There have been innumerable news and rumors or speculations about the release of the iPhone 12 and finally, we got a likely date whereby the devices will debut but little is still known about what the device will actually look and feel like but that never stopped leakers and different media outlets to snoop around the Apple’s space ship office to find breadcrumbs they could trail after in order to find relevant information pertaining to the next-gen iPhone 12 which had obviously caused a lot of buzz in the news and around the internet world.

Among the rumors we had was about the design specification of the device which is said to sport the iPad Pro’s design aesthetics which is a boxy-edged design similar to older iPhone 4 and 5 back in the days.

There are also rumors about the iPhone 12 finally supporting the 5G network which is a good news and even a video leaked some times back about the iPhone 12 Pro Max sporting a 120Hz refresh rate screen but the reality is that the next-gen iPhone is definitely going to be interesting and ridden with lots of features.

Take the release of the new iOS 14 as an example which is entirely revamped and tweaked up to support newer features such as the home-screen widget and other better design support. But nothing can be officially confirmed at least not until the 13th of October which is this coming Tuesday.

In order to better understand what we’re in for, let’s take it one after the other.

Four new iPhone 12 series and two additional displays

One of the popular news swirling around the internet is the fact that there will be four different iPhone 12 series with two additional displays.

It might not be surprising since Apple had decided to join the rest of the smartphone manufacturers in releasing multiple devices something which Apple itself started back in 2017 when the iPhone X first debuted alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

With four distinctive iPhone 12 series that means the device will range from mid-range premium level smartphone to the much expensive high-end premium flagship variant which will cost even much than the previous gen.

There are some information about the device’s prices, colors and release dates based on some information gotten from a Weibo leaker with the name Kang who is pretty reliable according to AppleTrack.

• A new 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, which would have a smaller screen than the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro (and presumably be an entirely smaller phone). It could start at $699; come in black, white, red, blue, and green; and have 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB versions.
• A 6.1-inch iPhone 12,meaning it would have the same screen size as the iPhone 11, with similar specs as its 5.4-inch sibling. It might start at $799; also come in black, white, red, blue, and green; and also have 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB versions.
• A second 6.1-inch model, the iPhone 12 Pro, which would have higher-end specs. It may start at $999; come in gold, silver, graphite, and blue; and have 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions.
• A new 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. That screen size would be bigger than the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max (likely making the phone larger in size as well). It could start at $1,099; come in gold, silver, graphite, and blue; and have 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB versions.

The initial rumor has it that the iPhone 12 series will come with the same screen sizes according to a reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who had been a reliable source about the features to expect in an upcoming iPhone  — but The Wall Street Journal also corroborated those screen sizes in April. And Bloomberg reported them as fact in September.

The new iPhone 12 design is a reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and 5

For a long time now, the iPhone design after the iPhone 5 had been in a rectangular rounded design by the side but Apple is basically switching back to the previous iPhone 4 and 5 design which is quite similar to the iPad Pro as well.

This is probably going to be true because of the fact that Apple is said to still be retaining the notch maybe reducing it a bit but there should at least be some visible difference between the previous iPhone 11 an the iPhone 12 right?

Apparent dummy models of the phones have been floating around this summer, based on the expected dimensions of the upcoming iPhones, and they give us our best idea of what that new design could look like, and how their sizes compare to other phones in Apple’s lineup.

There is even a casing that can help turn your old iPhones to the newer iPhone 12 based on the design aesthetics of the rumored iPhone 12 design and you can also check out this photo of those dummy models from MacRumors. They kind of remind me of the iPhone 4:

Bloomberg further reported that all of the four iPhone 12 series will emerge in the squared-off edges and the pricier variants will have stainless steel edges while the cheaper base models will have aluminum on their edges.

iPhone 12 Sizes Compared with iPhone SE, 7, 8, SE 2, X, 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max https://t.co/mtaBAeNFAS by @MacRumors pic.twitter.com/14oFHGyJrD

— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) July 8, 2020

Below is an interesting photograph of the rumored iPhone 12 (base model) which is expected to have a 5.4-inch display right in the middle of the first-gen iPhone SE (left) and the newer iPhone SE (right) which was released earlier on this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

And this new option will be solid especially for those who had always wanted a smaller iPhone compared to the size of the iPhone X, XS, 11 Pro which all come with a 5.8-inch display.

YouTuber MKBHD’s made a video about the dummy iPhone 12 series which is like a mock-up of how well the device would fit in people’s hands when it finally debuts – at least let’s hope this is what we get on Tuesday, 13th of October.

First iPhone to have 5G network support

This will actually be the next big marketing and selling point for Apple with the next-gen iPhone 12. Having support for 5G network could potentially throw Apple far forward in the smartphone maker league of 5G devices by 2021 according to new research.

Back in January, Ming-Chi kuo made it known that the next-gen iPhone will have support for both the Sub-6GHz and the much faster mmWave 5G networks even though the latter isn’t everywhere yet in the US.

Later on by September, Kuo revised his guidance to say that shipments of mmWave 5G iPhones would be “lower than expected,” without specifying whether any iPhones had dropped the technology. And Kang reported on Friday that all four models will have 5G but said that mmWave will only be standard in the US models.

There have been different rumors which have been contradictory in respect to the 5G capability of the next-gen iPhone 12. A good example of such would be the Wall Street Journal report which stated in April that “some” of this year’s iPhones will get the 5G network support then another report from Bloomberg has it that 5G will be added to “as many as four new handset models.”

Fast Company was the other media outlet that claimed that the high-end premium variants will offer the fastest mmWave support while the base models will only have the Sub-6GHz band.

So it seems like a safe bet that 5G should come to new iPhones — Qualcomm and Apple fought hard to make it happen — but right now, it’s not totally clear which phones might have which forms of 5G.

All iPhone 12 model to sport OLED display

This might just be a good news especially for those seeking to opt for the entry-level models which unlike the previous-gen iPhone 11 (base model) that has IPS LCD display, the next-gen iPhone 12 will sport an OLED screen which will be a good thing according to reports from both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg back in April.

Apple plans to bring its Super Retina XDR display, which was exclusive to last year’s iPhone 11 Pro lineup, to all four of this year’s iPhones, Kang reported on Friday.

The LCD display seems to being left out for entry-level smartphones nowadays since early all mid-range devices now come with it especially in the Android spectrum. But then we have to ask the question about the type of refresh rates which Apple will be putting on this devices.

Jon Prosser of First Page Tech posted a leaked video of an alleged iPhone 12 Pro Max screen being tested out with option for user to switch to the 120Hz refresh rate.

But in case the iPhone 12 does offer 120Hz, don’t be surprised if Apple calls it “ProMotion” onstage. (That’s the brand name it uses for its iPad Pros, which have had high refresh rate screens since 2017.)

Apple may also make the screens in this year’s iPhones tougher with a new ceramic substrate glass, according to Kang.

Four camera sensors and LiDAR

Another rumor that’s swirling around the web is the fact that the iPhone 12 could sport a quad rear camera setup which is going to be a good thing if possible but that might not be the case but what could be possible is the inclusion of the LiDAR sensor on the premium high-end iPhone 12 series (maybe the Pro Max).

The essence of the LiDAR is to detect objects using lasers and this can further push the iPhone 12 in the Augmented Reality line which will enhance users’ experience even further since there is a dedicated sensor ensuring accuracy and all that.

In terms of the camera specifications, Kang shared more as to what you might expect to see on each iPhone 12 model on Friday:

• The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 may have a wide-angle and an ultrawide
• The iPhone 12 Pro could have a wide-angle, an ultrawide, a telephoto with 4X optical zoom, and a LIDAR sensor
• The iPhone 12 Pro Max might have a wide-angle, an ultrawide, a telephoto with 5X optical zoom, and a LIDAR sensor

Apple first added a LIDAR sensor to the iPad Pros in March and it “seems quite advanced but built for a software future that hasn’t arrived yet.” We’ll have to wait and see if Apple can make a strong case for it in the iPhone.

Don’t be annoyed with no charger or headphone in the box

This is one of the popular rumor that Apple will literally exclude chargers and headphones from the casing which means you will have to purchase a charger/headphone separately or just use your AirPods Pro or whatever TWS earbuds you are using.

Most of the times, Apple do ship their devices with pretty cheap charging cables which usually prompt device users to buy premium chargers which can last even longer than how long they can latch onto their iPhone which if true, might be the reason for Apple deciding to pull the plug by excluding chargers and headphones from the unboxing experience of the iPhone 12 but don’t take my words for it.

This rumor had been earlier reported back in June by Kuo which Kang corroborated on Friday. Bloomberg also reported on October 6th that Apple plans to remove the charger from the box. The decision could also significantly reduce e-waste.

That doesn’t mean Apple won’t offer ways to charge your phone. The new iPhones will apparently still come with a Lightning to USB-C cable, according to Kuo, which would let you connect your phone to a computer or a power adapter with a USB-C port. (That rumor of a Lightning to USB-C cable suggests the phone itself likely won’t have a USB-C port this year, even though the iPad Pro switched over to USB-C in 2018.)

New iPhone 12 will Be Equipped with 20W Power Adapter pic.twitter.com/FBJxlJXyYW

— Mr·white (@laobaiTD) June 24, 2020

The absence of charger and headphones in the iPhone casing might mean the device’s box will be much smaller and there was in fact a render about what to expect about that when the device finally lands with a posted render of a tray that could be included in the new box, and it seems to only have space for a coiled-up cable and perhaps some papers and instructions.

View this post on Instagram

iPhone 12 inner box leak. Look like there is no place for a charger ? . #iphone12

A post shared by CONCEPTSIPHONE (@conceptsiphone) on Jul 7, 2020 at 8:35am PDT

That smaller box could help Apple claim that these iPhones are even more environmentally-friendly than in previous years.

New and faster processing units

There is going to be the A14 Bionic chip in the iPhone 12 series which will enhance its speed and make it battery efficient due to the inclusion of the 5G network support.

 Bloomberg confirmed this report on Friday which would be the same one included in the new iPad Air. The new chip will apparently be a “significant” upgrade “with an emphasis on speeding up artificial intelligence and AR tasks,” Bloomberg said in a separate report from April.

Support for MagSafe

The MagSafe had been Apple’s signature magnetic power cable charger on its Mac laptops and they could make their ways to the iPhone 12 series as well.

There have been rumors about the company planning to reveal the wireless “MagSafe” chargers as well as a magnetic-equipped iPhone case which will hekp it align with the phone more easily when placed on the charging mat according to Kang.

Google’s translation of Kang’s Weibo post is a bit confusing about how many chargers there might be and what they might be called:

Magsafe official magnetic casing, two Magsafe Charger wireless chargers, and Magsafe Duo Charger.

But leaker @L0vetodream said the names MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger in a tweet on Friday. That seems to point to there being just two chargers: the MagSafe Charger and the MagSafe Duo Charger.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Apple possibly adding magnets to its products to help with wireless charging. Leaker EverythingApplePro shared photos of what appear to be magnets designed to be built into the iPhone 12’s casing in August:

Magnets.. inside the iPhone 12’s chassis ? pic.twitter.com/0eJ7HRZjpW

— EverythingApplePro (@EveryApplePro) August 4, 2020

Change in the iPhone launching

Back in September, Apple didn’t release the iPhone series but released an array of devices in its line such as the Watch Series 6, Watch SE, iPad Air and other service services which is quite different from what we would usually expect from the company every September.

One of the main reason for the change is due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on global manufacturing which had some reports earlier on that the release of the iPhone 12 might be postponed till the year 2021 especially when the company released the iPhone SE (2020).

But now we might have a good idea about when you can expect to see the new iPhones in stores, thanks to rumored release information from Kang:

• iPhone 12 mini: preorders on November 6th or 7th, release date of November 13th or 14th
• iPhone 12: preorders on October 16th or 17th, release date of October 23rd or 24th
• iPhone 12 Pro: preorders on October 16th or 17th, release date of October 23rd or 24th
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: preorders on November 13th or 14th, release date of November 20th or 21st

Bloomberg on the other hand had also reported about the timing of the release of the iPhone series as well stating that the base models will hit the store earlier on than the high-end flagship models.

Misc expectations: Battery, storage etc

While I call these misc., they are pretty important and there were rumors that the iPhone might com with 4GB of RAM for the base models while the high-end models will sport 6GB of RAM according to Apple leaker @L0vetodream.

• 5.4-inch might sport a 2,227mAh battery
• 6.1-inch model will have 2,775mAh battery
• 6.7-inch iPhone could sport 3,687mAh battery

By comparison, those batteries would be smaller than the reported capacities of similar-sized iPhones in the current lineup. (Apparently, the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro has a 3,045mAh battery, the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 has a 3,110mAh battery, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3,969mAh battery.)