iPhone launch has become somewhat of a celebration in the world of technology. It marks the climax of what has been a few months of near constant product launches, as every big name in tech attempts to produce the ‘next-big-thing’ ahead of the holiday season (just this month we’ve seen two folding phones, five regular ones, two tablets and seven laptops).
The launch of a new iPhone has become somewhat special then, and attracts attention from far beyond the gadget-elite, but this year was a little over the top even for Apple standards (at present, more than 53 million people have watched Apple’s hour-long event livestream). That’s because this year’s iPhone 12 represents a true rarity in the world of technology; a redesign.
The new iPhone 12 and its slightly-upgraded iPhone 12 Pro cousin have ditched the soft rounded edges that have dominated the past five years of Apple design, and instead used the iPhone 4 as inspiration. As such, the new phone is all steel edges and glass. While it still looks rather dinky, it’s actually harder than ever. Apple has introduced a new ceramic glass that is more durable than ever before (apparently, it can now shrug off four times the damage of the previous model).
Both versions now rock a 6.1-inch touchscreen and a new A14 Bionic processor that has what Apple calls a Neural Engine. Impressive tech jargon aside, that means the phone is blazing fast – you will be hard pressed to get a stutter out of it, and that includes while multitasking through games, videos, messages and more. Both new phones also come with 5G network speeds, which in theory means you will be able to download entire films to your phone in just seconds. In practice however, you will need to be in an area with strong 5G connectivity (and a decent-sized data contract).
The main difference between the two phones are in the camera department. While both phones feature upgraded regular and wide-angle sensors, along with the ability to shoot image stabilized video at 4K) the Pro also rocks a telephoto lens and a LiDAR sensor. That means the iPhone 12 Pro will have lightning-fast autofocus, and take night-time shots that much easier.
There has been one bit of controversy surrounding these iPhones; specifically, what’s not included in the box. Apple has decided to leave out its wired headphones and charging plug from the packaging, giving iPhone users just a USB-C charging cable. It says that’s because most people already have them.
Right now, it’s just the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro that are available. However mid-November will see the pair joined by the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max version. As both names suggest, one is small and the other is big. Otherwise, they have exactly the same tech as their bigger (or smaller) counterparts.
The Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is available now starting at Dhs3,400. For more information head to apple.com/ae.
