6.1″ iPhone 12 Rumors and Specs

The date for the new iPhone lineup launch is upon us. Expected to come out in September or October—though it may be delayed further down the line due to the pandemic, the allegedly named iPhone 12 has already triggered some rumors regarding the spec of the upcoming devices.

As you may know, the 2020 iPhones are largely believed to be offered with four different variations. Two will be unveiled as 5.4 inches and 6.7 inches phone, while the other two will be presented as 6.1 inches smartphones. Today, we will discuss the latter or the ‘middle-ground’ of the lineup, the 6.1 inches iPhones.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the discussion of each aspect of the smartphone, starting with the display.

Design

The new iPhone 12 will have similarities in design to the iPhone 4

According to an Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, the design of the upcoming iPhones will virtually be an overhauled version of the iPhone 4, with the new ones equipped with metal frame. Overall, it will follow either the iPhone 4 or iPad Pro with a squared-edged stainless steel frame instead of the rounded steel frame of iPhone 11s.

The new injection molding and grooving procedures on the metal are believed to lessen the metal’s negative effect on the internal antenna’s high-frequency transmission efficiency. The use of tempered or sapphire glass to cover the grooves in the frame is also rumored.

As for colors, an XDA Developers leaker, Max Weinbach, reported that Navy Blue will most likely replace the Midnight Green color from the iPhone 11 Pro models. In other words, if the rumor is true, some upcoming 6.1 inches iPhone variants will come in Navy Blue finishes. Additionally, Weinbach also believes there will be some other new colors introduced including violet, light blue, and light orange.

Keep in mind that while some Weinbach’s leaks are known to be true, other ones are proven to be a miss. For instance, he believed that the yellow color scheme would be gone for the iPhone 11 series, replaced by green. However, in reality, both green and yellow are available for the iPhone 11s.

Display

The 6.1 inches models are rumored to feature higher-end OLED devices, though this is also true across the lineup. Most likely, the OLED panels are majorly supplied by Samsung, which displays supply up to 80 percent of iPhone 12 models, with BOE or LG is rumored to supply touch-integrated displays for some iPhones. For the 6.1 inches versions, here are the exact display specs according to a report by an analyst, Ross Young.

  • One 6.1 inches iPhone dubbed as “iPhone 12 Max” will feature OLED display from LG or BOE. It will have a resolution of 2532 x 1170 and a pixel density of 460 PPI.
  • The other 6.1 inches iPhone called “iPhone 12 Pro” will have the OLED display supplied by Samsung with the same resolution of 2532 x 1170 and pixel density of 460 PPI. Moreover, this model will possibly support the “ProMotion” feature, but it’s not a guarantee.

Sadly, we can’t say for sure that the ProMotion feature, which dynamically accommodates the refresh rate according to the content on the screen rather than a fixed refresh rate, will be available for even the high-end of upcoming iPhone. ProMotion can potentially save battery life. However, if the implementation doesn’t meet Apple’s standard, the feature that only available for iPad Pro so far may not come for the iOS devices this time around.

On the other hand, the 120Hz refresh rate feature—similar to the one that can be found on the competitor’s flagship lineup, Samsung Galaxy S20s—is widely believed to be available.

Processor

Apple will probably use the 5nm A14 chips manufactured by TSMC for the new lineup, according to a report by DigiTimes. The smaller die sizes of 5 nm will surely make the chip to be smaller, whilst also faster and more efficient.

Rumors further suggest that A14 will be the first Arm-based processor for mobile that will surpass the 3GHz of frequency. This news is supported by the alleged report of the Geekbench 4 score of 3.1 GHz for the A14 chip. 3.1 GHz is more or less 400 MHz higher than the current A13’s max frequency which is 2.7 GHz. It is, however, doubtful that the 6.1-inch models of iPhone 12 can reach the same frequency but it will still be faster than the old counterparts nevertheless.

RAM

Blayne Curtis, another analyst, reported that the upcoming 6.1 inches iPhone 12 models will feature both 4GB and 6GB of RAM. This also holds for the other models (5.4 inches iPhone will have 4GB while the 6.7 inches variant will have 6GB).

Having 4GB or 6GB is not the end of the world and is considered the standard. Still, if we are looking at the competitor’s flagships, Samsung S20 series, which are offered from 8GB to 16GB of RAM, we can only hope that Apple will add a few more RAM space to its flagship as well.

Camera

2019 brought upon the triple-lens camera feature for the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. This year, some news suggests that Apple will ad laser-powered 3D Cameras for the upcoming lineup. This is similar to the LiDAR Scanner feature found on the recent iPad Pro variants.

IF we compare it with the LiDAR Scanner, the new feature’s sensor will be able to measure the range from the camera to the surrounding objects at five meters away. It is basically able to detect the environment around you even if it’s very small in detail at a quick speed.

Depth frameworks found inside iPadOS are also able in making a detailed and complete understanding of a scene for increased AR capabilities. We can expect the new 3D camera of the upcoming iPhone to do the same. This feature, however, is only rumored for the higher-end iPhone so not all 6.1 inches models will have it.

5G Connectivity

This time around, all of the iPhone 12 models will have support for 5G. There are two types of 5G networks: mmWave (faster but covers smaller range) and sub-6Ghz (slower but covers a wider range. The mmWave technology will most likely be limited to dense areas like major cities while the sub-6GHz technology will cover suburban areas.

The modem chips are supplied by Qualcomm, considering that Apple can only use its own 5G modems once it’s ready in 2022 or 2023.

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