A new iPhone is almost here, and it’s almost certainly four versions of the iPhone 12. Here’s everything you need to know.
Looking forward to the new iPhone? Apple’s iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are likely just a couple of months away as we’re expecting the company to unveil its new phones in September.
That said, while September is the normal month, the Covid-19 pandemic may impact the iPhone 12 release date this year, so a delay is possible. There are a variety of sources debating whether or not there will be a delay, but at the time of writing we’re expecting to see the phones launch before the end of 2020 at the very least, and September still looks very likely.
Ahead of that, Apple has already unveiled iOS 14, which is the big software upgrade we’re expecting to see on the iPhone 12 range. It’s almost certainly going to be running on the phones right out of the box, so that’s one element that we already know about.
What are we expecting from the iPhone 12 series beyond that? Well, this time there may even be four members of the family. There’s the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, all of which would be direct successors to the iPhone 11 range, but then we’re also hearing talk of an iPhone 12 Max — a big screen handset without the Pro credentials.
Plus, with talk of both 4G and 5G variants of some models, the selection of phones could be vast by Apple’s standards.
And it’s not just the number of phones that might change; the new iPhone is also expected to have the biggest design changes since the iPhone X eliminated the home button and introduced a notch back in 2017.
So this could be one of the most exciting iPhone launches in years, and we have a very good idea of what to expect, as many of the specs and details have leaked — though of course they’re not yet confirmed, and some things are still unclear.
You’ll find everything we’ve heard below, and we’re also keeping this article constantly updated with all the latest new iPhone 12 leaks and rumors, so make sure to check back regularly if you want to stay up to date on Apple’s next flagship.
The exact iPhone 12 release date is a confusing topic; nothing has been made official yet, but we’re almost certain Apple will be unveiling its new iPhones before the end of 2020.
September is likely to be when Apple unveils all four products, and in past years it has often been the second week of the month. It’s almost always unveiled on a Tuesday, and we’d put our money on it being revealed on either September 8 or September 15.
In previous years, you’ve then been able to pick up the phone for yourself 10 days later. That’d mean it may land on September 18 or September 25, but that’s looking less and less likely.
We can’t be as confident of these dates as in previous years as there is a good chance that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on the production of the next iPhone.
The latest rumor states that mass production of the iPhone 12 range is 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.
Other rumors suggest the iPhone 12 will have finished its final testing by the end of June, and will enter mass production in July. If true then the range could be announced and even go on sale in September, but it might be that only some models land on day one, with a longer wait for others.
Staggering the release date of models is something 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.
Another recent release date rumor meanwhile suggests November is likely when the handsets would go on sale, but that we may see the phones unveiled before that.
An executive at Broadcom (a manufacturer expected to supply iPhone 12 components) 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.
All of this said, we’ve also heard reports that had suggested that development would be unaffected, and there are other sources saying that the main manufacturing factories are fully staffed up. Plus, an executive at Foxconn (the main manufacturer of the iPhone) has said that the company aims to make up for lost time.
So, when will you get your iPhone 12? We can’t say for certain. For now our best guess is that’s it’s likely (though far from guaranteed) that the phones will be announced in September, but that you may have to wait a little longer than normal after the announcement before you can buy them.
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 the first two phones noted below.
There’s no clear information about prices for the UK or Australia, but we’d expect those too to broadly fall in line with last year’s models if the information above is accurate. That would mean a cheaper starting price for the basic model, among some other differences, but nothing drastic.
Having said all that, one previous report suggested that the cost of materials for the iPhone 12 range might go up, which could mean even higher prices at retail. We won’t know for certain until Apple announces the prices on stage.
And however much the iPhone 12 range costs, you might in some ways get less for your money, as it’s rumored that Apple won’t bundle free EarPods with them. We do not expect Apple to throw in a pair of free AirPods to make up for that loss either.
Similarly, we’ve now heard that Apple might not include a power adapter either (though you’ll still get a charging cable). This could however mean costs will be reduced. It could also allow for smaller packaging and make it lighter and therefore cheaper to ship, though how much of this saving will be passed on to consumers is unknown. It seems Apple has already surveyed customers about this potential change.
Most leaks are now suggesting the iPhone 12 design is set to look very different to the most recent products from Apple. 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.
Before we dig further into the design, you need to know that you’ll have four models to choose from, and that means several different sizes too. According to the most recent information on models, the phones below will be launched:
If this is accurate then we’d be seeing a non-pro ‘Max’ model for the first time in the form of the iPhone 12 Max. It looks set to have a larger screen size than the standard iPhone 12, designed for those who don’t want to spend lots on an iPhone 12 Pro Max model.
That said, the size is actually in line with the iPhone 11, so rather than making a bigger basic iPhone, Apple has seemingly shrunk the standard model, and if this information is right then you still only have three sizes to choose from, with the iPhone 12 Max supposedly being the same size as the iPhone 12.
Jon Prosser — a Twitter leaker who proved to have consistently correct information on the iPhone SE and MacBook Pro 13 — shared this information, and you can see some of the specs below.
Consistent leaks have also suggested that the iPhone 12 will have a flatter metal frame than the iPhone 11 range, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who’s also 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, bringing them more in line with older models like the iPhone 5.
Prosser’s information suggests it will be aluminum used on the iPhone 12, while the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will come with a stainless steel body.
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.
The tweet above 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.
That look has been further backed up by CAD renders that you can see in a video made by EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach. One of the examples of what the devices will look like is included below, but note that these are just renders made using information from their sources.
The reports above also point to smaller notches on all four rumored models, which is something we’ve heard consistently since new Face ID technology was first rumored in October 2019.
You should probably still expect a notch at the top of the phone’s display, but it looks like it’ll be a lot smaller than before, but won’t be drastically different in design to previous models.
One of the upcoming phones might even lack a notch though according to analysts, with the front-facing camera potentially set to be embedded under the screen instead. If this happens we’d expect it to be the most expensive iPhone 12 model that has this feature – likely the iPhone 12 Pro Max, or whatever it launches as.
All that said, leaked renders that are more recent than most of those above show some significant design differences to earlier leaks, as you can see below.
Based on these — shared by EverythingApplePro — the iPhone 11 Pro at least could have the old notch design, a large mmWave antenna cut-out, no LiDAR scanner, and the same lens layout as its predecessor.
Sonny Dickson (a leaker with a good track record) has also now shared iPhone 12 range dummy units that appear to be in line with this — as well as having flat edges, as rumored above.
