There are very few events that generate as much excitement as the release of Apple’s new phone. In many parts of the world, the return of Spring is viewed with less fanfare than the arrival of Apple’s newest edition to the storied iPhone line. However, as the legacy of the iPhone grows long in the tooth, consumers have started to take on a more active role in determining whether the latest iPhone model provides the necessary value for the high cost. Apple is starting to take note of how consumers are becoming keener to the value proposition of spending over one thousand dollars on a smartphone. In 2019, Apple warned, “investors earlier this month that revenue would be about $84 billon, lower than expected” (BBC, 2019). In an attempt to explain the slowdown, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said, “customers were also struggling with the firm’s high prices” (BBC, 2019). With the iPhone 12 coming out, Apple will need to prove to their customers that buying their new phone is worth the struggle.

Familiar

With any release, iPhone 12 reviews are obligated to provide two familiar pieces of information. The first familiar detail for the iPhone 12 is date. It is expected that it will be released around the same time previous versions of the phone were released to the public. This means that Apple’s rabid fanbase should be able to purchase the device in September or October. In normal times, fans could expect the phone to be purchased in September, but Covid-19 may lead to production delays. This means that fans may need to wait a little longer to get their hands-on Apple’s latest edition. The second familiar detail for the iPhone 12 is diversity. Apple plans on launching multiple versions of the device. This strategy has paid dividends in the past for allowing Apple to target customers who might not want to own the most laden featured (expensive) device. Fans should expect Apple to release the following versions of the iPhone 12:

  • iPhone 12 5.4 inch-inch screen (OLED)
  • iPhone 12 Pro with 6.1-inch screen (OLED)
  • iPhone 12 Max with 6.1-inch screen (OLED)
  • iPhone Pro Max 6.7-inch inch-inch screen (OLED) (Price, 2020).

New

The most exciting new feature of the iPhone 12 is its ability to utilize 5G networks. For the uninitiated, 5G promises to offer speeds that rival fiber optical cable. To put that in some perspective, the Consumer Technology Association reported, “you could download a two-hour movie in just 3.6 seconds on 5G, versus 6 minutes on 4G or 26 hours on 3G” (Hoffman, 2020). In addition to the impressive download speeds, Apple fans will be able to play their favorite Apple Arcade games without worrying about latency. Reportedly, latency will be decreased by five hundred percent. This means that gone will be the days of Apple fans screaming at their phones for causing them to lose a game due to a delayed button press. The release of the new iPhone with 5G capability wasn’t a coincidence. Carriers in the United States have been busily building up their 5G networks since 2018. The networks are now mature enough for Apple to take advantage of 5G as a major selling point.

The first half the year has been a difficult year for most people. The unleashing of the pandemic onto the world was followed by an unbearable economic collapse. Although those two events continue to rage, people are trying desperately to find a way back to normalcy. In light of the chaos of 2020, the iPhone 12’s launch and the iPhone 12 reviews that follow it will remind many people that normalcy may be closer than they think.