After the last Apple event in September, if there was something that Apple enthusiasts were eagerly looking forward to, it was the iPhone 12 series, which wasn’t announce in the annual September event. However, this also insinuated that the iPhone 12 series was going to be big, as Apple was willing to accord it its own special event, which later took place on October 13th, 2020. So, now that October 13th has gone by, we’re forced to ask ourselves: was the iPhone 12 series big enough? Decide for yourselves!

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During the “Hi, Speed” event, while the major attraction was the iPhone 12 series, Apple also launched another gadget: Homepod Mini, a small smart speaker, which is not just packed with a “360-degree sound experience,” but also increased control, as it enables you to control everything, from your iPhone to your home, using Siri. An attempt to make smart homes more affordable, keeping in mind Apple’s standards, the Homepod Mini is available at Rs. 9,999 in India and could provide a fresh launchpad for Apple’s home and music products.

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Moving onto the main attraction of the event, the iPhone 12 series has been launched in 4 variants, all equipped with 5G: besides the anticipated iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, a new iPhone 12 Mini has been added to the family. What is the iPhone 12 Mini? For now at least, it just seems like a smaller version of the iPhone 12, with a 5.4-inch OLED display instead of a 6.1-inch one.

 

In terms of the performance, the new iPhone 12 series comes with the A14 Bionic chipset, which Apple claims is the first smartphone chip built on the 5nm process technology (packs more computing power into less space). This would, ideally, allow users to get the best of the performance, coupled with 5G network capabilities and better energy efficiency. Apple likewise boasts that the iPhone 12 has the most 5G bands of any smartphone, but is that a great idea when there is ambiguity about the safety of 5G radiation?

 

Nevertheless, the major upgrade with the iPhone 12 series is definitely MagSafe: Apple’s proprietary wireless charging technology previously found on their Macbooks. MagSafe not only improves on the phone’s wireless charging capabilities but also allows you to snap and stick new charging accessories like a MagSafe wallet.

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Additionally, the Pro models feature a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanner, allowing you to scan objects and improving auto-focus accuracy in low-light. The Pro iPhone 12s also features Apple ProRAW, which delivers images in raw format, making it highly customisable with image sharpening, tone mapping, channel mixer, etc.

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To come to the major bummers: the iPhone 12 series will not be shipping with charging adapters, to be more “environment friendly.” Or perhaps to save costs? Apple has been a big fan of profits for the last few years, so you never know. The consensus on the iPhone 12, too, is slightly ambiguous. At a similar price point as last year’s iPhone 11 series (which is now heavily discounted), is the iPhone 12 really an upgrade? For Apple enthusiasts, maybe, but there is still little that is pathbreaking.

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Written By: Unnathi Kumar

Edited By: Aarushi Bansal 

Designed by:  Saisha Singh and Aradhya Poddar