Apple’s iPhone 12 devices had been slowed down a little as the year’s craziness had caused their big reveal event ti be delayed, but finally today the curtain was lifted and in the video above you can see them all in their full glory, say hello to Apple’s iPhone 12 series.

There’s 4 of them this year.

Remember how we used to complain that Samsung’s S10 phones were confusing because there was 4 of them? Well it seems the usually simplistic Apple has taken a page out of Samsung’s book and gone with the same approach this year. With the rising popularity and competition in the budget friendly segments of the market however, Apple can’t actually be blamed for this, with the iPhone 12 and 12 mini expected to be the main contenders to phones like the Pixel 5 , and OnePlus 8 , as they are priced at USD $800 and $700 respectively ( though pricing and carrier issues are already adding another $30 to each of their prices). They seem like incremental upgrades from last year’s iPhone 11 as far as specs are concerned but they do come with superior OLED displays compared to LCD, the slightly updated design that all the iPhone 12 models are getting , and of course the much touted 5G support that had Apple calling this launch event “Hi, Speed”. The iPhone 12 Mini will likely also gain some popularity for simply being a smaller phone with a bigger screen, something Apple fans have been requesting for years.

The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max (yes, the names are getting ridiculous) are the flashier, more camera focused models that the iPhone 11 Pros were last year as well, starting at $1000 and $1100 respectively, with the extra camera and now a LIDAR (light-based radar) sensor to boot. The LIDAR sensor is the big surprise here, being taken from the 2020 iPad Pro and while it didn’t seem to be used for photography somehow, there’s a chance it might have some use there, similar to how Samsung’s Note 20 Ultra camera used a laser to improve it’s autofocus capabilities. Even if the LIDAR isn’t used for that as many have speculated it’s likely a testing ground for Apples Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities, which will give the company tons of test data for it’s upcoming AR glasses. Regardless of that however Apple seems to be focused on the luxury appeal of it’s top iPhones, offering more premium glass and ceramic finishes, that are more durable and better to hold as well. It’s a harder thing to convey over an online keynote of course, but likely if you were to hold said phones you would feel the intended improvement. Camera performance has of course not been tested on these new phones yet, but let’s be honest, if last year’s iPhone 11 Pros were anything to go by, the Apple will be right up there with the Google Pixel devices, maybe more so this year too as the Pixel 5 won’t have hardware enhancements to boost it’s own photos.

They don’t come with a charger but do have a new wireless charging mat based on MagSafe Technology

Apple will likely piss quite a few people off with the fact that these iPhones won’t come with any earphones, headphones and most importantly, a charger in the box, but apparently it believes the new MagSafe Wireless Charging capabilities, along with it’s new MagSafe wireless charger, will make all the difference. The new charger can charge 2 devices at once (unlike The cancelled Airpower’s 3) but it’s obviously going to pull a hefty price as well. The new MagSafe capabilities also mean faster charging as there’s now 15W wireless charging, which isn’t exactly impressive to Android fans (just ask OnePlus but is a nice to have nonetheless)

So, are these phones worth it?

Well with no hands-on videos out in the world that’s hard to tell. We should all commend Apple for not going overboard with the pricing however, as this year that seems to be Samsung’s job with the $1400 Note 20 Ultra while the terrible, plastic normal Note 20 goes for $1000. Apple also seem to know that the normal iPhone 12 and 12 Mini will be the real sellers, while the Pro phones will likely do just alright. And of course, iPhones have become luxury items now, so whoever bought one last year or the year before that, might just buy one this year again, whether it makes sense or not. We’ll tell you how the reviews see it as soon as they’re out. For more smartphone and Apple info, check out some of the articles below:

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