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Yesterday was a BIG Apple day as the iPhone 12 was announced. Personally, I’ve been an iPhone used since the iPhone 4s. I had a 3s but wasn’t crazy about it, so returned it for a Blackberry. But how cell phones have changed since then. But back to the new iPhone 12. Here’s what we learned about this new phone:
According to the MacRumors website: The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are Apple’s flagship iPhones for 2020 and come in 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch sizes with identical features, including support for 5G networks, OLED displays, improved cameras, and Apple’s latest A14 chip, all in a new design.
New features include:
- New design
- 6.1 and 5.4-inch sizes
- 5G support
- OLED displays with Ceramic Shield
- Dual-lens camera
- A14 chip
- $699/$799 starting price
Aside from screen size and battery size, the two iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are technically identical. They feature Super Retina XDR OLED displays for the first time, with an edge-to-edge design with the exception of the Face ID notch and small bezels around the edge. There’s no difference in display quality between the standard iPhone 12 models and the Pro models.
The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini has a resolution of 2430 x 1080 with 476 pixels per inch and the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 has a resolution of 2532 x 1170 with 460 pixels per inch. The displays offer HDR support with 1200 nits peak brightness, Wide Color for vivid, true-to-life colors, Haptic Touch for feedback, and True Tone to match the color temperature of the display to the ambient lighting for a more natural viewing experience.
The front of the iPhone is protected by a new Ceramic Shield cover that replaces the standard cover glass. Apple says the Ceramic Shield is infused with nano-ceramic crystals and offers 4x better drop performance.
All iPhone 12 models support 5G connectivity for faster downloads and uploads, better quality video streaming, improved gaming, and higher-definition 1080p FaceTime calls.
There’s a new A14 chip inside the iPhone 12 models, and it is the first chip in the smartphone industry built on a 5-nanometer process for performance and efficiency improvements. Apple says the 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU in the A14 are 50 percent faster than the fastest competing smartphone chips. The A14 chip includes a 16-core Neural Engine that offers an 80 percent increase in performance for machine learning tasks.
The iPhone 12 and 12 mini are similar to the Pro models in most respects, but the camera is a major factor. While the Pro models include a triple-lens camera setup with a LiDAR Scanner and other bells and whistles, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini have a simpler and less advanced dual-lens camera setup.
The A14 chip powers new computational photography features with better than ever Deep Fusion for improved photos with more texture and less noise, and improved Night mode with better contrast in images. There’s a Smart HDR 3 feature that adjusts the white balance, contrast, texture, and saturation in photos for more natural-looking images.
Alongside the iPhone 12 models, Apple introduced MagSafe accessories designed to work with a ring of magnets built into the back of the iPhones. There’s a MagSafe charger, MagSafe iPhone cases, and wallet accessories. MagSafe supports 15W wireless charging, an upgrade over the 7.5W charging available through standard Qi-based wireless chargers. The iPhone 12 models can also be charged using the Lightning port, which is unchanged.
Apple eliminated the power adapter and EarPods from the iPhone 12 box, and these accessories must be purchased separately. All iPhone models now ship with a USB-C to Lightning cable by default, with Apple doing away with the USB-A version.
Visit Apple’s website for all the pricing specifics.
And now for the million dollar question: Should you upgrade? Personally, I have an iPhone XS Max. Still works perfect. Battery is at 95%. Does everything I need it to do. And since there’s no official 5G services as of yet, there’s no reason to upgrade. But, if you have an iPhone 6s or older, maybe it’s time to open the wallet and do the upgrade. Even if you have 7, 8 or X with a degrading battery, it’s probably worth just spending the $49 – $69 to have Apple install a new battery instead of purchasing this latest version.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s always fun to have the latest and greatest, but in today’s uncertain world, it’s better to have your money in the bank.
An avid record collector, lover of all desserts and sometimes seen wearing multiple Swatch watches, Dave has been lending his voice for over 20 years heard on such prominent brands as Intel, RCA, Eddie Bauer, Kellogg‘s, Pizza Hut, Lexus, and infomercial giants Guthy-Renker and Beachbody. His narration projects include Japan’s preeminent automobile series Best Motoring International and Hot Version, along with GTChannel, QVC, Universal Music Enterprises, and ViSalus Sciences.