Want to know what the iPhone 12 is going to look like and how it will feel? Suddenly, it seems, we have one of the biggest clues yet, thanks to a 3D render created by Filip Koroy of Everything Apple Pro in conjunction with Max Weinbach. It may not be perfect, and we’re still at that point in the year when things could change radically between now and release, but it’s still woth checking out
The next iPhone is out in a matter of days. That’s the new incarnation of the iPhone SE (read nine things nobody told you about it here). But for the next flagship we have to wait until the Fall, possibly as late as November, according to the latest reports.
The new 3D mock-up, if it’s correct (and there are certainly some elements which seem perplexing), reveals a wealth of new details with potentially game-changing innovations.
At one point, Koroy mentions that his mock-up is based on information from the beginning of the year. In the world of industrial design, things can change a lot. It’s possible – likely – things have moved on since then as Apple has refined its design and tweaked features. In fact, the prototype Koroy is basing all this on could be just one engineer’s crazy idea. With that caveat, here’s what we’ve just learnt.
The flat-edge iPad Pro style feels good
Rumors have been flying for some time that the iPad Pro styling with flat glass and back are corroborated here. But one of the most revealing things about a 3D render is that how it sits in the hand can be judged, and what’s new is that, according to Everything Apple Pro’s host, it feels good, not digging into the hand as some had feared.
I mean, I hope we can take it for granted that Apple would check this before releasing a phone, right?. But it’s good to hear it now, anyway.
Antenna bands will be wider
You know the little bands that pepper the edges of the iPhone, and many other phones? There are six on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, for instance. Well, they’re getting bigger. Don’t worry, you’ll still barely notice them, the width is going from 1mm to 1.83mm, Koroy claims. This is because of the inclusion of 5G, predicted for all this year’s iPhone 12 models.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro’s satin finish? That’s lucky
Because, in a tweet following his big video, Koroy added that he believes the next iPhone 11 Pro will have the same matte finish on the back, perhaps with the glossy finish reserved for the camera unit just like this year, too.
The LiDAR sensor design may change to being raised with a ring around it
Hmm. Koroy thinks the LiDAR sensor that sits alongside the triple cameras won’t be flush as it is on the iPad Pro but instead will have a raised ring around it to match the cameras. Well, he may be right, but it seems to fly in the face of how Apple wants the LiDAR sensor to be seen, as different from the cameras, so I’m skeptical here.
There could be a Smart Connector. Really?
Koroy says he was dubious about this at first, but on his render, the sim card tray swaps from the right edge to the left (possible, but not super-likely, I’d say) and that part of the right edge could be supplanted by the inclusion of a Smart Connector.
While that’s certainly exciting, I have to say I don’t believe it. Here’s why.
On the iPad Pro, the Smart Connector to which Koroy compares it is designed so the second-gen Apple Pencil attaches to the edge of the tablet. On the iPad Pro, where, by the way, it’s probably the world’s smallest wireless charging system, it makes sense. The Pencil looks good there and attaches perfectly so it can charge.
But on the iPhone it really can’t work to attach the Pencil. That’s because the power button protrudes and is just an inch or two away. It would prevent a slick connection between the Pencil and the iPhone.
Current iPhones are not Pencil-compatible, but that might change.
Koroy acknowledges the Pencil would be a poor fit because of the power button, instead suggesting new accessories might be in development to fit there. Intriguing. Even so, I don’t think this is right. There’s something peculiar about a big lozenge-shaped magnetic charging panel on the side of the phone, even though the flat edge would theoretically make it possible.
More screen, less bezel, smaller notch
This sounds good. The bezels are decently thin on the iPhone 12, but you can never have enough screen, right? Koroy predicts, as thoroughbred leaker Jon Prosser did, that the notch may shrink, too, though not disappear.
Navy blue but no more midnight green?
I really like the midnight green iPhone 12, so I will be sorry to see it go, if it does. But a navy blue, especially if it’s as dark as Koroy says, could be pretty sweet. I’ve been asking for a midnight blue iPhone since the 3GS days, I think it would make a subtle but attractive alternative to Space Gray, so I welcome a dark blue option.
So, is this the final design?
Far from it. Koroy says this design stems from January and Apple is nothing if not pernickety when it comes to getting things just right. It had time to change things since January, so you can bet it will have made the most of the opportunity to do so. Other analysts, again including Jon Prosser, say that the prototyping is now more or less finished and we can expect to see renders of the iPhone 12 leak soon. This one isn’t that, though the video presentation is interesting and certainly worth a look.
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