning, the makers of Gorilla Glass, to design a new protective glass for the iPhone 12, which Apple calls Ceramic Shield. Apple says this new display protection offers up to four times the drop protection of the previous generation. This is done by using high-temperature crystalization to grow "nano-ceramic crystals" in the glass.
The iPhone 12 is also Apple's first phone to support 5G, and Apple says it supports more 5G bands than any other smartphone. It's also smart, and Apple says it will turn off 5G when the increased speeds aren't necessary to save battery. Apple promises speeds up to 3.5Gbps on 5G.
At the core of the iPhone 12 is the new Apple A14 chipset, which is based on a 5nm process. That makes the iPhone 12 the first phone in the world to sport a 5nm chipset. It has a six-core CPU and a quad-core GPU, both promising to be 50% faster than competing smartphones. Additionally, the Neural Engine now has 16 cores, making it 80% faster than before, and the machine learning accelerators are also 70% faster.
The camera setup has also been improved, though there are still only two cameras, and not the three you'd find on a Pro model. The new 12MP main camera has a seven-element lens for the first time in an iPhone, and it has optical image stabilization. Apple is promising better low-light performance for the camera, and the computational photography has also been improved, with Smart HDR 3 improving dynamic range.
For video, the camera on the iPhone 12 is also the first to be able to record HDR video with Dolby Vision, and it's the only device that can not only record but also edit and share Dolby Vision video.
For this year's iPhone, Apple is also introducing MagSafe for iPhone for the first time. This is meant to improve wireless charging for iPhone, and it makes it easier to find the right position for the charger thanks to new magnets in the phone. Additionally, Apple is working with partners to design accessories that support MagSafe so you can still charge the phone while it's in a case.
Apple is also committed to its sustainability goals, so 100% of the rare earth minerals used in the iPhone 12, including the magnets, are recycled.
Apple also unveiled the iPhone 12 mini, the first time it's using the "mini" name in an iPhone. It's all exactly the same as the regular iPhone 12, except the screen size is smaller. The iPhone 12 will have a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 12 mini has a smaller 5.4-inch display to make it easier to handle.
The iPhone 12 family will start at $699 for the iPhone 12 mini, and $799 for the iPhone 12, though there are some financing options as well. This does make the iPhone 12 $100 more expensive than the iPhone 11 was at launch, which had the same display size.
The iPhone 12 will be available for pre-order this Friday, and ship on October 23. The iPhone 12 mini will arrive a little later, with pre-orders opening on November 6, and shipping on November 13.
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