Photo courtesy of T3

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Apple’s new iPhone 12 models began shipping to everyone who has preordered them. This past week, there has been a lot of conversation surrounding what is new in this Apple product. Preorders began on Friday, Oct. 16 and retailers are already expecting delays due to high demand. 

As usual, many are interested in all the new features of this release. First, there will be four available versions of the iPhone 12. There will be two standard ones, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro, and there will also be both an iPhone 12 Pro Max and an iPhone 12 Mini. The iPhone 12 Mini is the smallest 5G phone in the world to date, and the iPhone Pro Max is not only bigger in size but also is said to operate better than the standard options, according to Apple. 

All iPhone 12 models will operate faster than previous iPhones. This is due to the new CPU, or central processing unit, that comes as part of the phone. Another difference between these iPhones and all previous models is the fact that they will have 5G built-in. With 5G, the phones will have faster data and be more responsive to instructions. The only issue with 5G is the fact that it is not being implemented nationwide yet, so early iPhone 12 users will not have these benefits immediately. 

The iPhone 12 also has a new style, similar to older generations. It has flat, sleek edges, instead of the rounded ones many are used to seeing in the most recent iPhones. The new phones also have a ceramic screen, which is supposed to lessen the likelihood of the screen cracking when it’s dropped. In addition to all these style changes, the new iPhones also charge differently than older versions. Apple has created a magnetic charger that attaches onto the back of the iPhone, instead of plugging in at the bottom. Each iPhone 12 will come in black, white, red, green and blue. Customers also have the option of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.

There are also significant changes to the camera. Apple promises better quality lowlight pictures, and the new cameras also have something called Dolby Vision, which essentially makes the videos taken on the camera more accurate to the colors and contrast that a human eye sees. They’ve also added Lidar, which is said to improve the depth in photos. In their recap video, Apple said that it was the “Future of AR,” or augmented reality. This type of technology has been seen in apps such as Pokémon Go, which assess the depth and the user’s surroundings to create a more realistic gaming experience. Apple also launched a new HomePod Mini, which can synchronize with other devices around a household or in a room to play the same exact audio. 

With all these new additions, there has been a backlog of preorders. The presale for the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro has already sold out. Many of these orders will start showing up on doorsteps as early as Friday, Oct. 23 if the customer paid for faster shipping. For those who opted for free shipping, it is more likely that their new phones will be delivered in early November. Preordering for iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin on Friday, Nov. 6 with shipping for these orders beginning on Friday, Nov. 13. 

Customers can expect smaller packaging when it arrives. In a controversial move, Apple has also decided to not include a charging block, nor headphones, in the box that comes with the new phone. However, the phone will come with a USB cord for charging, customers just have to use a charging block they already have at home or buy one from the store. Apple said that their reasoning for this is that many people already have charging boxes and headphones at home, so not including these in the shipment decreases wasteful unused items as well as the amount of packaging needed for a new iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 is available to preorder now.