iPhone 12 (2020) : release date, price, datasheet, leaks, everything you need to know

If the iPhone 12 looks like this, it's going to be a hit

     The iPhone 12 should be available this year in three models, which should be launched in September, probably at prices very close to those of the iPhone 11. Release date, price, technical specifications, here is all we know at this stage of the next iPhone. 

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro: we may know almost everything about Apple's future smartphones

     The most eagerly awaited smartphone of the year, the iPhone 12 has fans on their feet. Who will completely crack if Apple releases this fabulous model...

     The iPhone 11, Pro, and Pro Max had been a disappointment at first: Apple didn't know how to make us dream with new technologies ahead of the market. 

     The iPhone 11 generation was a technological catch-up on Android competition that has become much stronger. 

     The iPhone 11 seemed destined to lead the class in as many categories as possible (screen, photo, battery life, biometrics, software support...). And from this point of view, it was rather a success.

The iPhone 12 generation is now set to transform the trial - and hopefully, it will popularize new technologies like 5G. In this dossier, we've gathered together the latest news and rumors about this smartphone.

When does the iPhone 12 come out?

     Every year Apple launches new iPhones at an event in September. It is therefore likely that the iPhone 12 will be launched in September 2020, perhaps at the end of the first or second week of the month. They will be on the market about ten days later.

How much will the iPhone 12 cost?

     
     The XS generation was the first for which Apple launched three smartphones, including the cheaper iPhone XR (€859), the iPhone XS (€1159), and the iPhone XS Max (€1259). 

     With the iPhone 11, Apple once again launched three smartphones: the iPhone 11 (€809), and the iPhone 11 Pro (€1159) and iPhone 11  Pro Max (€1259).

     Over two generations, the price of the cheapest version has dropped by €50, while the price of the most expensive iPhone has remained exactly the same. 

     Therefore, we can expect Apple to offer the iPhone 12 trio at about the same price as the last two iPhone generations. With perhaps, the icing on the cake, a slight price drop on the cheapest model.

What will be the datasheet of the iPhone 12?

     Some rumors are starting to accumulate around the technical specifications of the future iPhone of 2020. One thing is certain: like every new generation, it will have a new homemade SoC. 

     It is also expected to have significantly improved photo sensors and to make further progress in terms of battery capacity and battery life.

SoC A14

We're starting to know some details about the SoC A14 that these iPhones should carry. Apple has entrusted the manufacture to the founder TSMC. 

These chips will be the first on a consumer product to be engraved in 5 nm using the FinFET EUV (TSMC) process. 

For now, we don't know much more about these SoCs, except for the projections of a journalist Jason Cross who calculated that they could have 15 billion transistors compared to 8.5 billion on the previous generation, and a Geekbench score that is similar to that of the entry-level MacBook Pro (if such a thing exists).

Improved photosensors

     Apple should improve its photosensors again this year. But precise information is still missing at this stage. 

     The latest rumors speak of a clear improvement in depth-of-field detection - a must-have feature, for example, in Portrait modes as well as for generating a precise blur around a subject, the famous Bokeh effect. 

     The smartphone could carry a 3D laser sensor, or some other type of component capable of creating an accurate depth-of-field map, on its back. 

     In addition, whatever its sensors and optics, the smartphone should benefit from better image processing thanks to its new SoC, which is expected to be muscular.

     It could take more pictures at a time when the shutter release is triggered, and use this increased number of shots to generate brighter, more detailed pictures depending on the situation. 

     From this perspective, real-time image processing could also benefit movie shooting, with on-the-fly image quality effects and reprocessing.

iPhone 12 a better autonomy

     We saw it with the iPhone 11 Pro Max: Apple has made significant progress in terms of autonomy. And it is likely that the manufacturer is focusing its efforts on this point again. 

     All the more so as its SoC A14 is engraved in 5 nm and potentially has many more transistors than the previous generation - no doubt a sign of improved energy management, which will also result in increased autonomy.

Will the iPhone 12 finally make the notch disappear?

     One thing is for sure: iPhone 12s will benefit from improved screens. The whole question is how much they will be, and what that means for the rest of the datasheet.

Size changes

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the next iPhone will have slightly larger or smaller screen sizes than the iPhone 11 generation. 

Thus, the iPhone 12 Pro Max would have a 6.7″ screen (compared to 6.5″ on the iPhone 11 Pro Max) and the iPhone 12 Pro would have a 5.45″ screen (compared to 5.8″ on the iPhone 11 Pro).

OLED for all

     A persistent noise evokes the abandonment of LCD technology on the three models of the iPhone 12. The iPhone 11 (neither Pro nor Pro Max) has an IPS LCD screen, unlike the other models. 

     A way to lower production costs. It remains to be seen whether Apple will be able to offer the cheapest iPhone 12 with an OLED screen at the same price as the iPhone 11.

New 120 Hz display

     At least one of the iPhone 12 models should have a 120 Hz screen - instead of the 60 Hz refresh rate on current models. Apple was one of the first to introduce 120Hz screens on its iPad Pro as early as 2015. 

Until now, the firm has been reluctant to integrate such a screen into an iPhone, while many Android competitors have done so on gaming-oriented smartphones.

Knowing Apple's power in mobile gaming, it would seem surprising that the firm doesn't finally take the plunge. A higher refresh rate means smoother movements and a reduced response time, which can be a plus in some games.

Notch or borderless?

     Finally, one of the questions that will come upon this screen the most - until we finally get the answer - is "will it have a notch? ». Apple had popularized the notch by launching its iPhone X in 2017. 

     This cut-out at the top of the screen was until now a necessary evil for integrating advanced sensors like Face ID's on the front panel in smartphones whose edges melt like a skin of sorrow.

     But in a short period of time, technology has evolved. So much so that it has become possible to integrate a fingerprint sensor underneath screens. But it doesn't stop there: Several manufacturers have shown prototypes of photosensors that are also hidden under the floor. 

     The dream of a rectangle completely covered by a screen is now becoming reality. It remains to be seen whether Apple will be one of the pioneers or take the train.

Will the iPhone 12 have Face ID or Touch ID?

     That is, as we write this, the $1 billion question. Apple has touted its Face ID facial recognition technology as the most convenient and secure way to unlock your smartphone. Even more so than the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. 

     Rumors point to two possibilities. In the first scenario, Face ID would be completely replaced by a fingerprint reader under the screen.

     But other rumors suggest a much smaller Face ID device, which could fit into a redesigned notch, be hidden in the border, or even go entirely under the screen. 

     It's not impossible, by the way, that Apple has taken two approaches: one for the cheapest iPhone 12, and the other for the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max.

Will the iPhone 12 be 5G compatible?

     Apple missed the 5G mark in 2019 - and was probably not wrong to do so, given that the technology is finally available, at this stage, in only a few countries and coverage areas. 

     Nevertheless, it is likely that the company will offer 5G connectivity on at least one or even two of the three models. In fact, several reports have even been read that anticipate 5G compatibility on all three iPhone 12 variants.

     According to the latest information available, Apple would use the Snapdragon X55 modem to access these networks.

What does the design of the iPhone 12 look like?

     Apple usually changes its design every two generations. 

     So we can expect the fundamentals introduced in generation 11 to remain the same. The backs of the most expensive devices should be covered with frosted glass, except for the logo (shiny glass) and the photosensor finish, which is also shiny.

     The chassis of these cameras should be made of stainless steel again this year. There will be a new, attractive blue-purple color. 

     Some people imagine a flat chassis in the style of the latest iPad Pro, but again, such a radical change seems unlikely since the iPhone 11 had already changed its design.

Click here for the Last Update: 05/18/2020

     In the end, the only thing that should visually differentiate the previous generation smartphone will be new colors and the possible disappearance of the notch, which remains to be confirmed.