As expected, Apple today introduced the iPhone 12, and it was joined by a small friend.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are now official. Both models feature the same specs, with the one difference of screen size. While the iPhone 12 gets a 6.1-inch 2532×1170 OLED display — with a higher resolution and slimmer bezels than the iPhone 11 — the iPhone 12 mini features a 5.4-inch 2340×1080 OLED screen. As many smartphone screens come in at 6 inches or larger, the iPhone 12 mini’s 5.4-inch display could be attractive to a lot of people.

Those displays are also covered with a new Ceramic Shield material that Apple touts offers 4x the drop protection compared to the iPhone 11.

The overall design of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini is new, boasting flat sides similar to the iPhone 4. This design is 11% thinner than the previous iPhone as well as 15% smaller and 16% lighter.

The back of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are home to a couple other upgrades. First, the dual camera setup includes a 12MP ultra wide cam with 120-degree field of view and a 12MP wide camera with f/1.6 aperture that brings in 27% more light for better low-light images. Smart HDR 3 promises to adjust details like white balance, contrast, and texture for more natural-looking photos, and video recording includes Dolby Vision grading.

Apple is also bringing back MagSafe on its iPhone 12 models. MagSafe wireless charging uses magnets in the back of the phone to perfectly align your phone on the supported MagSafe wireless charging pads so you don’t have to fuss with getting the right placement yourself. MagSafe supports wireless charging speeds up to 15W, while regular ol’ Qi charging is supported with speeds up to 7.5W.

In addition to wireless charging, MagSafe can be used for a new range of iPhone 12 cases that can easily snap onto the back of the device. Apple is prepping a leather wallet with MagSafe, too, which can pop onto the back of your phone and carry your cards when you want to leave your full wallet at home.

Another one of the major upgrades of the iPhone 12 is 5G connectivity. These are the first iPhone 12 models to support 5G, and Apple says that devices in the US will include mmWave support as well as sub-6GHz.

Apple has developed a Smart Data Mode for 5G that can automatically switch you to 4G when you don’t need fast data speeds to help save battery life. When you’re doing something that would be helped with faster 5G speeds, the phone will connect to 5G.

Inside the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini is Apple’s A14 Bionic processor, which Apple says offers CPU and GPU performance that’s up to 50% faster than the “fastest competing smartphone chips”. There’s a 12MP selfie camera on both models that now supports Night Mode, Face ID, stereo speakers, and IP68 water and dust resistance, too.

Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options with blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED colors. Pricing for the iPhone 12 will start at $799 while the iPhone 12 mini will start at $699.

Interestingly, Apple is charging an extra $30 for the T-Mobile, Sprint, or SIM-free versions of both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. That means that if you buy from Apple, the iPhone 12 mini will start at $729 and the iPhone 12 will start at $829. Apple says that the AT&T and Verizon models are cheaper because of “special offers” from those carriers.

Apple also revealed today that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will not include wired headphones or a power adapter in the box. This move is meant to make the devices more environmentally friendly, as it means that there will be less e-waste as well as reduced packaging that’ll enable more devices to fit on a single shipping pallet. Both models do come with a Lightning to USB-C charging cable.

Apple says pre-orders for the iPhone 12 will begin at 5:00 am PT / 8:00 am ET this Friday, October 16, with shipping starting October 23. The iPhone 12 will come a bit later, with pre-orders starting November 6 and units shipping on November 13.

T-Mobile has confirmed that it’ll carry both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, but it hasn’t shared its own pricing details as of this post’s publication.

Source: Apple