iPhone 12: everything you need to know about Apple's new product

The iPhone 12 was expected to be released in September 2020, but Apple has confirmed it will be delayed. How long will it be delayed for and will it be split into two separate launches?

The new phone's design has been leaked, and the full specs list revealed - including a processor that could offer speed gains of up to 15% thanks to its use of a 5nm manufacturing process.

The big question is this: will the iPhone 12 be ready for Apple's September 15 event, or will it be pushed back to a separate launch in October? Two tech pundits both agree that there will be a delay.

Possible October launch

The iPhone 12 could come out in mid-October 2020. After Apple's financial report in July, CFO Luca Maestri confirmed that the iPhone 12 would come out a few weeks later than usual.

Mark Gurman, of Bloomberg News and TV, notes that "it makes sense for Apple to break up the events more than they normally would since it essentially is just slicing up video". Lovers of the products may have to wait until November, before they can get their hands on this year's gadgets. It may be the case where we see the products rolled out over three months, September (Watch/iPad), October (iPhone), and November (Mac), according to Gurman.

Time Flies

The original launch event of September 15, called 'Time Flies', may now see the arrival of the new ipad and Apple Watch. This year will see a change to the events, as they will be virtual.

Tech Analyst, Jon Prosser, insists that the "iPhone 12 just isn't ready yet", and says the event will be all about the Apple Watch and iPad. The event name 'Time Flies' is a tagline that suggests it will be the Apple Watch.

October seems to be the most likely month for the phone. Prosser has maintained for a while that the iPhone 12 would be unveiled in the week commencing October 12.

Huge demand

Prosser says that Apple is going to deal with production bottlenecks by splitting the iPhone 12 launch in two. It will release the two 6.1in models initially, followed by the 5.4in iPhone 12 and the 6.7in 12 Pro Max a few weeks later. Because the first two would be based on the same OLED screens, it would reduce the pressure on the firm's manufacturing partners.

Preorders of the iPhone 12 and 12 Max could commence in the week commencing October 12 (the same as the announcement) and shipping will start the following week. Prosser adds that the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will be available for preorder, and start to ship, in November.

Camera, screen and colour

For those who were hoping for an actual fourth camera, the LiDAR is not that. It is solely used for measuring depth and not for taking actual photos or videos. LiDAR, like on the new iPad Pro, is a handy inclusion for depth perception and AR features.

The 2020 iPhones will come in different screen sizes: 5.4in and 6.1in for the basic models, and 6.1in and 6.7in for the Pros.

The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max come in silver, gold, Space Grey and Midnight Green colour finishes. The iPhone 11 is available in white, black, green, yellow, purple and red. The plain iPhone 12 will follow the 11 in the main, but Apple will tweak the offering depending on the demand for colours.

Specs

A14 processor

5.4in/6.1in OLED Super Retina display (6.1in/6.7in OLED with 120Hz ProMotion on Pro models)

4GB RAM (6GB RAM on Pro)

128GB/256GB storage (plus 512GB on Pro)

5G

Dual-lens rear camera (triple-lens with LiDAR on Pro)

Price

Jon Prosser thinks the iPhone 12 will start at $649, a $50 drop in price from the entry-level iPhone 11, however, more recently there have been rumours suggesting that we'll see a price rise, with the cheapest model costing $749.