The instantly recognisable James Bond theme begins to play. An aluminium briefcase opens to reveal the iPhone 12 Mini. That moment was probably the highlight of Apple’s big, annual iPhone event. Of course, the rumour mill and incessant leaks (that are getting more accurate with their predictions) tend to make these moments slightly anticlimactic. Even before Tim Cook took centre stage on October 13, we knew that Apple would be launching four iPhones. But that was not all that Apple unveiled; it all began with a small but significant addition to the Apple home line-up.
The diminutive powerhouse: it might be just 3.3-inches tall but the new HomePod mini combines innovative technologies and advanced software to enable computational audio to deliver stellar audio quality. The Apple S5 chip in HomePod mini works with advanced software to analyse the unique characteristics of the music and apply complex tuning models to optimise loudness, adjust the dynamic range, and control the movement of the driver and passive radiators in real time. You can create a stereo pair by placing two HomePod mini speakers in the same room for a wide soundstage. Thanks to Siri, you get deep iPhone integration to perform a whole host of tasks (Siri currently handles 25 billion requests a month) from playing your favourite music to updating you on your meetings for the day. The aggressive pricing (Rs 9,900) could see the smart speaker segment hot up even further in India.
Mini Me: we’re quite excited about the iPhone 12 Mini a powerful device with a 5.4-inch display and an ultra-light form factor (under 140 gm) that’s even lighter than this year’s iPhone SE. Apple has reimagined the design of this year’s iPhone line-up almost turning back the clock and seeking inspiration from the Industrial style design of the iPhone 5 (one of our favourite iPhones in terms of design) with a new flat-edge design.
The popular choice?: last year’s iPhone 11 was the best selling phone worldwide. We’re pleased to see Apple give this year’s iPhone 12 even more love with the hardware. The big news is all four iPhones will now sport a Super Retina XDR OLED display and also boast of a new Ceramic Shield front cover, that goes beyond glass and increases drop performance by 4x. We can’t wait to see those drop test videos now. The entire 2020 line-up will be powered by the all-new A14 Bionic chip, the first chip in the smartphone industry built on 5-nanometer process. It features a 16-core Neural Engine — for an 80 percent increase in performance. These phones are not just future proof in terms of processor speed but also support 5G networks that could come into play in India in a while. The dual rear camera has been reimagined too, the iPhone 12 becomes the first camera to shoot HDR video with Dolby Vision. The iPhone 12 starts at Rs 79,900 for the 64GB variant while the iPhone 12 mini starts at Rs 69,900.
Flagship class: just like last year the camera set up is one of the key differentiators between this year’s iPhone 12 and the 12 Pro models. The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max get bigger displays (6.1 and 6.7-inch respectively) and we dig the four stainless steel finishes, that include the stunning new pacific blue option. The Pro camera experience gets a leg up with the new Apple ProRAW feature that offers more creative control in photos. The other upgrade is a new LiDAR Scanner for immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences. We’re relieved to see the base variant go up from 64GB to 128GB. About time too. The iPhone 12 Pro starts at Rs 119,900 while the Pro Max starts at Rs 129,900.
Stuck on You: Apple has added a cool new set of accessories with MagSafe featuring an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil, optimised for alignment and efficiency, that perfectly connects to iPhone every time. This is all set to create an ecosystem of easy-to-attach accessories that including Charging solutions as well as new silicone, leather, and clear cases that easily snap onto the back of iPhone, and a leather wallet
