iPhone 12 launch: Everything expected from Apple's new iPhones this year

Here's a roundup of all the specs, design changes and upgrades that have been reported about the new iPhone 12 series.

Apple iPhone 12 launch.

Apple is expected to launch its flagship iPhone 12 series in a few weeks. Apple has already confirmed the new iPhones will be delayed this year and reports point to an October launch. Based on multiple rumours, leaks and reports, Apple's iPhone 12 series will come with many firsts other than the usual upgrades.

This will be the second iPhone launch after Apple launched the iPhone SE in April. In the past few months, Apple has also refreshed the MacBook, iPad and iMac models. But all eyes will be on the iPhone 12 launch as it remains the last major smartphone launch event of the year barring the Pixel 5 of course. All the rumours and leaks will be put to rest once Apple launches the iPhone 12 series in a few weeks. But before that, let's take a look at what's expected from the new iPhones.

Not three but four iPhones

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Apple added a third iPhone to the lineup with the iPhone XR back in 2017. The same was followed last year with the iPhone 11. This year, Apple is said to launch four iPhone models. The base model will have a 5.4-inch display, then one 6.1-inch iPhone 12 with low-end specs, and another 6.1-inch model but with high-end specs. The most expensive of the lot will feature a 6.7-inch display.

First 5G iPhones

There's already a good number of smartphones that come with 5G support. These are not limited to the flagship segment but even the mid-range and affordable premium segment have 5G phones. For Apple, the iPhone 12 series will be the first iPhones with 5G support. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, all four iPhones will have 5G. But only the high-end Pro model will reportedly offer the fastest 5G speed.

Old but new design

The significant change in the design of the iPhone XS series and the iPhone 11 series is the camera module. Apple will most likely retain the same camera design but the overall look will be different. Many renders have revealed a design similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. This year's iPhones will have flat edges as opposed to the curved edges. Apple has already adopted this for the iPad Pro. The new iPhones will reportedly have stainless steel edges as well.

No LCD, only OLED

The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 both come with LCD displays. It's the one major tradeoff compared with the high-end iPhones. But this year, Apple is said to use OLED displays for all the four iPhones. This has been reported by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg as well. With OLED displays, Apple might also add 120Hz refresh rates on the iPhone 12 series. But knowing Apple, this refresh rate could be limited to the high-end iPhone 12 Pro Max or whatever it will be called.

Cameras

Similar to last year, the low-end iPhone 12 models will have dual rear cameras while the high-end ones will have triple rear sensors. The front camera will most likely be the same for all four iPhones. The most expensive iPhone 12 will also feature a LIDAR sensor that is used to detect objects with lasers.

No accessories!

The most shocking thing in this year's iPhone 12 launch could be that there are no accessories in the box. Apple will reportedly ship the new iPhones without the charger and the earphones. A lightning to USB-C cable is still expected to come with the iPhone 12. Apple's decision to do so could be to ramp up sales of its AirPods, Kuo suggested.

Expected upgrades

The iPhone 12 series will most likely be powered by the A14 Bionic which will be an upgraded processor over the A13 Bionic. Storage variants could start at 64GB for the low-end models, and 128GB for the high-end ones. As for the RAM capacity, the base iPhone 12 models are said to come with 4GB of RAM. The high-end ones could be packed with 6GB of RAM. The battery life will also be a few hours higher than the previous iPhones.