Rumour Round-Up: iPhone 12

Are we sure that Apple aren't going to do a Samsung or a Huawei and ditch the 12 for the 20? Yep, and we are sure that this years iPhone's will bring improvements all across the board! There have been multiple leaks on various parts of the new devices as well as their names and price points. Our look at the new iPhone's this year are definitely clearer than most other devices in previous years. Let's get started!

1. Name: iPhone 12. Date: XX/09/2020

The iPhone 11 series had a slightly different naming scheme compared to the previous iPhone's, with the XR becoming the 11, the XS becoming the 11 Pro, and the XS Max becoming the 11 Pro Max. Apple seem to be sticking to this naming scheme with the iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. When will we hear about these devices? New iPhone released are usually held in the second week of September, so likely a September 8th or 15th launch date and then will be available 10 days after its official launch. However, this year may also see the next generation iPhone SE under a new moniker as well as a prototype for a foldable iPhone. 

2. It's What's Inside That Counts...

Apple seem to be going all in on in-display tech, ending their own 'notch' trend in smartphones since 2017. iPhone 12 is also rumoured to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor, bringing Touch ID back to the latest iPhone's. Some have speculated where Face ID may be, with the possibility of it hiding underneath the display. However, others fear that we may not see Face ID on these iPhone's. Though, there have also been a couple of leaks of a smaller notch with newer TrueDepth sensor's to fit in a smaller area. Either this means there is another device along with the three that are already rumoured, or the iPhone 12 has a notch. 

Under the hood, these devices will be powered by TSMC's 5nm CPU build process, which is likely to improve battery life, bring higher performance, and better efficiency. This 5nm CPU will most likely be named the Apple A14 Bionic and may be paired with a GPU from their previous GPU provider, Imagination, after the end of their contract back in 2017. The regular 12 will provide 4 GB of RAM for the CPU and both of the Pro models look to provide 6 GB of RAM which will increase performance.

3. Display Upgrades

Other than the under-display tech and the smaller notch, there will be a few changes following the display. The regular iPhone 12 will stay at 6.1", but may see an OLED panel instead of an LCD. This feature has been debunked by a few leakers, but some are still holding it as a high chance. The iPhone 12 Pro will have a decreased 5.45" display, compared to the 11 Pro's 5.8" display. However, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will feature a 6.7" display, up by 0.2" from last years iPhone 11 Pro Max. All three devices will adopt Apple's ProMotion display technology, bringing 120 Hz to the iPhone's. This leak has also been debunked by some and held high by others, but either way there is no information on the screen resolution on any of the devices. 

The in-display fingerprint sensor is said to have been developed by Qualcomm and may not actually be put into these iPhone's. Some Barclays analysts think there will be a China specific iPhone model with this technology, which could be the rebranded iPhone SE 2.

4. Connections

iPad's first gained USB-C support back in 2018 with the iPad Pro and may finally come to the iPhone devices this year. Last year there were many rumours that the iPhone 11 would pack the universal USB standard. However, it never materialized. With this big change, Apple will probably (hopefully) provide us all with USB-C headphones to go with our phones. There were also rumours of 5G connectivity making it to the Pro models last year, which also never happened. Well, this year all three models may have 5G support from a Qualcomm X55 5G modem according to multiple sources. We are still unsure of which type of 5G will be supported, though many analysts reckon Apple will support both mmWave and sub-6GHz in their major markets and just sub-6GHz in markets with good enough 5G connectivity. 

5. Camera's

There isn't much to go on with camera's other than a new laser technology for a 3D depth sensor on the rear of the Pro models. The regular 12 will likely find the same camera system, and the Pro models will have the new 3D tech developed by Sony, but we are unsure of a quad-camera set-up. Another thing to note, however, is that AMS, an Apple component supplier, has announced new camera tech that allows the RGB light and IR proximity sensors, used by the TrueDepth system, to be under an OLED display. This further implies that Apple will switch the Pro models to a no notch display, but also mean a smaller notch for the 12 and an LCD panel, or the switch to OLED alongside the Pro models. Either way both of the Pro's will see this new sensor system in place, with the 12 being a hit or miss. 

With the new laser 3D sensor, this could bring better AR features to the next generation iPhone's, but may also consume more RAM, processing power, and battery. It would still be a welcome addition to many iPhone users. 

6. Price Point and Software

The prices for the new iPhone's will remain the same as last years models.

iPhone 11 - $699

iPhone 11 Pro - $999

iPhone 11 Pro Max - $1,099

Each device will come with 128 GB of base storage and will operate on the next major revision of iOS, iOS 14. iOS 14 may be the last for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s+, but will most likely stay for newer models. However, this upgrade will purely be all about fixing bugs and improving performance on older iPhone's rather than bringing major software enhancements. Why fix it if it's not broken?

END OF FIRST UPDATE.

What feature from the iPhone 12 looks the most appealing to you? Do you think a minor battery upgrade will cut it even with the new 5G and display tech? Let us know in the comments and be sure to revisit this article for more updates on the iPhone 12!

Still to come:

- Specs on rear and selfie camera's for all models

- Charging support and what's in the box?

- Notch or no notch?

- Differentiate models

UPDATE (15/03/2020)

Amid the Coronavirus world-wide epidemic, many of Apple's supply chains have shut down until their areas are safe and out of quarantine. The CDC has also recommended and stopped many large gatherings, which has caused a lot of show cancelations from musicians and tech companies. SXSW and MWC2020 have both been canceled, which Apple was set to launch new Apple TV+ titles at, and many companies have moved their annual developer keynotes online to continue to develop.

Apple will unveil iOS 14 during the live stream of WWDC 2020, and may give some possible hints about the upcoming iPhone 12 series and the iPhone 9/SE 2. Heck, the iPhone 9/SE 2 may even be unveiled at the event!

However, we do know now that the fourth camera sensor will be the same ToF sensor on the new triple rear camera iPad Pro, which is bound to give some impressive AR and bokeh affects amomg other cool yet-to-be-announced features...

END OF UPDATE