By Adedapo Adesanya
The much-anticipated iPhone 12 smartphone is expected to be launched on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, Apple has announced. This will be the second fall special event.
The anticipated device is expected to include superfast 5G wireless connectivity and a new iPad-inspired design and it will be unveiled in a live event next week Tuesday (7 pm Nigerian time).
Four new devices are expected within the iPhone 12 range, as well as Apple AirTags and over-the-ear headphones.
Business Post had reported that the company unveiled a range of new products including Apple Watches and iPads last month, but for the first time in years, it did not release a new iPhone at the same time.
The iPhone 12 generation is rumoured to be made up of four variants; the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Aside from the name, the Pro models are expected to have better displays, supporting 120Hz ProMotion and 10-bit colour.
The standard iPhone 12 may cost between $699 and $799, in line with the current $699 price of the base iPhone 11, while the 12 Pro would be likely to cost somewhere around the $999 mark.
The biggest of the bunch, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, would likely cost in the same region of the current 64GB 11 Pro Max, $1,099, although an increase to $1,199 would not be out of the question.
It’s also worth noting that some reports suggest the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will have a higher base storage of 128GB, rather than the 64GB on the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, which may affect pricing.
There are also rumours that Apple may offer an iPhone 12 Mini, possibly as a reaction to some people complaining smartphones are increasingly not pocket-friendly.
Video capabilities across the board are also expected to be improved to include 4K slow motion at up to 240 frames per seconds (fps), as well as discussions of an “Enhanced Night Mode” and “Advanced Noise Reduction.”
Apple is also rumoured to be working on over-the-ear headphones to add to the AirPods family, potentially called AirPods Studio.
The most interesting feature is the Apple AirTags – similar to the Tile Bluetooth trackers, which can be added to a keyring or other physical items and located using an iPhone app.
This would enable users to pull up the app on their iPhone and get an idea of where the tag is located in the immediate environment. It is being touted that even if the tag has been left further afield, there are suggestions it could be located by other iPhones through Apple’s “Find My” app mesh network.
Dipo Olowookere