Singapore Apple fans can pre-order the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro from Oct 16

As expected, tech giant Apple has announced four iPhone 12 models during a special "Hi, Speed" virtual event on Tuesday (Wednesday morning Singapore time).

They are the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. And all come with 5G connectivity.

During the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook said: "Today is the beginning of a new era for iPhone. We are bringing 5G to iPhone."

While the iPhone 12 models are said to feature the most 5G bands on any smartphones, they will only support the faster and low-latency mmWave 5G bandwidth in US.

In terms of design, all the iPhone 12 models look like their predecessors but now feature flat sides instead of curved sides. They all now feature Oled displays too.

The new iPhone 12 models all feature Apple's latest A14 Bionic chip, which is the fastest chip on a smartphone according to its maker.

The iPhone 12 mini is a new entry to the series with a much smaller display and compact size. Apple claims it is the "smallest, thinnest and lightest 5G smartphone" in the world.

Both iPhone 12 and 12 mini have a rear dual-camera system consisting of 12-megapixel (MP) ultra-wide-angle and wide-angle cameras.

The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max both feature a new rear triple-camera system consisting of 12MP ultra-wide-angle, wide-angle and telephoto cameras. But the 12 Pro Max has a longer 5x system-wide optical zoom compared to 12 Pro's 4x optical zoom.

Both iPhone 12 Pro models also feature a new LiDAR laser scanner - not found in the non-Pro models - for better depth sensing and thus deliver faster and more realistic augmented reality experiences.

In addition, the highly-acclaimed Night Mode, or night photography, will work on all the new iPhone 12 models' cameras including the front-facing TrueDepth camera.

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The iPhone 12 and 12 mini will be available in five colours of black, white, red, blue and green, while the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will come in blue, silver, gold and graphite.

The iPhone 12 and 12 mini also share the same storage capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. And the iPhone 12 is priced starting from $1,299, while the iPhone 12 mini starts from $1,149.

Available in storage capacities of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, the iPhone 12 Pro will have a price tag starting from $1,649, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max will retail from $1,799.

Pre-orders for the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will start 8pm this Friday, and sales will begin on Oct 23. Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin at 9 pm Nov 6, with availability beginning on Nov 13.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.