The new iPhone – probably the iPhone 12 – is coming soon, and here’s everything we know so far.
The iPhone 12 is expected to land very soon, and in a first for Apple it could be joined by as many as three other phones, rumored to be called the iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. As such, there should be more iPhone choice than ever this year, especially once you factor in the iPhone SE (2020) which launched earlier in the year. While we know the iPhone 12 range is coming soon, we don’t know exactly when – usually it would be early September, but there are numerous reports of delays, and even Apple has said the phones will hit stores later than normal (though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be announced later). But we’d still expect the upcoming phones will be in eager hands before the end of October, and they may well still be announced in September, so the wait should almost be over. And it’s a wait that should be worthwhile, as we’re expecting some big upgrades, including the first 5G iPhone. With 5G networks rolling out across the world this will make the new phones far more future-proof than the iPhone 11 range. Leaks and rumors also suggest that the iPhone 12 Pro models will get a LiDAR scanner, just like the iPad Pro 2020, and we’ve also heard talk of new screen sizes (starting out at a tiny 5.4 inches and topping out at a big 6.7 inches). There’s sure to be a big upgrade in power too, and lots of other changes and improvements have also been rumored. In fact, at this point we have a good idea of what to expect from most aspects of the iPhone 12 range, and you’ll find all the credible things that we’ve heard so far below, along with our expert analysis. That includes a breakdown of all the rumored specs and features, plus the likely release date and price. And we’re adding to this article constantly, as the leaks keep rolling in, so make sure to check back regularly if you want to stay up to date with all things iPhone 12. It’s looking ever more likely that the iPhone 12 range won’t be announced until October, with a source now suggesting a launch in the second half of that month. Plus, another rumor suggests the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be the only phone in the entire series of devices to get access to mmWave 5G technology. The iPhone 12 release date is likely to come in October as the Covid-19 pandemic has knocked Apple off of its normal clockwork schedule of unveiling new phones each September. Apple has even confirmed it will go on sale “a few weeks later” than usual. Indeed, the latest release date rumor points to an announcement in the second half of October. This comes from Macotakara (a Japanese Apple-focused site) which cites ‘Chinese supplier information’ and says the long-rumored Apple AirTags will land alongside the iPhone 12. Another recent leaked release date roughly lines up with that, as Jon Prosser (a leaker with a mixed track record) has said that the iPhone 12 range will be announced on the week commencing October 12 (which might mean an announcement on Tuesday, October 13, since Apple often unveils things on a Tuesday.) Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max would apparently then open on the same week – probably Friday, October 16 based on Apple’s past form. After that, the phones would apparently ship on the week commencing October 19 (likely meaning Friday, October 23). However, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max apparently won’t be up for pre-order or ship until sometime in November. We would however take these claims with a pinch of salt, especially as Mark Gurman (an Apple leaker with a good track record) replied with a thumbs down emoji, suggesting they think Prosser is wrong. Plus, at least one tipster has said the announcement day will be September 8, in which case it may just be the actual date you can buy the phones that will be pushed back, though that’s at odds with Prosser’s claims above. Usually, we’d have said September is almost certainly when we’d see the phones, and in past years it has often been the second week of the month. New iPhones are almost always unveiled on a Tuesday, and with that in mind September 8 makes sense. But as noted Apple itself has said there’s a delay in when the phones will go on sale, so there may also be a delay in the announcement, as Prosser suggests. Indeed, another report on the matter, which comes from “multiple suppliers in China”, suggests that the iPhone 12 range won’t be announced until late October, with the 4G models hitting stores shortly after, while the 5G iPhone 12 models won’t go on sale until November. On the other hand, a source has now suggested that it’s actually the 5G models that will land first, with the 4G ones potentially not arriving until early 2021, so we’re not sure what’s accurate there. Staggering the release date of models is something that’s also been suggested by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says it would likely be the larger models of the phone that would come later than September. Kuo has said that multiple times, even as recently as the start of August. An executive at Broadcom – a manufacturer expected to supply components for the new iPhone – has also suggested a delay is likely, while one report in The Wall Street Journal also suggested production of the iPhone 12 has been delayed by around a month. Some sources even say it could slip into 2021 with Reuters also claiming a delay could be likely. Another rumor states that mass production of the iPhone 12 range was between four weeks and two months behind schedule, which could mean a big delay, though Apple is apparently doing everything it can to minimize the delay. Meanwhile, other rumors suggest Apple finished its final testing by the end of June, and entered mass production in July, which sounds more promising. So, when will you get your iPhone 12? We can’t say for certain. Apple’s comment isn’t particularly specific, and that may just be referring to when the phones go on sale. The bulk of the rumors seem to point to a delay of between one and two months, so October or November is looking likely – though the phones may well be announced before then. The iPhone 12 price is something that leaks have made a little clearer than the release date, and from what we’re hearing it’s likely to stay broadly in line with 2019’s iPhone range. For reference, the iPhone 11 started at $699 / £729 / AU$1,199, the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,749, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,899. Prices for the next iPhone range probably won’t be exactly the same though, as you can see in the chart below, which contains information taken from one big leak from YouTuber Jon Prosser. We’ve also included information from another leak, which suggests there will be 4G variants of two of the models. There’s no clear information about prices for the UK or Australia, but we’d expect those to broadly fall in line with last year’s models if the information above is accurate. That said, some sources have claimed the price may be set to increase over last year’s iPhones. For example, analyst Jeff Pu has claimed the basic model of the phone may start at $749. Indeed, a detailed price leak from @komiya_kj also suggests higher prices than the chart above, with the 5G iPhone 12 apparently starting at $699 (roughly £540 / AU$975) for 64GB of storage, and rising to $749 for 128GB (which is the amount mentioned in the chart). So that would make it $100 more than that earlier leak suggested for the same amount of storage, and other leaked prices from this source are similarly increased. However, the source doesn’t have much of a track record, so we’d take this with a pinch of salt. But this theory does line up with a previous report that suggested that the cost of materials for the iPhone 12 range might go up, which could mean higher prices at retail. Indeed, Ming-Chi Kuo (an analyst with a good track record for iPhone information) has said that the cost of 5G components could add up to around $220 (roughly £165 / AU$305) to the production price of each iPhone 12 unit. That’s not to say the phones will cost that much more at launch, especially as Apple seems to be cutting costs elsewhere, with reports of the battery board being a lot cheaper than in the iPhone 11, and the phones potentially not coming bundled with earbuds or a charging plug, but it could mean a price increase of some amount. Still, for now we’d say prices in line with those in the chart above are the most likely, given how reputable the main source is. Whatever the case, the iPhone 12 range is sure to be expensive of course, but the iPhone 11 is likely to get a price cut when it lands, with a source suggesting that will drop by $150 (roughly £115, AU$210), while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XR will supposedly get discontinued. In any case, you should probably wait for the iPhone 12 range to launch before buying any new iPhone, as our guide explains. Want to be the first to know the best iPhone 12 deals? Our pre-order sign up below will mean we send you the best deals immediately when they become available. The iPhone 12 design looks set to be a big change from the latest few generations of Apple’s handset. Remember the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5? Reports suggest that the iPhone 12 range will be in part inspired by those phones, and there’s supposedly even some elements of the iPad Pro 2020 mixed in. Specifically, consistent leaks have suggested that the iPhone 12 will have a flatter metal frame than the iPhone 11 range, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who’s a very trusted source, being among those to say this. The rear of all four phones is still expected to be made of glass, but the edges are expected to be more squared than the rounded ones on current models. Some sources speaking to Bloomberg claim similar, and they make comparisons to the design of the iPad Pro, saying that the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will have flat stainless steel edges, more sharply rounded corners, and flat screens. For an idea of how that might look in practice, check out the CAD renders below, made by EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach. The tweet below also shows off what the design may look like. The source claims these are official molds that will be used in the production of the next iPhone. Similarly, we’ve also now seen dummy units of all four models, which you can see below. These are non-functioning devices that case makers use to design accessories for the phones ahead of launch, so they could well be accurate, but they could just as easily be fake. In any case, there are certainly some errors with them, as the camera setup doesn’t match what we’re expecting (more on which below), but you can see that the design appears less curvy than the iPhone 11 range, lining up with other leaks. Elsewhere, we’ve heard that the entire new iPhone range could be thinner than the iPhone 11 range. A specific thickness is only given for the iPhone 12 Pro Max though, which is apparently 7.4mm (down from 8.1mm on the iPhone 11 Pro Max). And the phones might not just be slim – a separate leak has suggested the standard (supposedly 5.4-inch) iPhone 12 looks smaller than the iPhone 7, but isn’t as small as the original iPhone SE. You can see a video comparing those three phones here, while the tweet below provides another look at the possible 5.4-inch iPhone 12. We’ve also heard from Jon Prosser – a leaker with a good track record – that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max will have aluminum frames, and that the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will have stainless steel ones, and that all four phones will have smaller notches than the iPhone 11 range.
