Apple enters 5G era with 4 iPhone 12 series smartphones

Heralding a 5G era for its iPhones, Apple on Tuesday introduced a new lineup of four iPhone 12 smartphones that are expected to log even bigger sales than the iPhone 11 family last year despite a delayed launch.

Apple launched iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models. The elevated new design of the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini are as beautiful as they are durable, the company announced.

The top versions -- iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max -- will be available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue, starting at Rs 119,900 and Rs 129,900, respectively.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in blue, green, black, white and red colours, starting at Rs 79,900 and Rs 69,900, respectively.

iPhone 12 will be available in India beginning October 30.

Apple's iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max feature a new lidar sensor on the back – a technology first introduced on the iPad Pro in March.

The newly designed iPhone 12 models feature expansive edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays for a brighter, more immersive viewing experience, and a new Ceramic Shield front cover, providing the biggest jump in durability ever on iPhone.

The Apple-designed A14 Bionic, the fastest chip in a smartphone, powers every experience on iPhone 12, and coupled with an advanced dual-camera system, delivers meaningful new computational photography features and the highest quality video in a smartphone.

iPhone 12 models also introduce MagSafe, offering high-powered wireless charging and an all-new ecosystem of accessories that easily attach to iPhone.

Pre-orders for iPhone 12 begin from October 16 and availability from October 23 globally. iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order beginning November 6 and in stores beginning November 13.

"The arrival of 5G marks the beginning of a new era for iPhone and we're thrilled to bring these impressive new capabilities to our customers with iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

"Available in two great sizes, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini take design to a new level in a new form factor that's as beautiful as it is durable, and makes it easier than ever for customers to find the perfect iPhone to fit their lifestyle."

Pushing the limits of machine learning (ML), A14 Bionic features a 16-core Neural Engine -- for an 80 per cent increase in performance — that is capable of completing 11 trillion operations per second, enabling improved performance on even the most intense ML models.

Featuring the most 5G bands on any smartphone, iPhone 12 models offer the broadest 5G coverage worldwide.

Models in the US support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing iPhone 12 to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in densely populated areas.

iPhone 12 models also feature Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time.

Apple also unveiled HomePod mini, the newest addition to the HomePod family. HomePod mini will be available in white and space grey colours at Rs 9,900.

At just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini is packed with innovative technologies and advanced software that together enable computational audio to deliver breakthrough audio quality wherever it is placed.

"HomePod mini is the ultimate smart speaker for anyone with an Apple device. It works effortlessly with iPhone to hand off music, answer calls, or deliver personalised listening suggestions, elevates the sound from Apple TV, plays music from a Mac, and so much more," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services including Pandora and Amazon Music.