The 12 most concerned questions about iPhone 12

In fact, I wrote this iPhone 12 prediction copy a month ago. At that time, I had just finished a live broadcast and talked to everyone about iPhone 12. The live broadcast room was quite popular with nearly 200 comments and messages.

So I combined the latest revelations and the most concerned issues in the comment section to produce this issue in the form of a QA question and answer. These may also be the 12 questions about iPhone 12 that you most want to know.

Q1: When will this iPhone be released?

The iPhone 12 series may be released in two stages. Two 6.1-inch models will be released first, followed by the largest 6.7-inch and the smallest 5.4-inch. After all, the latter two are brand new sizes.

As for the specific release time, during Apple’s third-quarter conference call, CFO Maestri only said: This year’s iPhone 12 may be delayed.

But this does not mean that the release of iPhone 12 will be postponed. I personally prefer the autumn conference in September to be held as scheduled (September 8th, US time). However, considering factors such as the epidemic in the United States, it is likely to be held online like WWDC20.

As for the specific release date, that is, the time when everyone can buy it, it is definitely not the end of September, and the conservative estimate is around the end of October. There is no precedent for this in previous years. The actual release time of iPhone X and XR was in October or even November.

I think Cook would not want to miss Double Eleven and Christmas Black Friday, so facing the last two months of the year, he must prepare for large-scale supply and delivery in advance.

Q2: How many versions of this iPhone are there?

As we mentioned in the previous question, there are 4 models in the iPhone 12 series this year, of which the Pro version has two sizes of 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, and the "cheap" version has two sizes of 6.1 inches and 5.4 inches. All versions support 5G and are equipped with OLED screens.

If you don’t really care about the iPhone product line, the four versions may seem a bit confusing. But from a pricing strategy perspective, if you want to fully cover the 5,000-10,000 price range, you need very precise knife skills to carry out product positioning and zoning.

In fact, compared with the three models last year, this year only added a 5.4-inch small-screen version. I personally think there are two reasons:

1. After the launch of the 6.5-inch Max version, the sales performance of the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone Xs was average.

2. In the price range of 5,000-6,000 yuan, the sales of iPhone 11 and XR are amazing, and more SKUs need to be added to expand market share.

Based on the above two points, the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 was born. It is the smallest full-screen iPhone in history, with a body size between the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6.

Finally, according to the official website of T-mobile in the Netherlands, the names of the four new iPhone products are: iPhone 12 (5.4 inches), iPhone 12 Max (6.1 inches), iPhone 12 Pro (6.1 inches), and iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7 inches).

Next, let’s talk about price.

Q3: What’s the price?

The earlier price leaks were very encouraging, because the price of the 5.4-inch small-screen version was said to be only US$649 (RMB 4,500).

But later revelations overturned this point. The prices of the four iPhone 12 series products may be: US$699 (RMB 4,850), US$799 (5,500), US$999 (7,000), and US$1,099 (7,700). Of course, the Chinese version is more expensive than the US version after adding taxes.

Compared with the starting prices of the iPhone 11 series: US$699 (4850), US$999, and US$1099, the overall pricing range this year is basically the same as last year.

Switching to OLED screens and adding 5G communication modules will lead to cost increases to a certain extent. So from this perspective, this year's pure digital series can be said to be another increase in quantity without increasing prices.

However, the good news is that the storage capacity is said to start from 128GB, so users who don’t shoot videos don’t need to choose 256GB or larger capacity versions.

I hope Cook can be so conscientious.

Q4: How does the 5.4-inch screen feel?

To use a sentence from my Weibo: 5.4 inches can be said to be the golden size for a full-screen iPhone. What does this mean?

As we have said above, the 5.4-inch full-screen iPhone has a body size between the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6. What does this mean? Generally, we call this kind of iPhone a "small-screen flagship monster."

Moreover, at this size, the screen resolution can reach the standard 2340x1080P, and the unit pixel density is as high as 475ppi. In theory, this should be the most delicate iPhone retina screen.

But the most important thing is the improvement of the grip, especially in the case of the square frame that may be adopted this year. The body is smaller than that of iPhone 6, and with the smooth full-screen gestures, one-handed operation can be said to be stress-free.

It is also said that the bangs of the 5.4-inch version will be smaller. However, long legs and cuteness cannot be achieved at the same time. The smaller body size means that the battery capacity will also be reduced.

Next, let’s talk about the heartbreaking battery life.

Q5: How is the battery life?

Unfortunately, the battery capacity of this iPhone 12 has decreased instead of increased.

iPhone 12, 2227mAh; iPhone 12 Max, 2775mAh; iPhone 12 Pro, 2815mAh; iPhone 12 Pro Max, 3687mAh.

Compared with the iPhone 11 series: iPhone 11, 3110mAh; iPhone 11 Pro, 3046mAh; iPhone 11 Pro Max, 3969mAh.

As for why the battery capacity was compressed, I also want to ask Cook.

Especially the smallest 5.4-inch version with a capacity of 2227mAh. Even if the A14 power consumption is optimized, I find it hard to believe that it can last a day under heavy use.

Compared with the various 100-watt super-charging batteries in the Android camp, the iPhone is really too inferior in this regard.

Q6: Is there a 120Hz high refresh rate?

With such a small battery capacity, you still want 120Hz high refresh rate?

Regarding the issue of high refresh rate, first of all, it is definitely "the right direction", but I also don't want everyone to be brainwashed by the manufacturer's marketing concepts and come to the conclusion that "what kind of flagship is it without high refresh rate" without thinking.

Apple has already achieved a 120Hz ProMotion dynamic refresh rate on the iPad Pro, but that is for the Apple Pencil's pen stroke delay. As for daily gesture sliding and a few high-refresh games, they are just free gifts.

In other words, unless you find a high-refresh scenario similar to Apple Pencil on the iPhone, even if it reaches 120Hz, it will only "increase power consumption."

If there is a 120Hz high refresh rate this year, only the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max has this possibility because the battery capacity is large enough.

Q7: How many cameras are there?

The two "cheap" models will continue the iPhone 11's rear dual-camera solution, with a main wide-angle camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera.

The controversial point is that the Pro version, especially the iPhone 12 Pro Max, may add a LiDAR laser scanner on the basis of the three cameras.

Strictly speaking, LiDAR should not be considered an optical lens. Its function is the same as that of ToF lens, which is to detect spatial depth information.

But its performance on the new iPad Pro is shocking, both in terms of measurement accuracy and real-time feedback, making me feel that this thing should not appear on consumer electronics, but on the Mars rover.

There is no doubt that LiDAR will greatly enhance the spatial perception capabilities of iOS devices and build a more powerful hardware foundation for AR applications. So even if it is not available on this iPhone 12, it will be available sooner or later in the future.

Q8: Should I buy iPhone 11 now or wait for iPhone 12?

iPhone 11 is my first choice for purchasing a mobile phone in the past year. My wife is also using it. It is really "I recommend it if you buy it, and I will buy it too."

But there is only one month left before the new product is released. Based on the principle of buying new rather than used electronic products, I suggest you wait a little longer.

The core reason is 5G, because if you buy an iPhone that costs 5,000 or 6,000 yuan, you will use it for two or three years at most. Considering the speed of 5G network construction in my country, you must choose an iPhone that supports 5G.

Of course, if you think the 4G network is sufficient, the price-reduced iPhone 11 is also a very good cost-effective choice.

Q9: Will there be a 4G version of iPhone 12?

Maybe, but the question is what baseband does the 4G version of iPhone 12 use?

As we all know, the 5G version of the iPhone will use Qualcomm baseband. If the 4G version digests Intel's baseband inventory, then I suggest that everyone say goodbye. Anyway, I want an iPhone with better signal, whether it is 5G or 4G.

Q10: Will there be a 1T version?

I use the 512GB version of iPhone XS Max, and I bought the 256GB version of iPhone 11 Pro Max. On the eve of the release of the next generation of new products, the storage capacity of both has been almost exhausted by me.

Because I often use iPhone to shoot 4K videos, including completing some editing and exporting work, so if there is a 1T version capacity, I will definitely welcome it with open arms.

But then again, my 1TB version of iPad Pro still has 877GB of available space left, so it really depends on your actual needs and how much you can afford.

In addition, the memory should be increased to 6GB RAM to match the A14 chip for more powerful performance.

Q11: In addition to the iPhone 12 series, is there any other one more thing?

According to my calculations, Apple will hold an online press conference at Apple Park on September 8. In addition to the iPhone 12 series, there will be many new products, such as Apple Watch, iPad, and the previously delayed AirPower wireless charging pad.

Moreover, on October 27th, another event will be held to release MacBook, iPad Pro and even Apple Glass equipped with self-developed chip A14X!

Q12: Will Cheng Yuan get the review unit this year to experience it first?

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