What you need to know
- Apple has unveiled the iPhone 12.
- iPhone 12 features 5G and a new display.
- It also supports HDR video.
Apple officially announced the iPhone 12 with 5G today. The new iPhone is the first to feature 5G connectivity and comes in five colors: Black, White, Green, Yellow, and (Product)RED.
The new iPhone 12 is packed with a brand new 6.1-inch display, a Super Retina XDR Display in fact that features a million to one contrast ratio. The new display features twice the pixels as the iPhone 11 and reaches 460 pixels per inch. The brightness is also improved to 1200 nites and will support HDR video like Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR10.
The new display also features what Apple calls the Ceramic Shield, a super tough and optically clear glass that is tougher than any other glass currently on smartphones. The Ceramic Shield will enable better drop performance, but Apple did not mention if scratch resistance would be improved.
The new iPhone 12 with 5G comes packed with 5G antennas. Apple says that the new iPhone is coming with the most 5G bands to be featured in a single phone, a great feature to make it more capable across the world. iOS has been optimized to take advantage of 5G without having to use more power, and there will be a new Smart Data Mode that will drop and use 4G when 5G is not needed. mmWave will be available in the United States at launch, but Apple says that it has worked extensively with carriers to reach 5G speeds of up to 4 Gbps.
The iPhone 12 will also feature the A14 Bionic processor, which Apple first announced with the new iPad Air back in September. Apple demoed that League of Legends would now be coming to the iPhone, a feat enabled by the new chip.
The new phone features dual 12MP cameras. They feature a 1.6 Aperture, improved low light, computational photography, and a new Smart HDR 3. Night mode will now work on all cameras of the iPhone 12 including the ultra-wide and selfie camera. There is even a new mode called Night Mode Timelapse which will allow you to take a timelapse in the dark.
Apple has also announced that it is bringing MagSafe to the iPhone, an advanced new system to improve wireless charging. The MagSafe charging array will be able to snap onto any of the new MagSafe accessories that Apple is releasing for iPhone. Some of those include a new clear, silicone, and leather cases with built-in magnets, a wallet, as well as the new MagSafe Duo, which can charge both the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple also says that they are partnering with Belkin, who will be releasing a number of other accessories like car mounts compatible with the new MagSafe for iPhone accessories.
The new iPhone 12 will feature 100% recyclable materials, and will not include EarPods or a power adapter in the box. Apple says that this will result in the reduction of 2 million metric tons of waste, an impact of removing 450,000 cars from the road.
The new iPhone 12 with 5G will start at $799. It will be available for preorder on October 16 and launch on October 23.
