Here's why a top analyst says 5G Apple iPhone 12 Pro models will take better pictures
If you use your Apple iPhone's rear camera array often, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has some good news for you if you're planning to upgrade to one of the upcoming "Pro" models. According to AppleInsider, Kuo, whose track record with Apple devices is superb, says that high-end camera lenses will be employed by Apple on the back of these units. In his previous correspondence with clients, Kuo said that Apple will use 7P or seven-element lenses on the iPhone 12 series' rear cameras, /This would provide a slight improvement in photo quality from the five-element lens used on the iPhone 11 Pro's Ultra-wide lens and the six-element lens used on the Wide and Telephoto lenses.
Apple iPhone lens supplier Kargan is said to be four to six weeks behind schedule
Kuo adds that the company that supplies these lenses, Largan, is expected to start shipping them in the middle of this month. Compared to normal times, Largan production is running four-to-six weeks behind schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, shipments of its lenses are made to iPhone contract manufacturers like Foxconn and Wistron between August and October. With deliveries of these parts to iPhone assemblers now expected to take place between August and November, it is possible that Apple might delay the release of the iPhone 12 line by a month. Or Apple might decide to "throttle" the production of some units making them hard to find at launch. Either way, Apple will be hard-pressed to make 2020 an uneventful launch year for the iPhone.
Expected lineup of the 2020 5G Apple iPhone 12 family
Not that there aren't major changes coming to the 2020 iPhone models. First of all, the rounded corners we've seen since the iPhone 6 was launched are gone, replaced with flat sides reminiscent of the iPhone 4. The 2010 iPhone represented the device's first major hardware redesign and the late Steve Jobs likened the device to a "beautiful old Leica camera." So that look is returning to the iPhone this year. Also, 5G support is expected for the 2020 models. The standard iPhone 12 units could work with sub-6GHz signals which will not deliver the fastest 5G download speeds. The Pro models could connect to both sub-6GHz and mmWave signals; the latter produces the fastest download data speeds but is found only in a small percentage of the country. Verizon is deploying mostly mmWave spectrum at this point while T-Mobile relies on its low-band 600MHz airwaves for its nationwide network. AT&T's consumer 5G uses its low-band 850MHz spectrum while its 5G+ delivers faster speeds in a few markets using mmWave signals.
We should see Apple unveil four new models including the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Plus, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. All four models will be outfitted with OLED panels; originally there was talk that the Pro models would be equipped with a 120Hz refresh rate. That means that these screens update at a rate of 120 times each second providing users with buttery smooth scrolling and enhanced video game animation. However, the latest rumor from a supply chain consultant named Ross Young indicates that none of the upcoming iPhone models will be equipped with a120Hz screen although that doesn't mean that we won't see a refresh rate of 90Hz this year. Young says that multiple suppliers have told him to expect 120Hz next year.
All four new iPhone models will be powered by the 5nm A14 Bionic chip with 15 billion transistors inside. That compares to the 8.5 billion transistors inside the 7nm A13 Bionic that powers the iPhone 11 family. The standard iPhone 12 devices will come with 4GB of memory while the Pro units will sport 6GB of RAM. And for the first time, the basic configuration of the new iPhones will start with 128GB of storage. Battery capacity is also expected to get a bump with the iPhone 12 Pro model rumored to include a 4400mAh battery. That compares to the 3969mAh battery that powers the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Will Apply delay the unveiling of its new phones or will it stick to the usual timetable and delay their release? That could be the big story this summer; stay tuned!
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
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