Get your head around the new iPhone 12 with Mr Money’s top advice
APPLE has unveiled the latest iPhone – but the big news is not new tech. Grabbing the headlines instead is what is missing — the iPhone 12 comes without a charger or headphones. The new device is 5G-compatible so it can connect to a network that is ten times more speedy than 4G. But Samsung […]
APPLE has unveiled the latest iPhone – but the big news is not new tech.
Grabbing the headlines instead is what is missing — the iPhone 12 comes without a charger or headphones.
The new device is 5G-compatible so it can connect to a network that is ten times more speedy than 4G. But Samsung and Huawei devices have done that for more than a year. Apple’s updated handset comes with a new Lightning cable for faster charging but a plug is not included.
Since the revamped lead has the smaller USB-C connection, it will not work with plugs that have the more common USB-A. Apple says the move is to cut down on plastic waste — admirable stuff and no problem if customers could use any old plug.
But people upgrading from previous iPhones won’t have a USB-C plug. Apple sells them for £29. There are no headphones, either. Since Apple ditched the jack four years ago, iPhones have come with earbuds that connect via the Lightning . . . but not any more. These cost £19 from Apple.
For the first time there are four variants, including a Mini for those with small pockets (in both senses) and the flagship device with the biggest-ever iPhone screen. Apple boss Tim Cook did his best to trumpet the devices at Tuesday’s launch.
He called the 12 Mini the “smallest, lightest and thinnest 5G phone in the world”. There are improved camera specs, including better low-light performance — handy in dimly lit bars, if they stay open.
Experts reckon the four devices will sell well thanks to 5G and the cheaper Mini. Ben Wood, of CCS Insight, said 5G “gives people a meaningful reason to upgrade and makes buying an iPhone this time around a future-proof purchase”.
THE FOUR MODELS
THEY are all fairly similar, each using a revamped A14 Bionic brain, bright OLED screens and 5G.
The Pro and Pro Max have better cameras and a fancy stainless-steel finish available in four colours, including gold. The two standard 12s have an aluminium finish in five brighter colours.
iPhone 12, from £799: Standard edition with a 6.1in screen, the same as the current model. Upgrades to the brain and battery. iPhone 12 Mini, from £699: With a 5.4in screen, the smallest iPhone since Apple debuted full-screen versions in 2017. Otherwise the same as normal 12.
iPhone 12 Pro, from £999: Also has a 6.1in screen but a better camera. iPhone 12 Pro Max, from £1,099: Range-topping model with the largest screen ever at 6.7in (the iPhone 11 Pro Max was 6.5in). Camera has a better zoom than the Pro
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SMART SPEAKER
NEW £99 Apple smart speaker lets users “hand off” music from their phone when they get home.
The HomePod Mini goes head to head with Amazon’s top-selling Echo speakers and, like those, lets users control music with their voice and ask it questions.
You can also set up speakers in different rooms and use them as an intercom – handy for calling the kids down for dinner. Out on November 16, it will do battle with a raft of new speakers from Amazon and Google.
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