iPhone 12 Render. Source: Ben Geskin

Here’s why you’ll love and hate your iPhone 12

We've compiled all the rumors that people like and a few that they don't!


Techtober’s here! Apple already disclosed new Apple Watches and a new iPad Air 4 at a September event. And while the Apple Watches are already available to purchase, it’s expected Apple will start shipping the iPad Air 4 soon.

Apple has also announced its “Hi, Speed” event for October 13 where it’s expected to launch new iPhones alongside a couple of audio products and AirTags. The new iPhones are expected to sport an updated design and finally support 5G. While these are great improvements, some rumors point towards upgrades that don’t necessarily translate to a good user experience.

Since the launch is imminent, I thought sharing a complete iPhone 12 rumor roundup would be a great idea. But instead of listing them all in a regular fashion, I thought it might be better to segregate them into what people already like about the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup and what they might not; based on all the rumors we’ve seen so far.

Positive iPhone 12 Rumors

These are the good rumors; the ones that people welcome and want in their future iPhones. This year, there are more positive rumors than otherwise, making the iPhone 12 a potentially decent upgrade. It’s worth noting that as rumors go, not all end up being true and in the final product. So, I suggest you take these with a pinch of salt.

Conversely, some of these rumors have emerged from reliable sources that have been leaking Apple’s plans and products for a long time now, so it’s highly likely that these may come true.

The entire iPhone 12 lineup will have an updated design

Apple is expected to complete its three-year design cycle this year. It’s when Apple will break off the regular trend of creating iPhones with the same design for three years. That said, the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup will feature an updated, iPad Pro-like design with flat edges.

The new iPhones will feature flat edges while sporting glass backs which is reminiscent of the iPhone 4 that Apple introduced in 2010 alongside the first iPad. What’s interesting is that all the iPhones in the iPhone 12 lineup will undergo this change in design including the lower-end models.

A Bloomberg report has previously said that at least two models in the iPhone 12 lineup will feature these flat edges. However, the report was published back in April and it has been some time since then, with newer leaks claiming that the entire iPhone 12 lineup will have the updated design.

Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors) has said that the new design on the iPhone 12 will undergo more complex segmentation, with new manufacturing procedures. These manufacturing procedures, namely grooving and injection molding will ensure that the metal framing doesn’t interrupt the antennae that will be used to gain 5G coverage. Ming-Chi Kuo further says that the grooves will be protected either by Sapphire or tempered glass.

Earlier this year, the Japanese site MacOtakara reported that the 9.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max will be 7.4mm thick. In comparison, the current iPhone 11 Pro Max is 8.1mm. This is a considerable reduction in thickness. However, it raises concerns as to how comfortable the iPhone 12 will be to hold since it’s rumored to have a squared form factor. We’ll only learn that after experiencing the phone in hand.

Overall, the new iPhones are pretty much going to end up looking like an advanced version of the iPhone 4, and that’s great.

Three years, however, is a long time to stick with the same design which is especially true today. Because smartphones have matured a lot, there’s little room left for innovation in conventional smartphone design. People need a refreshed design. And even though the upcoming iPhones will share a similar look like the iPhone 4, they’ll be more than welcome.

There will be four iPhones this year instead of three. Here’s what each iPhone in the lineup will be called

iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Pro Max dummy units. Source: MKBHD on YouTube

There have been countless rumors as to what the new iPhones in the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup may be called. A lot of them, however, indicate that they will have the same nomenclature as the current iPhone 11 lineup.

First off, there will be four new iPhones this year instead of three like the iPhone 11 lineup. They will be named iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. It was already expected that the last three iPhones in the iPhone 12 lineup would have a similar nomenclature as the iPhone 11 lineup. However, this year, Apple is expected to launch a new 5.4-inch model called the iPhone 12 mini.

The iPhone 12 “mini” moniker was leaked last month by a prominent leaker with the Twitter handle @l0vetodream and later confirmed when another leaker by the name DuanRui posted some images of distribution stickers for Apple’s Silicone Cases for the iPhone 12 lineup. There have been certain rumors that have previously contradicted this claim, but we think this is what the nomenclature for the entire iPhone 12 lineup is going to be with their screen sizes:

iPhoneScreen Size (in Inches)
iPhone 12 mini5.4
iPhone 12 6.1
iPhone 12 Pro6.1
iPhone 12 Pro Max6.7

The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 is expected to be slightly smaller than the iPhone 8 and slightly larger than the 1st Gen iPhone SE. On the other hand, the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max is also suggested to have a height that is slightly larger than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Some people who got to use the iPhone 12 Pro Max said that the experience was “one of this year’s most notable improvements,” according to a Bloomberg report. The 12.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max will be Apple’s largest phone ever.

The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini will be a budget-friendly phone, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be the topmost flagship.

The iPhone 12 mini will have a smaller notch

The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini will have a narrower notch than the other iPhones in the upcoming lineup. Earlier, it was rumored that all iPhones will have a smaller notch, but recent rumors have debunked that, and now it is established that only the lowest-end iPhone 12 mini will sport a narrower notch.

This isn’t because the iPhone 12 mini won’t include Face ID. It’s because a narrower notch may make adequate space for status bar elements on the 5.4-inch screen.

The narrower notch, moreover, doesn’t mean that Apple is making any compromises. The iPhone 12 mini is still expected to cram the True Depth camera system within the notch.

The iPhone 12 lineup will come in new colors

New colors are always welcome. The iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max introduced a new Midnight-Green color. It is expected that the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will replace that with the Navy Blue color, as first reported by XDA Developers writer and leaker Max Weinbach.

The Navy Blue color will likely have the same shade as the blue Apple Watch Series 6.

Hit-and-miss publication DigiTimes also corroborated that rumor by stating that Apple will be adding a “dark blue” model to the lineup this year. While we believe the Navy Blue color will only come to the higher-end, Pro iPhones, we also have some information about the new colors coming to the lower-end iPhone 12s—iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12.

Those will reportedly ship in three new colors—light blue, violet, and light orange—according to a report in April by Max Weinbach in collaboration with EveryThingApplePro. These will likely replace the green, yellow, and purple colors on the iPhone 11. Here’s a table listing the colors the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup will ship in:

iPhoneColors
iPhone 12 miniWhite, Black, Product (RED), Light Blue, Violet, Light Orange.
iPhone 12White, Black, Product (RED), Light Blue, Violet, Light Orange.
iPhone 12 ProSpace Gray, Silver, Gold, Navy Blue
iPhone 12 Pro MaxSpace Gray, Silver, Gold, Navy Blue

iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will have a LiDAR scanner

Apple included a new LiDAR scanner in the 2020 iPad Pro. LiDAR is basically a time-of-flight system that shoots low-power lasers at objects to determine the distance between the scanner and the object. That information is then used to create a 3D depth map or rendering. Apple has included the LiDAR scanner in the iPad Pro in the move to further development in augmented reality.

Now, it is expected that the iPhone 12 will also feature a LiDAR scanner alongside the three-camera array. At the moment, though, LiDAR doesn’t have many applications. There is some speculation that the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be the only iPhone that will receive the LiDAR scanner. However, there have also been some contradictory leaks containing images that disclose that both the iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max will feature the LiDAR scanner.

All iPhones in the iPhone 12 lineup will feature OLED displays

OLED displays have only been reserved for the higher-end iPhone models in the past. For example, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max feature the OLED display while the iPhone 11 features the regular IPS LCD display that Apple has been including in iPhones and iPads for years.

However, considering the widespread deployment of OLED displays across the iPhone 12 lineup, it is expected that the lower-end iPhone 12s—the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12—will have a display with 8 bits of color while the higher-end models—the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max—will have 10-bit color displays.

Here are other display specifications of each iPhone 12 models including resolution, pixel density, and color depth.

iPhoneScreen Size (in Inches)ResolutionPixel DensityColor Depth (in Bits)
iPhone 12 mini5.42340 x 10804758
iPhone 12 6.12352 x 11704608
iPhone 12 Pro6.12352 x 117046010
iPhone 12 Pro Max6.72778 x 128445810

All iPhones will support 5G

All iPhones in the iPhone 12 lineup are expected to support 5G. Apple is one of the last companies to add 5G to its device lineup, but it’s better late than sorry. That’s alright, though, because the state of 5G is yet to strengthen.

There are two different bands of 5G that smartphone manufacturers can include in their devices. One is the Sub 6GHz 5G and the other is mmWave 5G. Both have their own pros and cons. The sub 6GHz offers widespread coverage but lacks in speed while the mmWave 5G offers considerable speed improvements over 4G but is limited in coverage.

That said, it is expected that the higher-end iPhone 12 models will feature mmWave + Sub 6GHz while the lower-end iPhones will feature only Sub 6GHz 5G bands.

The iPhone 12 lineup will sport Apple’s latest A14 Bionic chip

Last year’s iPhone lineup featured Apple’s A13 Bionic chip. This year, Apple will be including the A14 Bionic processor in the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup. The upgraded processor is expected to bring about considerable improvements over the A13 chip.

Recently, benchmarks for the A14 Bionic chip in the already-announced iPad Air 4 leaked online suggesting a 20% improvement over the A14 chip. However, it’s expected that the A14 chip in the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup will feature modifications to further improve the performance. Apple will also build even more powerful chips for its upcoming ARM Mac lineup that will be based on the A14 processor.

The A14 chips, furthermore are built on a new 5-nanometer process that produces chips that are faster, smaller, and more efficient at handling the battery due to improved thermal management. TSMC, the chipmaker that manufactures processors for iPhone, late in August detailed that the A14 chip will be 30 percent more efficient than the A13.

Performance is not only about the processor; it also includes factoring in how much RAM a device contains. The iPhone 12 lineup is expected to feature varying amounts of RAM across different models. The higher-end iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will have 6GB RAM and the lower-end iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 will have 4GB RAM, according to Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis.

The iPhone 12 lineup will start at $649

Leaker Apple RUMORs on Twitter recently posted a comprehensive price list of the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup. We’ve already known the starting prices of each iPhone in a leak shared by Jon Prosser earlier this year, but the new price list offers a deeper look at the prices Apple plans to offer its upcoming iPhones:

iPhoneStoragePrice
iPhone 12 mini64GB
128GB
256GB
$649
$699
$799
iPhone 12 64GB
128GB
256GB
$749
$799
$899
iPhone 12 Pro128GB
256GB
512GB
$999
$1099
$1299
iPhone 12 Pro Max128GB
256GB
512GB
$1099
$1199
$1399

It’s interesting to note that the iPhone 12 mini is perfectly priced. In comparison, Google Pixel 5, which is Google’s top-of-the-line smartphone currently, is priced at $699—$50 more.

Google Pixel 5 does not have the greatest processor or premium materials. But the iPhone 12 mini is expected to share the same processor as the iPhone 12 Pro, at the same time, costing less.

The Pro models will have a base storage of 128GB

This is the first time Apple is ramping the base storage of an iPhone up from 64GB. The iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is expected to start with a base storage of 128GB. 64GB, for some, is a really low number when it comes to storage. If you don’t want to end up paying a monthly fee for iCloud for having to offload your data to the cloud, you should definitely look out for the 128GB option.

What’s more, despite the increase in base storage, Apple will reportedly keep the prices in line with last year’s models.

The iPhone 12 lineup will ship with a braided USB-C to Lightning cable

This is something people have been asking for a long time now. It may finally be a wish come true. Apple may ship a braided USB-C to Lightning cable within the iPhone 12’s box.

A braided cable is stronger than the traditional cable that Apple currently sells. Since it’ll be braided, the cable also won’t fray over long-term usage as the traditional cable does. Leaker @l0vetodream shared images of what these cables may look like earlier this year. Later, another leaker Mr. White corroborated by posting yet another set of images of the white braided USB-C to Lightning cable. According to the images, the cable is braided with a gray wire, much like the color of the traditional cable.

This isn’t the first time Apple is selling braided cables at all. It currently sells one for the Mac Pro and a braided power cable for the HomePod.

The iPhone 12 lineup will be announced later this month

Apple has officially announced that it will hold an event on October 13. The event is titled “Hi, Speed” which hints towards 5G iPhones. The event is entirely online and will take place at 10 a.m. PDT.


Unwanted iPhone 12 Rumors

While I’m thankful for these rumors, I secretly hate that they exist. I wish these rumors never come true. Not everything is candy, right? While the iPhone 12 positively appeals to many prospective buyers, there are some things that the upcoming iPhone lineup may include (or won’t) that could throw them off course. Here’s what you probably won’t like about the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup. At least, I don’t.

Note that “bad” rumors, for the sake of this article, do not refer to the features that Apple won’t be adding, along with two major exceptions. Instead, it refers to the features that may make it to the iPhone 12 lineup, but won’t be as cherished by people as the “positive-” rumored features we’ve listed above. In short, these are the rumors you wish don’t come true.

No charging brick in the box

iPhone Box

There have been rumors suggesting that Apple won’t include the charging brick in the box. At first, I thought that these rumors were outlandish and there is a good chance Apple won’t exclude a friggin’ charging brick from the box. I was wrong. Apple announced new Apple Watches in September and surprised a lot of us by also announcing that they won’t ship with a charging brick inside the box.

There is a promising reason why Apple may be doing this. Since a lot of us at this point already have at least one charging brick lying around in a drawer or somewhere, Apple expects us to use that instead of adding another one to the roster. This may help reduce e-waste that’s harming the environment. Apple will instead allow you to purchase one as an add-on while ordering one of the upcoming iPhones.

Every dark cloud has a silver lining, though. It is expected that the charging brick that Apple will offer as an additional purchase alongside an iPhone 12 will support 20W fast charging instead of the 18W fast charging that the current brick offers. Moreover, the cable in the box will be a braided one as opposed to the regular charging cable that the company ships with current iPhones. The braided cables will last longer and not fray too soon.

No EarPods in the box as well

Apart from the Cupertino tech giant’s decision to exclude the charging brick from the box alongside the iPhone 12, Apple has also reportedly decided not to include EarPods. The ideology here is the same. Everyone at least has a pair of earphones at home already. So, why provide extra?

Although, there may be yet another motive for Apple to do this. Ming-Chi Kuo suggests removal of EarPods from the iPhone’s box will push people towards buying AirPods instead, getting Apple closer to the dream of a completely wireless, no ports iPhone.

The iPhone 12 lineup will see a staggered launch

Apple is expected to announce all iPhones in the iPhone 12 lineup this month. However, there have been conflicting rumors that suggest different availability dates.

Prolific leaker Jon Prosser earlier said that Apple is planning on launching the lower-end models first. Those include the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12. The Pro models would launch sometime in November, according to Prosser.

Later, a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, who has a better track record of leaking Apple stuff, along with Debby Wu, corroborated the claims made by Posser stating that Apple may launch the 5.4-inch and the 6.1-inch lower-end iPhones first.

However, a recent DigiTimes report suggests that Apple may launch both the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro first.

Despite the conflicting nature of these rumors, one thing is certain: you will have to wait for your iPhone 12 to ship depending on which model you get. Moreover, it’s already established that you cannot trust shipping dates this year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Apple did ship its new Apple Watches that it announced last month in time, despite the fact that the new Solo Loop band units that were sent back due to an improper fit on people’s wrists promised shipping dates as late as next year.

It is uncertain if Apple will be able to maintain shipping dates to decent limits considering the popularity of iPhones and the fact that they sell like hotcakes. Pre Orders don’t even last for hours, for instance.

New iPhones may have a thicker camera bump

Leaker Max Weinbach coupled with EveryThingApplePro released a video on the YouTuber’s channel which contained iPhone 12 renders of the new design based on leaked CAD designs. The renders suggest that the iPhone 12 may have a thickness of 4.7mm which is considerably less than the 8.1mm thick iPhone 11 Pro.

While that’s great, the renders also reveal that the camera bump on the iPhone 12 lineup will be a tad thicker, measuring in at 1.26mm instead of the 1.2mm camera bump on the iPhone 11 Pro. It may be necessary for Apple to do this since thinning down the body requires some sacrifices to be made. Those sacrifices have primarily comprised of a smaller battery in the past. This time, it seems Apple is bumping up (pun intended) the thickness of the camera bump.

A thinner iPhone 12 may be easier on your hands, especially since we know that the lineup will sport flat edges in its design. However, a bigger camera bump translates to rocky usage while the phone’s resting on a table and problematic in-and-out-of-the-pocket movement.

One phone notoriously known for sporting a huge camera bump is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Reviewers have noted that while the phone is great, it would have been better if Samsung shortened the camera bump a bit. Marques Brownlee, a prominent reviewer, says that he noticed dust accumulating at the sides of the bump, which is something the upcoming iPhones could undergo as well. It’s worth noting, although, that since the camera bump on the iPhone 12 could be seamlessly integrated with the glass back panel—just like the iPhone 11 Pro—there’s a lesser chance that you’ll have to worry about dust sticking to the sides of the camera bump.

New iPhones may have a smaller battery

If this much wasn’t enough, there’s yet another discouraging rumor. And this one may affect you the most. According to multiple rumors, Apple will include a slightly smaller battery in the iPhone 12 lineup than the iPhone 11 lineup. This may be because it’s slimming down the chassis and needs to make room for other components.

MySmartPrice reportedly spotted battery certifications for what seem to be battery units for the iPhone 12 lineup. Here’s how the battery capacities compare:

iPhone Battery Size (in mAh)
iPhone 12 mini 2,227
iPhone 12 2,775
iPhone 12 Pro2,775
iPhone 12 Pro Max3,687
iPhoneBattery Size (in mAh)
iPhone 113,110
iPhone 11 Pro3,046
iPhone 11 Pro Max3,969

Battery life is one of the paramount features for iPhone users. But the signs do not look good. The problem here isn’t that the battery capacity may be lower on the upcoming iPhones. Apple is expected to improve battery efficiency by improving the efficiency of the processor itself. However, the problem lies in the fact that Apple will also offer 5G on these iPhones.

It is pretty much established that 5G is a battery sucker and most phones that support 5G have battery capacities that lie in the 4000mAh+ range. How Apple plans to offer better battery life on the iPhone 12 while simultaneously offering 5G is yet to be seen and we’ll only learn that after Apple officially announces the new iPhones onstage.

Until then, consider it’s bad news.

Final Thoughts

Look, people are going to buy iPhones no matter what. Some using Android will be captivated by Apple’s alluring marketing and give in to their desire of having a privacy-focused, and consistent user experience that only the iPhone can currently provide. Those who are upgrading from an older iPhone will choose to buy the new ones by considering the design changes and 5G support.

However, it’s only until October 13 that we’ll get confirmation on all these rumors.

Apple is also expected to launch a new pair of Apple-branded headphones which will be potentially dubbed AirPods Studio alongside a new HomePod mini speaker. Furthermore, the Cupertino company is also planning on announcing its new tile-like location trackers called AirTags at the event.


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