About a month after hosting a product event, Apple streamed yet another one on Tuesday, but this time the main focus was on four new smartphones - The iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 pro, and 12 pro max.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini
The newly designed iPhone 12 models feature edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays, which are said to provide a brighter and more immersive viewing experience.
They also have a new Ceramic Shield front cover, hopefully reducing the amount of cracked iPhone screens.
The iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 12 mini is 5.4-inches from corner to corner.
The new phones will now have the ability to charge using MagSafe technology, similar to the Apple Watch and older MacBook chargers. This is where the chargers snap onto the back of the phone magnetically.
These new iPhones will also have 5G connectivity boasting improved speeds for faster downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity in apps, FaceTime in high definition.
Models of these phones in the U.S. will support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing the iPhone 12 to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in highly populated areas.
iPhone 12 models also feature Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real-time.
These new phones also have an IP68 rating for water resistance up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes and Apple says they are protected against everyday spills like coffee and soda.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will also have an improved processor, the A14 Bionic chip, which helps power the new duel camera system.
This upgraded camera system features the Ultra-Wide camera and a new Wide camera with an ƒ/1.6 aperture, providing 27% more light for better low-light photos and videos.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available in five aluminum finishes, including blue, green, black, white, and red.
Pre-orders for iPhone 12 begin Friday, October 16th, with availability beginning Friday, October 23rd.
The iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, November 6th, and in stores beginning Friday, November 13th.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models starting at $799 and $699, respectively.
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max have the same upgrades as the iPhone 12 and 12 mini with a few extras.
The reimagined pro camera systems feature a new seven-element lens Wide camera with 27% improved low-light performance in photo and video; an Ultra-Wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and the new Telephoto camera bringing the optical zoom range to 4x.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max takes the pro camera system boasts a wide camera with a 47% larger sensor for an 87 % improvement in low-light conditions.
It also includes the upgraded Ultra-Wide camera like the iPhone 12 pro, but it also has a 65 mm focal length Telephoto camera for increased flexibility with closer shots and tighter crops.
Combined, this new camera system offers a 5x optical zoom range.
iPhone 12 Pro models will feature the new Apple ProRAW, coming later this year, which combines Apple’s multi-frame image processing and computational photography with the versatility of a RAW format.
Users can experience full creative control over color, detail, and dynamic range natively on iPhone or with other professional photo editing apps.
iPhone 12 Pro models also introduce a new LiDAR Scanner for immersive augmented reality (AR).
When it comes to screen sizes, the iPhone 12 Pro has a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch display.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in four stainless steel finishes, including graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue.
Pre-orders for iPhone 12 Pro begin Friday, October 16th, with availability beginning Friday, October 23rd, and then iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available for pre-order Friday, November 6th, and it will be in stores beginning Friday, November 13th.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively.
All of the new iPhones will not come with USB power adapters or wired earbuds headphones, but they will come with a USB-C to lighting cable.
Apple says this is to cut back on waste, but both accessories can still be bought separately on Apple's website.
HomePod Mini
This new smart speaker is just 3.3 inches tall, compared to the full-size HomePod, which is about 7 inches tall.
HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn.
In the coming months, Pandora and Amazon Music will work with the new smart speaker too.
HomePod mini speakers can work together to stream music or podcasts to different rooms while staying in sync.
By placing two HomePod mini speakers in a room, a stereo pair can be created for double the sound.
A three-microphone array listens for “Hey Siri,” and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.
HomePod mini will be available in white and space gray for $99.
