It is clear that Apple will give its 2020 iPhones the biggest design change since the arrival of the iPhone X in 2017. And now well-respected site PhoneArena has put all of this information together to create the most accurate renders of both the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro that we have seen to date.
And it’s all about angles. Whereas Apple had made its iPhones ever softer and more rounded since the iPhone 6 launched in 2014, PhoneArena’s renders show how Apple is now bringing back the straighter, flatter lines of the iconic iPhone 4 and 5 – big fan favorites. This is a style we have already seen Apple bring to the 2020 iPad Pro, a product which served to give away Apple’s iPhone imaging plans.
In addition to the chassis shift, PhoneArena also illustrates both the smaller front notch Apple has developed for both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro and their respective rear cameras. While the former sticks with a dual-camera rear setup, the triple cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro will be joined by Apple’s new LiDAR sensor. LiDAR brings long-range 3D mapping to the iPhone range (unlike anything we have seen before) and it has the potential to radically shake-up augmented reality gaming and applications.
Did PhoneArena miss anything? The site is careful not to render the bottom of the new models as there remains some confusion about whether Apple will fit a Lightning or USB-C charge port. That said, my own sources say Lightning will live on for another generation with Apple more focused on moving to port-less devices than introducing another wired charging standard. This frustrates me, and I’m sure I won’t be alone.
Despite this, there’s a lot more to like about the iPhone 12 which PhoneArena can’t capture. A crucial upgrade will be the addition of a 120Hz ProMotion display (every iPhone 12 will shift to OLED, but it is unclear if 120Hz will be limited to Pro models) and two new screen sizes. Full-fat 5G is also integrated into each phone. There has been growing talk of an in-display Touch ID fingerprint reader, but I understand that this is wide of the mark.
Furthermore, while Apple has already released, arguably, the best value smartphone this year, the kicker for potential iPhone 12 buyers is the company looks set to undercut flagship rivals as well and drop the iPhone 12 entry-point to new price lows. Delays are expected to Apple’s usual September launch time-frame but, at this point, these models look to be well worth the wait.