Apple has warned the iPhone 12 range is delayed, but now the company may have just leaked a surprising new release date.
Spotted by eagle-eyed 9to5Mac readers, today Apple briefly posted a test feed on its official YouTube account for a live event to be held on September 10. This is the same date as the iPhone 11 launch last year, and it fits in perfectly with other previous iPhone launch dates: Sept 12 (iPhone XS, X), Sept 7 (iPhone 7), Sept 9 (iPhone 6S, 6).
08/22 Update: according to ZDNet, the iPhone 12 release looks set to have a “One more thing…” moment, with Apple announcing the resurrection of its ambitious AirPower wireless charger. AirPower was meant to stand out from the competition by allowing iPhones and AirPods to be placed anywhere on the mat to charge. The problem was this required so many wireless charging rings, that it caused excessive heat build up. Apple has been hotly tipped to solve this through the addition of magnets, which help devices line up on the mat and cut back on the number of rings required. Given Apple’s plans to introduce a completely port-less iPhone in 2021, this is something Apple needs to get right at the second time of asking.
08/23 Update: picked up by PhoneArena, the new iOS 14 beta 5 has restored the ‘Limit Frame Rate’ option we previously saw in earlier iOS releases, which again hints that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max may have fast 120Hz refresh rate displays after all. While, as display specialist Ross Young points out, this toggle means the new iPhones don’t have a power-efficient LPTO panel (as it would change the refresh rate dynamically with no need for a toggle), it does offer some hope to aspiring iPhone buyers that the (much doubted) feature could still make the cut – something even Young questioned in June. Fast refresh rate displays have been a big hit on rival phones because they not only make animations and scrolling smoother, but also improve their responsiveness to touch input. Given 90/120Hz panels were first adopted by rivals in 2019 and have become common in 2020, seeing iPhones skip the tech until the iPhone 13 in late 2021 would have been a blow. Now our fingers are crossed once more.
Despite this correlation, there have been some attempts to shoot this down. Reliable tipster Jon Prosser dismissed it, which is to be expected since he promised a much later date (which has also been disputed). Curiously though, most doubts come down to two false assumptions.
First, a popular claim that Apple never holds events on a Thursday. This isn’t true. Apple has held Q3 hardware launch events on a Thursday in 2010, 2014 and 2016. There’s also a myth that iPhones only launch on a Tuesday, when two of the last four iPhone launches (iPhone XS, 7) occurred on a Wednesday.
Second, when Apple CFO Luca Maestri confirmed the iPhone 12 Pro line-up would be “available a few weeks later”, he was talking about their supply with many assuming their announcement must also be delayed as a result. Prior to Maestri’s comments, the event was pegged for early September, while two subsequent leaks have muddied the water with claims of split release schedules.
All of which means, Thursday September 10 is perfectly credible. Moreover, Apple also has a long history of underselling itself to investors. Having made the “few weeks later” claim during its recent (stratospheric) financial results, the company is now likely working day and night to overdeliver.
Is the new iPhone 12 range worth whatever the additional wait will be? Yes and no. Going for the line-up are new 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch display sizes, a massive performance upgrade, stylish new design, clever camera tech, competitive pricing and 5G. Going against them are small battery sizes, another big notch and falling another year behind rival display tech.
