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iPhone 12 Announced, No Surprises
Apple’s iPhone 12 announcement was a throwback of sorts to the iPhone 4, including
the iPhone 12 mini (5.4-inch, $729), iPhone 12 (6.1-inch, $829), iPhone 12 Pro (6.1-inch, $999), and Pro Max (6.7-inch, $1,099) lineup, and there are some new features, including:
Apple didn’t offer a higher-refresh rate display panel on any of its new iPhones. It appears to be a supply chain issue, which amounted to a shortage of the appropriate DDIC devices. 5G isn’t integrated into the A14 Bionic chip, so additional silicon will cause more battery drain, as we’ve seen from Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 range, with 5G modem on the side draining battery faster.
The South Korean variant will not include mmWave. Apple tends to wait for technology to mature before bringing it to customers but in the case of 5G, is sticking its neck out a bit and will face the same 5G challenges as most other smartphone brands as the service expands. Strangely, a recent survey of iPhone users indicated that 49% believe they already have a 5G capable iPhone, despite the fact that they did not exist until now. Apple has used mag charging venue before, which allows for a magnetic charging connection that easily disconnects if the cord is stepped on, without pulling the device to the floor, but phased it out in 2016 when it standardized on USB-C. The good news is that 3rd party chargers will have access to MagSafe, which means you are not locked into Apple charger products, which cost $39 or $49 if you include a case.
Ceramic Shield is Apple’s version of Corning’s Victus glass which adds ceramic nano-particles (<100nm) to the glass, along with the ion-exchange process that is the basis for Gorilla Glass. The material was developed for Apple by Corning, who has been developing ion-exchange glass materials since the 1950’s and has been working with glass/ceramic materials for many years. The issue with ceramic materials is their opacity, which means they would theoretically block some of the light in a glass/ceramic composite but by controlling the particle size and mixture, the advantages of both materials remain without significant optical loss. The actual difference between Victus and Ceramic Shield are as yet unknown, but we expect they are similar.
Apple has added LIDAR to the two high-end iPhone 12 models, similar to the system it used in the iPad Pro.
Apple’s iPhone 12 announcement was a throwback of sorts to the iPhone 4, including
the iPhone 12 mini (5.4-inch, $729), iPhone 12 (6.1-inch, $829), iPhone 12 Pro (6.1-inch, $999), and Pro Max (6.7-inch, $1,099) lineup, and there are some new features, including:
- 5G, with mmWave and sub-6GHz support across all-new models, but Apple's website confirms that support for high-frequency mmWave bands is limited to models sold in the United States. This includes compatibility with Verizon's new 5G Ultra-Wideband network, which as of today is available in 55 cities across the country.
- Despite Apple being late to bring 5G to its device, 5G networks in the US still aren’t even close to fully covering the US or Europe. Coverage and speeds are great only in certain locations in bigger cities. mmWave connectivity for both high speeds and true low latency has even less availability.
- The A14 Bionic chipset which Apple detailed again, the 5nm process chipset promising performance and battery-life efficiency.
- All displays are now OLED, with higher resolutions and superior contrast. (iPhone 12 mini has the highest pixel density of any new iPhone, but even the pricey Pro Max didn’t get up to a 1440 resolution display)
- Better camera system with big gains in the Pro series, and the inclusion of magnets in the body of the phone for MagSafe-type accessories.
- There’s also “Ceramic Shield” glass, which Apple says improves hardness and drop protection, variables that don’t usually go together in glass strength improvements. (Apple has invested around $450M in Corning over the years, so it may get exclusive glass). This change is a small improvement over the current version of Gorilla Glass.
- Apple isn’t including a charger or earbuds in the box anymore, as flagged a few months ago.
- Apple is keeping the Lightning charging port on the iPhone 12 series, but switched the Lightning cable included in the box from Lighting to USB-A, to Lightning to USB-C.
- Apple’s argument about not including a charger because we all have a dozen lying about at home is true, but for most people, they’ll be USB-A chargers.
- Apple lists the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 at $699 and $799 respectively. But those prices are only with a $30 carrier-specific discount, from AT&T and Verizon. Buying it outright, SIM-free, leaves you paying more.
- Starting MSRP is $729 and $829 on both, with 64GB of storage only.
Apple didn’t offer a higher-refresh rate display panel on any of its new iPhones. It appears to be a supply chain issue, which amounted to a shortage of the appropriate DDIC devices. 5G isn’t integrated into the A14 Bionic chip, so additional silicon will cause more battery drain, as we’ve seen from Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 range, with 5G modem on the side draining battery faster.
The South Korean variant will not include mmWave. Apple tends to wait for technology to mature before bringing it to customers but in the case of 5G, is sticking its neck out a bit and will face the same 5G challenges as most other smartphone brands as the service expands. Strangely, a recent survey of iPhone users indicated that 49% believe they already have a 5G capable iPhone, despite the fact that they did not exist until now. Apple has used mag charging venue before, which allows for a magnetic charging connection that easily disconnects if the cord is stepped on, without pulling the device to the floor, but phased it out in 2016 when it standardized on USB-C. The good news is that 3rd party chargers will have access to MagSafe, which means you are not locked into Apple charger products, which cost $39 or $49 if you include a case.
Ceramic Shield is Apple’s version of Corning’s Victus glass which adds ceramic nano-particles (<100nm) to the glass, along with the ion-exchange process that is the basis for Gorilla Glass. The material was developed for Apple by Corning, who has been developing ion-exchange glass materials since the 1950’s and has been working with glass/ceramic materials for many years. The issue with ceramic materials is their opacity, which means they would theoretically block some of the light in a glass/ceramic composite but by controlling the particle size and mixture, the advantages of both materials remain without significant optical loss. The actual difference between Victus and Ceramic Shield are as yet unknown, but we expect they are similar.
Apple has added LIDAR to the two high-end iPhone 12 models, similar to the system it used in the iPad Pro.
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