Big Changes (8/16) - iPhone 12 to Launch in 2 Stages and Other iPhone 12 Rumors/Leaks

[zeusthemoose]

Summary

 Following Apple's announcement that the iPhone 12 will be announced a few weeks later than usual (covered in this Tech News post) leaks have surfaced saying that Apple will be launching their new phones in 2 stages. 

 

 Update on the release date: Jon Prosser (leaker with great track record) is claiming that the event, preorders, and shipping will be much later than Apple lead on. He has said that he has seen the following with his own eyes in some Apple system. The release event for the phones will be October 12th. The iPhone 12 devices (12 and 12 max) will start preorder that same day and ship on the 19th. The iPhone 12 pro devices (12 Pro and 12 Pro Max) won’t start preorder and shipping until November. No exact date has been said, but it will likely be in the middle of the month. The new Apple Watch and iPad are still expected to be announced September 7th.

 

 For those who don't know, there are expected to be 4 new iPhone models. The iPhone 12 (5.4"), 12 max (6.1"), 12 pro (6.1"), and 12 pro max (6.7"). Rumors suggest that the first stage will feature the 12 max and 12 pro. The second stage will have the 12 and 12 pro max. I have not been able to check whether they will all be announced at the same time or if they will have separate announcement and release dates. However, I expect them to all be announced together.

 

 There have also been a few more leaks, surrounding the phones, that have come out recently. I will be updating this as soon as I see developments (please comment if you see anything) but this is what is expected as of now.

 Pricing: iPhone 12 will be $649, iPhone 12 Max will be $749, iPhone 12 Pro will be $999, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be $1099.

 Screens: All four models are expected to be oled. Additionally, there have been rumors that the pro models will feature 120hz displays (like ipad pro) but a number of insiders have said this is not happening because Apple does not want to lower battery life.

 5G: All models are expected to feature 5g connectivity

 Battery Life: Some reports suggest that the capacity of the batteries will be increased due to tweaked circuitry. EverythingApplePro says the 12 Pro might have a 4,400mAh battery. It is also believed the phones will support 20w fast charging (2w increase over current 18w fast charging). I have also seen some reports (Phone Arena) suggesting the capacity will be decreased.

 Included Accessories: It is believed that these new iPhones will not include earpods and many believe it will not even include a charger

 Ports: It was leaked a little while ago that the iPhones will be dropping the charging port, but more recent leaks suggest that there will still a lightning port. This is unfortunate for everyone who was hopping for a usb-c charging port (myself included)

General Design Changes: Another popular rumor is that the new iPhones will not have curved edges like the current generation and instead will feature flat edges like on the iPhone 5. Recent rumors suggest that the edges will be switched from stainless steel to aluminum. They believe this will improve durability and temperature resistance.

 Notch: Good news for all, it has pretty much been confirmed that the notch will shrink by quite a considerable amount

 Cameras: The iPhone 12 and 12 Max are expected to have two cameras while the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will have 3 cameras and a new LiDAR scanner for 3D depth sensing

Colors: Much like how the iPhone 11 Pro added midnight green to the possible colors, it is believed that the iPhone 12 Pro will feature a new color. This new color is believed to be Navy Blue (See below *note there will be a notch just not shown in the image)

 Performance: The new A14 chip is expected to have major improvements. CPU performance is estimated to have a 30-40% increase over last gen. While GPU performance is estimated to have a 39-50% improvement over its predecessor.

Spoiler

 

Quotes

Quote

We're expecting a total of four OLED iPhones in 5.4, 6.1, and 6.7-inch sizes in 2020. It's not clear if all ‌iPhone‌ models in the upcoming lineup will be available later than usual, or if some models will come out first followed by additional models, but a new DigiTimes report today cites supply chain sources suggesting Apple could adopt a phased launch approach.

"Apple may launch its 5G iPhones in two stages, with two 6.1-inch models in the first and another two 6.7- and 5.4-inch devices in the second, the sources said, adding that suppliers of SLP (substrate-like PCB) mainboards for the former models have recently kicked off shipments, with those for the latter to start in late August.

Shipments of flexible boards for new iPhones will peak some 2-4 weeks later than usual this year, the sources said."

Multiple rumors previously indicated the new ‌iPhone‌ won't launch on time due to development and production delays, as well as reports on delays from Apple suppliers like Broadcom and Qualcomm, but this is the first time we've heard word from the supply chain of a possible phased launch.

Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ and one 6.1-inch model will be higher-end devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag.

(MacRumors)

Quote

iPhone 12 design: Similar (or not) to iPhone 11

Every other year, Apple usually makes notable cosmetic changes to its iPhone to freshen up its look, much to the delight of anticipating buyers. But a report by Japanese publication Mac Otakara, citing an unnamed Chinese supplier, reported that the iPhone 12 will look similar to the iPhone 11. The only possible difference is that the iPhone 12's edges will be slightly bowed.

On the other hand, Apple is also speculated to completely revamp the iPhone's design with flat edges (similar to the new iPads). This could trigger what Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called "the perfect storm of demand," which would drive up sales and result in a "super cycle" for Apple.   

iPhone 12 may not come with EarPods or a power adapter

In one of the more unpopular rumors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple may not include its wired EarPod headphones in the iPhone 12 box. This would be a move to encourage people to buy the company's wireless AirPods instead. Apple has included EarPod headphones since the iPhone 5 release in 2012, so this would be a notable change. AirPod and AirPod Pro earbuds are currently priced at $159 (£159, AU$249) and $249 (£249, AU$399), respectively.

Ming-Chi Kuo expects that the iPhone 12 will ship without a power adapter as well, according to 9to5Mac. The reason is mainly for costs -- by foregoing it, Apple can keep costs down while loading the phone with 5G components. It would also help lower freight costs as the size of the packaging would shrink.

iPhone 12 Pro's rumored colors include dark blue

Last year Apple introduced a midnight green color on the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. Whether you like the shade or not, the color variant actually sold well compared to expectations. This year there may be a possibility that Apple will launch another new color, navy blue, on the iPhone 12 Pro according to XDA Developer. This would be on trend since blue is both Pantone's color pick for the new year ("classic blue") and Shutterstock included "phantom blue" in its color forecast for 2020.

iPhone 12's possible specs and display sizes

One of the more enduring rumors about the upcoming iPhones is that Apple may introduce new screen sizes. One of the iPhone 12s could have a 5.4-inch screen (of the current iPhones, the new iPhone SE has the smallest display, which measures 4.7 inches). And the iPhone 2020 Pro Max could go as large as 6.7 inches (for reference, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display). 

(cnet)

My thoughts

 There seems to be some good improvements for the iPhones. But nothing big enough for me to trade in my 11 to get one of them. There were a few conflicting reports so I tried my best to say which had aspects that had conflicts, but if I missed any, please comment and I will correct it. As said above, I will be continuously updating this so if you see any changes, please comment (ideally with a source) and I will add it with your username for credit.

 

Sources

 Tom's Guide #1

 Tom's Guide #2

 BGR

 cnet #1

 MacRumors

 Tom's Guide Video

 Forbes #1

 Phone Arena

 9to5mac

 Forbes #2

 cnet #2

Edited August 16, 2020 by zeusthemoose
Added new release date, more design changes, and performance increases

[BuckGup]

A lot more changes than the X to the 11 that's for sure

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, BuckGup said:

A lot more changes than the X to the 11 that's for sure

If anything the X to the 11 (non-pro) was a downgrade. I had both and the X felt significantly snappier, higher quality, and booted up much faster than my 11.

[BuckGup]

Just now, zeusthemoose said:

If anything the X to the 11 (non-pro) was a downgrade. I had both and the X felt significantly snappier, higher quality, and booted up much faster than my 11.

Yeah the 11 was pointless in my eyes. It was just a wide angle camera on an X. If it wasn't for the 5G, smaller notch, and lidar I wouldn't care at all and keep my X for another year

[The_russian]

1 minute ago, zeusthemoose said:

If anything the X to the 11 (non-pro) was a downgrade. I had both and the X felt significantly snappier, higher quality, and booted up much faster than my 11.

Wasn't the 11 (non-pro) supposed to replace the iPhone XR, and the 11 Pro supposed to replace the X? At least that's how I understood it/remember it.

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, The_russian said:

Wasn't the 11 (non-pro) supposed to replace the iPhone XR, and the 11 Pro supposed to replace the X? At least that's how I understood it/remember it.

Yep, the 11 replaced the XR and 11 Pro replaced the XS (which replaced the X). The 11 wasnt the X's direct replacement but I did expect a 2 generation difference to be better.

[Guest]

Another day, another Apple rumour by an analyst who reads too much WCCFTech .

 

Pretty much all of this has been said. Only new thing is the colours. What I’d probably expect is a redesigned bezel. 

[The_russian]

9 minutes ago, zeusthemoose said:

Yep, the 11 replaced the XR and 11 Pro replaced the XS (which replaced the X). The 11 wasnt the X's direct replacement but I did expect a 2 generation difference to be better.

Totally forgot about the XS, I though it was only one generation newer. I also went from the X to the 11 non-pro and I don't remember noticing a difference in performance, but that was probably because I used a Note 8 for a few months in between them. 

[mr moose]

So according to these leaks and rumors and etc etc,  the reason apple give for not including the charger and earphones is cost, yet only the base model is cheaper, the 12  pro and 12 pro max are the same price as the 11 pro and 11 pro max.      I think IF these rumors are true (wait to see) then apple should have played the environment card for not including the chargers rather than cost.  Nothing pisses a consumer of more than a company gloating over saving money when they don't see any of those savings.    Mind you, if they played the environment card they'd have to step up their recycling and repair game significant;y for it to carry any legitimacy. 

[zeusthemoose]

2 minutes ago, mr moose said:

I think IF these rumors are true (wait to see) then apple should have played the environment card for not including the chargers rather than cost. 

They really should do that if they dont include them. They did go on that whole thing a few weeks ago about how they and most of their partners will be carbon neutral by 2030 and this would be a good way for them to claim they are doing it while still saving money.

[DildorTheDecent]

3 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

Hang on...I think I've seen those somewhere before:

[Noira]

X + iOS 14 beta generally feels better than when I bought it in 2017. Aged very well

[schwellmo92]

Now to figure out if it's worth upgrading from my X. I still have no slowness or issues with my X after having it for almost 3 years.

[Kisai]

1 hour ago, schwellmo92 said:

Now to figure out if it's worth upgrading from my X. I still have no slowness or issues with my X after having it for almost 3 years.

Rule of thumb for Apple devices:

a) Does it run the thing you need it to?

b) Does Apple release iOS updates.

 

If YES to both, don't upgrade yet. There will always be another one next year. The battery life of most devices are really only engineered to about 2-3 years, but if you can get 6 out of it, why not.

 

I have the XS Max, and fully intend to hang onto it until 2024 if I can. I didn't get quite the amount of life out of the 6S that I wanted, which makes me rather unwilling to buy another phone without recovering the sunk cost. Spending a stupid amount of money on a phone when I could buy a desktop seems like insanity.

[Video Beagle]

be great if the 5.4 form factor makes it to the SE line...really need to eventually start thinking about replacing my 5s

[zeusthemoose]

I just added new release date info, expected performance increases, and more changes to the design. I also added more sources. Check it out in the original post.