Apple unveiled its newest products for the end of 2020: the HomePod mini and the iPhone 12.
What We Know:
- Apple held the “Hi, Speed” event on Tuesday to reveal its new technologies and innovations. The two main product lines that were introduced were the HomPod mini and the iPhone 12.
- The HomePod mini is Apple’s latest installment in their smart speaker line to compete with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. The Siri-powered speaker has a much smaller footprint than the original HomePod and is marketing itself for its advanced audio capabilities. The new speaker design and “computational audio” should allow for HomePod mini to intelligently adjust sound characteristics and smartly link with your iPhone and other HomePods in your house. It starts at $99.
- Apple revealed four new iPhones in this year’s product line: iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The main innovation for this year is 5G. The inclusion of 5G in all of their smartphones should provide better data speeds and futureproof them a little bit as 5G infrastructure becomes better and better throughout the years. The phones will also have a smart data mode to automatically switch between 5G and LTE to save battery life.
- Some other improvements can be found in the screen, MagSafe, the cameras, and the phone’s design. The new iPhones will all have Ceramic Shield to give them better protection from drops and scratches. They will also all have XDR Super Retina OLED displays, which should provide a better resolution and viewing experience compared to old models.
- Apple is introducing MagSafe for iPhones which should change the wireless charging game. The phones can now magnetically connect to wireless chargers to ensure proper charging. Apple is also releasing different magnetic accessories like cases and cardholders to take advantage of this.
- On the inside, all new models will have the A14 Bionic chip. It’s the company’s first chip to use 5-nanometer process. All the models will also have improved camera lenses. The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 will still have two lenses, but with an improved aperture and Night Mode. The Pro and Pro Max will have an additional telephoto lens and a LiDAR sensor, which should help with AR capabilities and Night Mode and Portrait Mode shots.
- Apple is switching to a new design, or should I say old design, with squared-off edges. This will be reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5’s design language. They’ll also come in new colors, including white, black, green, red, blue, graphite, silver, and gold.
The biggest disappointment of the iPhone 12 is that they won’t include earbuds and a charging brick in the box, just a single lighting-to-USB-C cable. Pricing starts at $699 and maxes out at $1399.
