Here's Everything You Need to Know About the iPhone 12

It'll be Apple's first 5G-enabled phone. 

If you've been thinking of upgrading your phone, here's some good news: Apple has announced that its iPhone 12 is on the way. (At this rate, it kind of feels like Apple unveils a new iPhone every month.)

The tech giant finally gave us a glance at the iPhone 12 alongside three other models earlier this morning. 

Apple revealed that the new smartphone will come in four models, including the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. 

Of course, you're probably wondering how the new iPhone compares to previous models. So, let's break it down.

What does it look like?

Visually, the design is thin, small and light. Apple has definitely opted for a flatter look, rather than curved edges this time around.

It also incorporates the new OLED Super Retina XDR display, boasting 460 ppi pixel density and Dolby Vision HDR support. 

On top of that, there's a new ceramic shield protection layer on the screen, which will make it tougher and more drop resistant (lucky for you). 

The iPhone 12 comes in five colours: black, white, red, green and blue. 

Weirdly, it actually closely resembles the iPhone 5. In fact, the memes have already started rolling in on Twitter.

To make things even stranger, wired headphones and power adapters will be removed from the iPhone 12 boxes. The phone itself will also have a new USB-C to lightning cable. 

It doesn't really come as a surprise considering the adaptors were also removed from the new iPad and Apple Watch 7 devices back in September, but it'll still make the box feel very... empty.

Does it support 5G technology? 

Yes, it does. All four of the new iPhone 12 models can tap 5G wireless data networks. 

If you're not entirely sure what 5G is (and you've managed to avoid the conspiracy theories), it's a new technical standard for wireless networks that promises faster speeds and less lag when connecting to the network, as well as the ability to connect several devices to the internet without slowing it down.

In saying that, we probably won't see those speeds in Australia for a while. At the moment, millimetre wave isn't available down under, but telcos will be able to bid for a part of the millimetre wave spectrum in March 2021. 

What's the difference between the four new models? 

Good question! 

The iPhone 12 is the standard model that Apple expects the largest amount of users to buy. In terms of battery life, the iPhone 12 will offer up to 17 hours of video playback, which is identical to the iPhone 11. 

On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Mini is about 11 per cent smaller in display size than the iPhone 12, bur it still has many of the same attributes as the iPhone 12. 

The iPhone 12 Pro has the same display size as the standard iPhone 12, so the real difference comes from the camera. The iPhone 12 Pro model features a triple camera system on the rear and new features like an image signal processor for enhancing photo quality, 4x optical zoom, Dolby Vision HDR video recording and a LiDAR scanner. 

Size is the biggest difference for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The display size is 6.7 inches, which makes it the largest ever on an iPhone. It's also packed with some extra camera features, such as a larger sensor on its rear wide camera. 

How much will the iPhone 12 cost? 

Look, there's no getting around it; you'll need to fork out quite a bit of cash for these new smartphones.

The iPhone 12 will start at $1,349 in Australia, and you can pre-order it from Friday 16 October. It'll then go on sale on Friday 23 October.

You'll be looking at $1,199 for an iPhone 12 Mini. Pre-orders will begin on Saturday 7 November, and you'll be able to buy it from Friday 13 November.

The iPhone 12 Pro will cost $1,699, and you can pre-order it from Friday 16 October. It'll release alongside the standard iPhone 12 on Friday 23 October.

Finally, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will start at $1,849 in Australia, and pre-orders will begin on Saturday 7 November. You'll be able to buy the phone from Friday 13 November.

Well, looks like you can add an iPhone 12 to your Christmas list.

Header Image: Apple