There are many big questions concerning the technology company Apple’s new flagship iPhone release: the 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max—the former two of which come in black, white, red, mint green and blue; while the latter pair share silver, graphite, and pacific blue colour options.
How much am I paying?
Released on 23 October 2020, with an official price of HKD6799, the iPhone 12 is more affordable as an Apple product fresh on the market. In comparison, iPhone X was released at HKD8588, and iPhone 11 at HKD5999.
It’s generally obvious that the rest of the iPhones will experience a rapid, if not immediate, price drop as the new iPhones are released. But does that mean you should jump at the bargain?
First of all, there might not even be old iPhones to jump to. According to tech leaker iAppleTimes, Apple will be discontinuing the sale of iPhone XR and 11 Pro models after the iPhone 12s launch.
Some speculate this is because the iPhone 12 Pro has relatively minor upgrades from the iPhone 11 Pro—the only thing different would be their price tag. But the iPhones remaining on the market will probably undergo price changes, and iPhone 11 has already reduced HKD800 from its original price.
What about the screen?
All four iPhones use something called Super Retina XDR OLED displays. Surprisingly, “retina display” is not actually a technical term. Apple coined the phrase and trademarked it with both the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, in 2012, alongside their Macbook Pro launch.
So when Apple says their product uses a retina display, they just mean our eyes can’t distinguish individual pixels on the screen, because of the high pixel density (number of pixels per inch). This allows each image to be crisp, vivid, and flawless in terms of microscopic graininess.
This field is where the iPhone 12 gets boasting rights over its predecessor. iPhone 11 uses liquid crystal diode technology (LCD), which requires a background source of light to illuminate the pixels as well as create colours.
On the other hand, iPhone 12 uses organic light emitting diode technology (OLED), offering thinner screens and brighter displays. In addition, according to researchers at TÜV Rheinland, OLED screens have produced significantly less blue light than LCD panels, minimising the harmful effects of digital eye strain.
The iPhone 12 also boasts a new protective layer on their screen called Ceramic Shield, which reportedly has the strength and durability of four times their previous products. iPhone 11 requires 352 Newtons to crack its screen while iPhone 12 needs 443N, according to an independent California researcher.
Not exactly four times, but iPhone 12 and 12 Pro can withstand a drop of up to 3 meters, and if you dropped the phone into an Olympic swimming pool, it could stay there without damage, for a minimum of 30 minutes.
This, paired with Ceramic Shield’s crystalline structure allowing top transparency for the iPhone’s graphics quality, makes for a pretty good screen. Apple brought back the square, boxy design of their iPhone 4s and 5s and slapped it into the 12s, effectively “shaving off” the curves of 8 years’ worth of products.
What’s 5G?
Apple also talks about the iPhone 12s’ new 5G connectivity, which would multiply speeds by nearly 100 times. 5G does this using super-high frequency, or high-band spectrum, to transmit more data in less time.
But high frequency signals can’t travel long distances, and they are easily knocked off by things like doors, windows, walls, streetlamps.
To compensate, 5G uses small, specialised “cell towers” placed in close proximity to each other, that transmit the signal through dense cities.
South Korea was the first country to launch 5G coverage, followed by China and the United States. However, some countries, including counties in Ireland, Brussels, UK, Australia, have opposed the deployment of 5G networks due to “adverse health effects”; they call for more research on 5G radiation, health, and environmental hazards.
Say you do decide to buy Apple’s new products: which one should you get?
Aside from size, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are identical. They both have the A14 Bionic chip, facial recognition and camera features including ultra-wide angle, Night Mode, dual-lens setup. It’s really up to you on what size you’d want your phone to be.
The main difference between the iPhone 12s and 12 Pros is the camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max has 3 lenses, a big sensor, stabilisation system, high light sensitivity. Their photos will be sharp, highlighted, stable—Apple’s made it effortless to produce good quality pictures.
But these features are also present on the iPhone 12 Pro, and in general there won’t be any dramatic difference seen between the two when shooting in daylight.
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