iPhone 12 Pro launched

Apple launched its new iPhone 12 Pro smartphone range at an event on 13 October 2020.

“Apple today announced iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, introducing a powerful 5G experience and advanced technologies that push the boundaries of innovation for users who want the most out of iPhone,” Apple said.

The iPhone 12 Pro will be available in four colours: Silver, Graphite, Gold, and Pacific Blue. It is available in 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models named the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, respectively.

Both new devices will sport Ceramic Shield glass, which Apple said is the toughest out of any smartphone to date and improves the drop survival rate of the smartphones by a factor of four.

High-end performance and 5G

Both of these new iPhone models are powered by Apple’s recently-launched A14 Bionic chipset, which offers a significant performance upgrade over the previous-generation iPhone chips.

“While our competition is scrambling to keep up with our chips from last year, we remain generations ahead,” Apple said.

The chip uses a 5nm manufacturing process and includes 11.8 billion transistors, with all of its cores being up to 40% faster than the A13 Bionic – while also being more power-efficient.

This A14 Bionic also includes a new machine learning system that performs far better than previous generations, and it has the fastest GPU of any smartphone on the market.

The marquee feature of this year’s iPhone lineup, however, is the addition of 5G network connectivity, which both the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max support.

Apple said it has tailored its 5G networking capabilities and proprietary beamforming experiences to deliver the best 5G experience possible from its new smartphones.

Cutting-edge camera and MagSafe

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max both have triple-lens rear camera systems which also include a depth sensor, delivering the best image quality ever offered by an iPhone.

Paired with the Apple A14 Bionic chipset, this camera system can dynamically adjust to every scene.

Apple’s Night Mode functionality is also available on both the rear and front-facing cameras, allowing users to take high-quality low-light photos without using a flash.

The iPhone 12 Pro’s triple-camera system delivers 4x optical zoom, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers 5x optical zoom.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max also includes Sensor Shift technology, which stabilises the actual image sensor in the device to improve photo quality under movement.

“This Sensor Shift system is unique to Apple and helps people capture everyday situations with extraordinary images,” Apple said.

Apple’s new iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max devices are also the first smartphones to support video recording using the Dolby Vision HDR standard.

Both iPhone 12 Pro smartphones sport Lidar scanners, which improve camera functionality across almost all photo and video capture scenarios – especially when taking low-light shots.

The new iPhone models also support Apple’s new MagSafe system, which comprises a magnet at the back of the device.

This offers an improved fast-charging experience as well as support for magnetic accessories that can snap onto the back of your new iPhone.

Apple also rolled out a new MagSafe Duo charger which uses this technology to charge your iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max and Apple Watch simultaneously.

The company confirmed that it will no longer ship earphones or a charging brick with its new devices, citing the positive environmental impact of this decision.

Instead, the smartphones will ship with a new USB Type-C to Lightning cable.

Pricing and Availability

Apple announced that its iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max smartphones would be priced as follows:

iPhone 12 Pro

• iPhone 12 Pro 128GB – $999
• iPhone 12 Pro 256GB – $1,099
• iPhone 12 Pro 512GB – $1,299

iPhone 12 Pro Max

• iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB – $1,099
• iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB – $1,199
• iPhone 12 Pro Max 512GB – $1,399

The iPhone 12 Pro will be available for pre-order on 16 October and will roll out from 23 October, while the Max model will be up for pre-order on 6 November and in stores on 13 November.

Specifications and images of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are shown below.

Specifications