The October Apple Event is just hours away from kicking off, and this is going to be a big one. The company is reportedly going to change its product launch cycle again, unveiling four new smartphones as part of the iPhone 12 family. But that is just one aspect of the marquee Apple event that we’re excited about. In the past few weeks, we’ve come across leaks detailing the debut of a HomePod Mini smart speaker, a new wireless charger, AirPods Studio over-the-ear headphones, and the most important one – Macs powered by custom Apple silicon.

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While the realm of speculations continues to flourish ahead of the event, prolific leakster Jon Prosser has tweeted one final list of devices that we’re going to see at today’s event: The list includes iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, HomePod Mini, and a new wireless charger. Given Prosser’s solid track record, we can essentially rule out any announcements related to AirTags, AirPods Studio, and Macs with Apple’s in-house silicon at their heart.

So, let’s dive right into everything that Apple is expected to announce today and what we already know about them: 

The new iPhone 12 Series

Apple is heavily rumored to launch four new iPhones this year – the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The asking price will start at $699 for the iPhone 12 Mini, while the base variant of iPhone 12 Pro Max will set buyers back by a hefty $1,099. Listed below is the alleged pricing structure, storage variants, and color options for the iPhone 12 series alongside their rumored market price: 

Model

Storage

Display

Price

Colors

iPhone 12 Mini

64/128/256 GB

5.4-inches

$699

Black, White, Red,
Blue, and Green

iPhone 12

64/128/256 GB

6.1-inches

$799

Black, White, Red,
Blue, and Green

iPhone 12 Pro

128/256/512 GB

6.1-inches

$999

Gold, Silver, Graphite,
and Blue

iPhone 12 Pro Max

128/256/512 GB

6.7-inches

$1,099

Gold, Silver, Graphite,
and Blue

After some initial uncertainties, the leak arena also appears to have come to an agreement on the release date for the new iPhone 12 series hardware. As per a previous leak that has been backed by Prosser too, pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will start in the third week of October, with sales expected to go live in the subsequent week.

The vanilla iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max will hit the shelves next month

On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-orders will start by the second week of next month, while shipments and retail availability might go as far back as the fourth week of November.

Starting with the design, multiple, leaks have claimed that the iPhone 12 series will retain the front and rear looks of the iPhone 11 family, but the sides are now flat, akin to the iPhone 4 and 5. Leaks also suggest that the notch will also be narrower on the iPhone 12 Mini, but it will be slightly taller too.

Apple has reportedly crammed the Face ID sensors more tightly to reduce the notch size. Talking about Face ID, the company is also said to have improved the authentication experience by employing a new technology called ‘dynamic zoning algorithm’ and also increasing the viewing angle of the sensors. 

IMAGE: Macrumors

All four iPhone 12 siblings will be 5G-ready, however, mmWave support will reportedly be exclusive to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Talking about 5G support, this was reportedly the reason that Apple pulled the plugs on a 120Hz display for the iPhone 12 lineup.

Between a 120Hz display and 5G support, Apple chose 5G for the iPhone 12 series.

The company reportedly had to pick between two battery-draining upgrades – 5G support or a high refresh rate display. Apple chose the latter, which means display purists will have to wait another year for a 120Hz display on iPhones.

All four iPhones are tipped to pack an OLED panel, but some rumors still claim that only the iPhone 12 Pro duo will rock an OLED panel, while the iPhone 12 and its Mini sibling will stick to an LCD panel. The screen on all four iPhone 12 models will reportedly be backed by the company’s Super Retina XDR technology. Also, the display could have a layer of ceramic substrate glass on top for protection.

IMAGE: Macrumors

As for the battery that will keep the lights on, we don’t know the mAh figures yet. However, a last moment leak suggests Apple has increased the battery life of iPhone 12 Pro and its Max sibling by an hour compared to the iPhone 11 Pro duo. Additionally, support for 15W charging will also be on the table. Apple reportedly won’t include a charging adapter or headphones in the iPhone 12 series’ retail package as part of the company’s commitment to reducing e-waste.

The iPhone 12 series will be powered by the A14 Bionic processor that is based on the 5nm process. It is claimed to offer a 40% boost in processing power compared to the A12 Bionic, and a 30% improvement in when it comes to graphics prowess. You can read more about the A14 Bionic in our coverage here

IMAGE: Macrumors

As far as size goes, the iPhone 12 Mini will feature a 5.4-inch display, the vanilla iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will rock a 6.1-inch panel, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max will go jumbo with a 6.7-inch display. The design has reportedly been left unchanged (save for the sides), which means the iPhone 12 family will likely be indistinguishable from the iPhone 11 lin-up if seen head-on.

Aluminum build for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini, while stainless steel chassis for iPhone 12 Pro and its Max sibling.

The new iPhone cameras

The biggest upgrade, however, will appear in the camera department. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will feature two rear cameras (primary + ultra-wide), while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will likely come equipped with three cameras (primary + ultra-wide + telephoto). Leaks suggest that the iPhone 12 Pro will offer 4x optical zoom output, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max will take it a notch higher to 5x zoom.

IMAGE: Macrumors

Talking about zooming capabilities, it has been upgraded as well – both digital and optical. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini will reportedly rely on the ultra-wide camera as well to offer improved digital zoom output. This is being done by combining multiple images clicked at different zoom levels, and then using a Deep Fusion algorithm for alignment and sharpening. Smart HDR 3 will then do its magic to produce better quality digitally zoomed-in shots,

Apple has also increased the aperture of wide-angle cameras used on the iPhone 12 series, which directly translates to more detailed images. The wide-angle camera is said to offer an f/1.6 aperture and uses a 7-element lens assembly. Also, the iPhone 12 Pro pair is said to come equipped with a LiDAR sensor similar to the 2020 iPad Pro for enhanced AR capabilities. 

IMAGE: Macrumors

HomePod Mini

In addition to a new iPhone lineup, Apple is also rumored to launch a smaller smart speaker tentatively called HomePod Mini. It will reportedly come equipped with Apple’s U1 chip that enables Ultra Wideband support and might be used for spatial awareness. In addition to tracking an individual’s presence, it will also use the location data to automatically adjust volume levels, media controls, locking the doors, and more. 

Essentially, it will act as a base station for HomeKit hardware. The HomePod Mini will reportedly draw power from the in-house S5 chip, and it will be just 3.3-inches in size,
As for the price, the upcoming Apple smart speaker will reportedly cost just $99, going directly against the massively popular Home and Echo family of smart speakers from Google and Amazon respectively.  

The new magnetic wireless charger

Apple reportedly has a new magnetic wireless charger in the bags as well. As per leaks, it looks like a small circular pad on which the phone can be placed to juice up its battery at a peak 15W output. Older rumors suggest that the iPhone 12 series will feature a ring of magnets underneath the rear panel that will facilitate wireless charging with the new magnetic charger. 

Stay tuned as we’ll update this post as Apple announces all of its new products! You can tune into the Apple event live stream here as well!