The three new iPhone sizes. Photo: Marques Brownlee
With Apple’s iPhone 12 event tomorrow, I thought it might be fun to take a look at a few last minute rumors. These come to us from a leaker known as “Kang.” Kang is known in the community for saving their leaks until the last minute. However, according to AppleTrack, they have a 97.8% accuracy rate for rumors. That’s incredibly high. The timing and accuracy of their reporting seems to suggest they’re working for Apple in some capacity, either as a supplier, at a manufacturing plant, or within Apple itself. Their leaks come via Weibo, which is a popular platform in China akin to Twitter or Facebook, but, obviously, under the government’s watchful eye.
Kang’s leaks paint a more complete picture of the iPhone 12 and what Apple will reveal at tomorrow’s events. There are quite a few surprises in here, so we’ll have to see if they pan out tomorrow.
In This Article:
iPhone Rumors
A supposed iPhone 12 case next to the iPhone 11
Release Dates
Nope, not a typo. Release dates. Earlier in the rumor cycle, we had heard that the 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone models wouldn’t release until November. Later, other rumors stated they could release all at the same time, or that only the “Pro” models would be delayed. Now, the latest rumors state that only the 6.1-inch iPhone models will be available in October.
- iPhone 12 mini: Preorders on November 6th or 7th, release a week later on November 13th or 14th.
- iPhone 12: Preorders starting October 16th or 17th (likely 16th), release a week later on October 23rd or 24th.
- iPhone 12 Pro:Preorders starting October 16th or 17th (likely 16th), release a week later on October 23rd or 24th.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max: Preorders on November 13th or 14th, release a week later on November 20th or 21st.
Pricing and Storage
Of course, each iPhone will come with different price tags. The Pro models will also start with more storage space, and can be configured for more space as well.
- iPhone 12 mini: $699, 64GB, up to 256GB
- iPhone 12: $799, 64GB, up to 256GB
- iPhone 12 Pro: $999, 128GB to 256GB
- iPhone 12 Pro Max: $1099, 128GB to 512GB
Three Different Camera Modules
This is a rumor I’ve heard before and have very good reason to believe it. There will be at least three different types of camera modules on the upcoming iPhone 12 models. There may actually be four. In cases available online already, based on specs from Apple’s suppliers, there will be different camera bump sizes for the iPhone mini, 6.1-inch iPhones, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
According to Kang, the mini, with the smallest camera cutout, will have the same cameras as the iPhone 12. These will be a continuation of the iPhone 11 cameras, with small improvements. You’ll get two lenses, a standard wide angle lens and the ultrawide lens.
The iPhone 12 Pro will come with a new 4x zoom lens, up from the 2x zoom offered on the iPhone 11 Pro. However, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, with a larger camera bump, will actually feature a 5x telephoto lens.
Both of the pro models will also have LiDAR. This, like the LiDAR module in the iPad Pro, will focus largely on improving AR, though it could also improve depth detection for photography, if Apple decides to use the technology to its fullest.
OLED Displays and 5G All Around!
via AppleInsider
An interesting part of the rumor claims that from the iPhone 12 mini to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, all new iPhone models will come with Apple’s “Super Retina XDR” OLED displays. These were previously only for the “Pro” models of the iPhone, like the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro. The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 have LED displays, which look noticeably worse. For a $700 phone, an LED display feels like a rip-off, so it’s good to see Apple’s rectifying this.
I won’t lie to you, 5G is something I couldn’t care less about. It’s not yet widespread, even in cities, and I don’t know about you, but I hardly leave my apartment. What do I need 5G for, I’ve got WiFi! Still, Kang claims all models of the iPhone 12 will have 5G.
Maybe one day that’ll be a good thing, but it likely won’t be important in the United States until at least mid-year 2021. Perhaps other countries are more ahead on wireless technology (as they so often are).
Magsafe is Back!
The MacBook lineup ditched Magsafe in 2016. This was a charging cable that magnetically attached to your laptop. It was used in a clever ad for Mac laptops right around the time I finally got my first MacBook (which I still have!). Now, however, the technology will be for securing your rechargeable devices to the charging coil on Apple-branded wireless charging pads. This means the AirPower will make a comeback, as it’ll be able to align your devices with the charging coil properly.
A Touch of Color
The non-Pro iPhone models will come in black, white, red, blue, and green, for both the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12.
The iPhone Pro models will come in gold, silver, graphite, and blue. It seems Apple’s sticking with “graphite” instead of “space gray.” Finally, “space gray” never made any sense. It’ll be interesting to see the pro model in blue. This will likely be a dark blue, like the green on the iPhone 11 Pro.
And the Rest
HomePod mini
Apple will release a smaller version of their HomePod, the… you guessed it, HomePod mini! What’s most exciting about this is the rumored price. Kang claims it’ll come in at just $99. This could compete with the Amazon Echo or Google Home. It could serve as a way to have Siri in the house. However, given the fact that the HomePod has advanced technology for music playback and filling a space with sound equally, it’s possible that the smaller HomePod mini will be capable of better music playback than these other home speakers.
The HomePod mini will apparently be just 3.3 inches tall, and powered by the same system on a chip as the Apple Watch SE. The original HomePod uses an iPhone processor, so the HomePod mini will not have the same processing power.
What’s Missing: Apple Silicon Macs, AirPods Studio, and AirTags
Finally, we learned what’s missing. Kang claims that Apple will not reveal an Apple Silicon Mac, AirPods Studio, or their tracking devices, the Air Tags. These will likely come in a future announcement, perhaps as early as mid-November.
The big event’s tomorrow, starting at 10am Pacific time. That’ll be 1pm on the east coast. Kang has a good track record, and most of these rumors are in line with previous leaks. We’ll know more by tomorrow.
Sources:
- Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac
- William Gallagher, AppleInsider
- Jon Porter, The Verge