iPhone 12 says Hi

Apple ushers in the era of the 5G smartphone

- GRAHAM BARLOW

APPLE GRACED US with not one but four different versions of its new 5G–compatible iPhone 12 at this year’s “Hi, Speed” event. The iPhone 12 has a 6.1–inch screen, and there’s also a smaller 5.4–inch iPhone 12 mini, as well as a 6.1–inch iPhone 12 Pro and finally the largest member of the family, a 6.7–inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

All versions of the iPhone 12 come with 5G connectivity, the super–fast A14 Bionic processor that debuted in last month’s new iPad Air, an edge–to–edge OLED screen with a Super Retina XDR display and a new toughened glass called Ceramic Shield, which is 4x more resistant to drops than the previous iPhone 11.

While the Ceramic Shield is certainly a welcome addition for anybody who’s ever dropped their iPhone and been too scared to look at the screen afterwards in case it’s cracked, there was no word from Apple on whether Ceramic Shield is also more scratch–resistant than previous models.

The main feature for the iPhone 12 is of course 5G, which has the potential to revolutionize what’s possible with a smartphone. Apple is reporting 3.5 Gbps download speeds in “ideal conditions” and up to 4.0 Gbps download speeds using millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G.