Finally, the Cupertino Tech giant revealed its 2020 lineup of iPhone models which include the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, at their October 2020 online event.
While a 5G connectivity could be seen coming from a distance already, there are still numerous new features and upgrades. An A14 Bionic Chip will aid the camera with it’s faster image processing(there’s a new night mode on the front-facing camera) and accelerate ML computation tasks by leaps and bounds.
In addition, the re-emergence of a MagSafe charger coupled with the flat design might bring back the nostalgia of the iPhone 4/5 at a time when The fast majority of people were missing it.
But surprisingly, despite the tremendous improvement, Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup is the most un-apple like in recent years.
5G connectivity, the most hyped iPhone 12 feature is still in nascent stages. More importantly, the four variants not only make the lineup a little fragmented(something that was only seen in Android earlier) but also have some contrasting differences in hardware and camera technology.
Apple’s iPhone 12 Bets On 5G Connectivity Which Is Neither Ready Nor In Their Control
In the lead up to the event, most Apple fans had pinned their hopes for a 120Hz display. While those dreams were quick to perish, yet the oddest thing during the event was the level of significance given to 5G connectivity.
As soon as Tim Cook unveiled the new iPhone 12, the CEO of Verizon was given center stage to give a glimpse of the potential speeds a user can receive with 5G networks.
Letting a third party carrier service steal the show from their launch event was strange on Apple’s part. More so since the Cupertino based brand is well known to draw the customer’s focus towards their in-house innovations(be it by highlighting their camera upgrades or silicon chip hardware).
This makes their decision to market the iPhone 12 based on the next-generation 5G wireless networks(where they already are a late entry) a little weird. The 5G technology is yet to see the light in most place around the globe which is something beyond Apple’s control.
If the disappearance of chargers from the boxes doesn’t pull the trigger, the unavailability of 5G in most places currently might repel some customers from buying. Worse, Apple might face a backslash as the prices would probably remain the same in countries without 5G support capabilities.
It’s fair to say that Apple by highlighting the “super-fast” but absent 5G feature might have missed a trick or two in promoting the new iPhone 12 lineup.
Apple’s iPhone 12 Lineup Has Too Many Variants With Startling Differences
All four variants of the iPhone 12 support 5G capabilities, possess the super-powerful A14 bionic chip and introduce the new Dolby Vision format for recording. But that’s where the similarities end.
The iPhone 12 Mini which is the tiniest of the lot comes with a 5.7 inch OLED display and a dual-camera system much like the iPhone 12. There is a possibility that the mini version is Apple’s attempt to cash in on the success of the much loved iPhone SE 2020. Yet, the iPhone 12 Mini is devoid of the best camera hardware and technology seen in the iPhone 12 Pro models.
Both the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max variants bring the triple camera system with an enhanced lens system and a LiDAR sensor. LiDAR technology helps in better auto-focus and gives fantastic results in Night Mode. Even better, it’s helpful for 3D scanning and will help boost the adoption of Augmented Reality.
Now a user looking for a normal size phone would either have to sacrifice on the camera front or they’ll be compelled to select the Pro models. Even among the Pro and Pro Max models, there’s a contrasting difference in camera technology specifications.
Specifically, the iPhone 12 Pro Max model offers a longer telephoto lens and its wide camera contains a sensor-shift Optical Image Stabilization(OIS). This certainly would give way better image results. But then again, it’s a strict departure from Apple’s earlier lineups wherein the Max variants were meant to emphasize only on the size without any changes in hardware.
Conclusion
Apple’s iPhone 12 series would surely be a breakthrough success. It won’t be surprising to see the sales numbers surge towards the north of a million very rapidly.
Despite that, the diversity amongst the variants with respect to sizes and their astonishingly different camera hardware technologies isn’t something you’d expect from Apple.
Perhaps, the Cupertino tech giant is looking to tap into a wider set of audience by offering a diverse range of models to pick from. But in doing so, the new iPhone 12 lineup stands fragmented. It’s a classic example of too many cooks can spoil the broth — which can easily annoy customers, give them selection headaches, and even alienate a few of them.
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