While the iPhone 12 range is still almost six months away, it’s never too early for some speculation and rumor. The latest leak relates to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and suggests a pretty major overhaul in terms of the design, as well as some new features.
This leak comes from YouTuber EverythingApplePro, in collaboration with leaker Max Weinbach, and includes early CAD renders which show the phone’s designs and dimensions from all angles.
It needs to be noted that these are still pretty early details, so things could change in the coming months – the renders are said to be “about 70% complete”.
The biggest change, which we've seen rumored elsewhere recently, is to the chassis design. The leak suggests the iPhone 12 Pro Max – and presumably the entire iPhone 12 series – will move to a more angular design with flat sides and a flat display, similar to the new iPad Pro.
The overall footprint will be close to that of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, but the display will grow to 6.7 inches. This will be achieved via slimmer bezels – according to the leak the entire frame will be significantly slimmer at about 7.4mm.
The other major change is said to be to the cameras, with the iPhone 12 Pro rumored to get a fourth camera on the back, in the form of a LiDAR sensor. The leak suggests the four lenses will be placed in a perfectly square housing, and will be flush with the glass – for context, the cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro series protruded out of the housing a little way.
It's safe to assume that Apple sees LiDAR applications and augmented reality as being a major feature in future iPhones. With the iPad Pro 2020 having been around for a few months by the time the next iPhones are announced, more use cases are expected to be available at launch.
Say hello to the iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7-in). It's not often you get to leak an iPhone design. Huge shoutout to @MaxWinebach. Video going live in 15. pic.twitter.com/AcZMAj5X1YApril 17, 2020
The display will be eaten into by the notch, but it's said to be noticeably smaller, and will house the Face ID tech and selfie camera. The 2020 iPhones are also expected to be 5G-capable, something that's further corroborated by thicker antenna lines across the frame. Owing to the larger form factor, the power button is expected to sit slightly lower along the right side for easier handling.
One of the more interesting additions is the inclusion of what seems like a smart connector for accessories on one of the sides. iPads have smart connectors for peripherals like the Apple Pencil and keyboard folios, and these are some game-changing extras that have been rumored to come to iPhones for a while now.
If the leak is accurate, and the iPhone 12 has Apple Pencil compatibility, we could have a great stylus phone, and perhaps a real Samsung Galaxy Note 20 competitor.
While most of these are welcome changes, it seems like the 2020 iPhones will retain the Lightning connector and will not move to a USB Type-C port.
The iPhone 11 series has been largely successful for Apple, and it looks like it wants to maintain that trajectory by adding new features to position its next phones as cutting-edge devices. The coming months will tell us more about what to expect from the iPhone 12 Pro.
