Daniel Rotar

September 11, 2020

iPhone 12 Pro, Apple Watch Series 6, iPad Air 4 – Latest Leaks & Rumors!

Daniel Rotar

September 11, 2020

We haven’t made a Leaks & Rumors episode since July. This is mostly because I like to wait until we get a few more things to talk about and we haven’t really had a good amount of new leaks, until now.

We finally have some major updates on the iPhone 12 Pro, the Apple Watch Series 6, which is apparently launching next week, as well as the iPad Air 4 and the upcoming Apple Event. So, without any further ado, get those snacks ready, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

iPhone 12 Pro

In terms of the iPhone 12, you might remember the large number of leaks that we got suggesting the Frame was going to be squared-off, the Notch was going to be smaller and that the Triple Camera Module would now be a Quad-Camera Module with one of the Modules being that LiDAR Sensor. Even though these were “meh” changes, I would’ve loved to see the Notch be made even smaller or even removed entirely. Jon Prosser posted a CAD drawing of the iPhone 12’s Notch back in May, which appeared to show the Speaker Grill moving into the Bezel, making the Notch a bit smaller this way.

This our idea of what the iPhone 12 will look like, check out "@ZONEofCONCEPTS’ for more.

Another leaker (@Choco_bit) posted an image of the iPhone 12 Pro, showing the smaller Notch, the Quad-Camera Module on the back (again with a LiDAR Sensor) and we also saw the iOS 14 Widgets. We did get the Widgets, but the other two changes would not be happening anymore. Jon Prosser posted, on August 26th, saying that the Notch is staying the same and the Bezels are getting noticeably thinner, so at least there’s that. The Notch will appear smaller on the 6.7” iPhone 12 Pro Max as the Display itself will be bigger. Jon also mentioned that FaceID will work from wider angles, even flat on the table, so that is indeed a nice improvement.

The sides are flat, like we’ve seen in all the leaks. We’re going to get that iPhone 4 & iPhone 5 style Body, while the Glass will indeed have a slight curve, which will make it easier to use when it comes to Gestures. Jon is also saying that the entire Camera Module would now be 10% larger. I’m assuming that he’s referring to the big square housing for the Modules. In terms of that Back Camera Array, we’ve had a bunch of recent leaks. These are Case leaks that mostly show a Triple Camera Module Array, instead of the Quad that we’ve seen leaked before as the LiDAR Module would now be positioned in a very similar manner to how the Flash is. I think that’s a worse approach. Also, the LiDAR Module on the iPad Pro 2020 is quite a bit larger than the one on these iPhone 12 leaks. Maybe Apple can pull this off and compact it a bit more to make it smaller but in my opinion, I still think it would look nicer with a Quad-Camera Module Array.

It looks like the Triple-Camera Array is staying for the iPhone 12.

So, no smaller Notch or Quad-Camera Module Array, any other updates? Well, we still don’t know for sure what is happening with the high Refresh Rate Display. We’ve had countless leaks saying that it will happen and countless leaks saying that it won’t. But luckily, it seems like there is some hope. Jon Prosser posted a bunch of photos and even a full hands-on video of an iPhone 12 Pro PVT unit. These are the Production Validation Test units and they’re basically tested by Apple employees in order to ensure that they’re working correctly. They need to undergo a bunch of tests and if they pass all tests correctly, these are the units that will be mass produced. In most cases, these are exactly what the retail units would look like.

Interestingly enough, there is actually a toggle in the Settings to enable High Refresh Rate on these, but there is also a note telling employees to check if their PVT unit supports high Refresh Rate. It seems that Apple has manufactured some units with 120Hz, and others without. Display Analyst Ross Young reports that, based on his sources, it is way more likely for Apple to release the iPhone 12 Pro with just a 60Hz Panel. It looks like Apple has managed to get the 120Hz Panels in the end, but not the 120Hz Driver.

So, we’ll have to wait and see what happens but in my opinion, a high Refresh Rate on the iPhone 12 Pro is a must. We’ve had high Refresh Rate Smartphones since 2017. The first Phone to come with it was the Razer Phone, which featured a 120Hz Panel. Since then, more and more Smartphones have started including this to the point where even mid-range Smartphones in 2020, such as the OnePlus Nord, come with a 90Hz Panel.

Apple is late to the party with higher Refresh Rate Displays.

I know that Apple wants to wait until they get it working properly. They want to use an LTPO Panel so that they can adjust the Refresh Rate from 120Hz, all the way down to 1Hz, just like the iPad Pro’s ProMotion Display does. That is an LCD Display, rather than an OLED. The only Smartphones out right now with an LTPO Display, are Samsung’s Note 20 Ultra and Z Fold 2. That’s it. Samsung has already made it clear to Apple that they would not be able to provide them with an LTPO Panel in 2020. It seems like that has changed, or at least Apple has found a different solution for that. Judging from the PVT units, it seems like they can only switch between the 60Hz and a 120Hz Refresh Rate, which could point towards this not being an LTPO Panel, but rather a standard 120Hz Panel like we’ve seen on most 2019 and 2020 Smartphones. On those Phones, you can indeed switch between 60Hz and 120Hz, but nothing more than that. Anyway, if this iPhone doesn’t have 120Hz, then it would be a major disappointment in my eyes.

Camera-wise, we haven’t really had any massive leaks aside from a new Sensor that Apple will be using to enable better Low-Light Performance, as well as Night Mode with the Ultra-Wide Angle Module. Aside from that, Jon Prosser showed us that the Camera will indeed support 4K120 as well as 4K240, both of which are likely to be used in slow-motion, or at least the 4K240 mode will as that’s listed as Slow-Mo. That’s pretty nuts for a Phone. There’s no other Phone, other than the iPhone 11 Pro, that can shoot 4K60 and all Lenses. Now, the iPhone 12 Pro will bump that up to 4K120 and even 4K240. It’s pretty nuts what Apple’s Processor is capable of. But that’s mostly it.

There will be no Charger in the box, that’s already confirmed. ‘LoveToDream’ reported that the Lightning Cable will now be braided, so at least there’s that.

In terms of the Release Date, Jon Prosser has posted the timeline for Apple’s upcoming releases. Do keep in mind that Jon has been 100% accurate in the past, in terms of actual Release Dates. According to Jon, Apple will launch the new Apple Watch next week, followed by a new iPad. Then the iPhone 12 event will be in mid-October, followed by the iPhone 12 release on October 19th, followed by the iPhone 12 Pro release sometime in November.

Apple Watch Series 6

What about the Apple Watch Series 6? If you’re enjoying this, we have some really awesome content coming in the next few days so it would be great if you could Subscribe so you don’t miss out, it’s free to do so.

Well, my top request would be for Apple to redesign the entire Watch and make it into a Circular Design, or at least offer a Circular Design as well. That’s my personal request and I would love to see that happen. Unfortunately, it will not happen this year. The Series 6 would look identical to the Series 5. There will only be one major improvement, the addition of a Blood Oxygen Level Meter. This will show you the saturation of Oxygen in your blood. If it’s between 95% and 100%, then that’s all good. Anything lower and you might want to go and see a Doctor. Also, COVID does affect the Oxygen level in your blood so the Series 6 might even be able to give you a notification in case you have signs that could point to you having COVID. So, that’s the main feature.

The Circular Design may come one day, but not this time.

The Battery is getting larger, but only from 296mAh, to 303.8mAh. The Performance is going to be improved thanks to the Apple Watch S6 Processor. I am hoping that the Battery Life will be improved quite substantially because the Series 5 was actually a downgrade over the Series 4. The Series 4 could easily last me two days, whereas the Series 5 has even died on me mid-day when I was cycling for like four hours with GPS enabled and Cellular enabled. Workouts kill off the Battery like crazy. Now that Sleep Tracking has been added in watchOS 7, Battery Life is more important than ever.

We’ve also seen reports that Apple is working on an Apple Watch SE, essentially updating the Apple Watch Series 3 with a more recent Processor and selling that for around $200. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has reported on this as well. Overall, it seems like they’re just making as few small changes as they can until they can really re-design this thing. The Series 4 was really the big change, back in 2018. The Series 5 only added a Display Controller, which in combination with the LTPO Panel, which the Series 4 also had, allowed it to have an Always-On Display. The Series 4 could’ve easily had it as well, it only needed that tiny Display Controller.

It seems like the Series 6 will be another minor upgrade, with the biggest change just being the Oxygen Level Meter, which could’ve been easily added to the Series 5 and even the Series 4.

New iPad

Finally, it seems like there is also a brand new iPad that Apple will be launching as early as next week, according to Jon Prosser. But which iPad is this? Is it a new iPad Pro, or a new iPad Air or a new entry-level iPad? Well, it’s definitely not a new iPad Pro as we just got one earlier this year.

It will either be a new iPad Air (the iPad Air 4) or a new entry level iPad, (the iPad 8th Generation), ‘mydrivers.com', which has a mixed track record, reports that this will come with an 11” Display, an A14 Processor and 128GB of Baseline Storage. Essentially, identical to the 2018 iPad Pro in terms of Design, just with a more powerful Processor. ‘91mobiles’ posted a few schematics of this new iPad, showing some slightly thicker Bezels than on the iPad Pro and a slightly smaller 10.8” Display.

We don’t know exactly which iPad this will be, just that it won’t be new ‘Pro’ model.

FaceID will be included, as opposed to just TouchID on the Power Button, which a leaked manual was apparently showing. A Smart Connector does appear to be present on these schematics, which would allow support for Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

Mark Gurman and Debby Wu of Bloomberg have both written a fairly comprehensive report outlining Apple’s plans for this quarter and according to them, this iPad would indeed be a brand new iPad Air with pretty much the same Design style as the iPad Pro. It would make sense for the Display to indeed be an 11” Panel, rather than something smaller with slightly thicker Bezels just to make the iPad Pro look a bit better.

I have to say, I am a bit unsure in terms of the Processor. Some reports are saying that it will come with an Apple A14X Chip, while some are saying that this will be an A14 Chip. The A14 would make sense but only if Apple also updates the 2020 iPad Pro with the A14X. Otherwise, it would just be weird having an A14 in this new iPad Air and a slower A12Z, at least slower on the CPU side, on the iPad Pro. That just wouldn’t make that much sense. That’s my personal prediction, a CPU update for the 2020 iPad Pro with the A14X.

AirPods Studio

Now, here’s a bonus item. A brand new pair of AirPods. Mark Gurman and Debby Wu also report that Apple is preparing a new pair of AirPods, those AirPods Studio that we’ve been hearing about for a few months now. The leaker ‘Komiya’ reports that the AIrPods Studio will come in White and Space Grey. The Audio Quality and Active Noise Cancelling would be “very high”, according to Komiya.

Apparently, they will also come with Apple’s new H1X Chip, some new Equaliser Settings and Ear Detection, so just like the regular AirPods. They may have some sort of Hand Gesture, like the HomePod does.

The Price will be $350, likely £350 in the UK, and they will ship in September/October and announced via a press release on Apple’s website. From the looks of it, it seems like these could be announced next week when Apple also launches the Apple Watch Series 6 and the new iPad Air 4. Jon Prosser even posted the time of the release, which according to him would be on Tuesday, September 8th between 9-12 EST when Apple will be holding *something* on their website.

Daniel Rotar

July 17, 2020

Leaks & Rumors, Reviews

iPhone 12 (2020) - Hands-On with Mockups!

Daniel Rotar

July 17, 2020

Leaks & Rumors, Reviews

Here, we have something pretty special. These are the upcoming 2020 iPhones. The iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. So, wait a second Daniel, did Tim Cook send these to you? Do you actually have the new iPhones two months before release? Well…yes and no.

These are essentially non-functional models that are made for Case Manufacturers so that they can start working on their Cases. A massive thanks to Sonny Dickson for arranging these units too. Even though they are non-functional units, they do have the exact dimensions of the upcoming iPhones, which means that we can stack these up against other Smartphones and see how they compare.

So, without any further ado, here is an early look at the iPhone 12 line-up!

iPhone 12

The first iPhone that we have right here would be the smallest of the bunch and also the most affordable one, the iPhone 12. This iPhone is actually smaller than the current iPhone 11 Pro or the iPhone XS or X, which at the moment are the smallest notched iPhones that we have. Not only that, but the iPhone 12 is even smaller than the iPhone SE, 8, 7, 6s and even the 6, being just a tiny bit taller and wider than an iPhone 5. So if you’ve always wanted a flagship iPhone that was small and easy to use with one hand, that option is now finally back.

Now, something interesting about this iPhone is that it comes with a 5.4” Display, meaning that while the size of the Phone is smaller than an iPhone 6, the actual Display is noticeably bigger. Also, this is an OLED Display, just like on the iPhone X and newer. So, no more LCD Panels on any of the 2020 iPhones. Goodbye LCD, you won’t be missed.

Another big change to the iPhone 12 is that it now has a squared-off frame, very similar to the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4, which were my favourite iPhone designs ever. While having a squared-off frame isn’t as comfortable in the hand, as a wedge shape frame is, they do have way more grip and they won’t be as slippery because of that. As a bonus, you can even prop the Phones up which might not sound like a big deal for you guys, but for us, that’s pretty huge. It means that we don’t have to prop the Phones on something when we’re filming.

Taking a look at the Ports and the Buttons, on the bottom we have the Lightning Port as well as the Speaker and Microphone Grill. On the right, we have a massive Power Button. Nothing really on the top and finally on the left, we have the Mute Switch and the Volume Buttons. Finally, when it comes to the back and the Camera Module, we have a Dual Camera Module here, as opposed to the Triple Camera Module that we’ll see on the Pro models. This is pretty much the same arrangement as we got with the regular iPhone 11.

A top-down view of the back of the iPhone 12.

This means that we have the Main Module as well as an Ultra-Wide Angle Module. The Cameras on the iPhone 11’s were already pretty much the best in the industry, with 4K60 Video Support on all of the Lenses. These ones are said to be getting even better with support of possibly even 4K Video at 240 FPS.

We’re also getting an Apple A14 Processor, which would be manufactured on a new 5nm process so overall, the iPhone 12 is a pretty big upgrade in every single way and really the biggest upgrade that we got even since the iPhone X, in 2017.

There is one thing that isn’t fully known about these iPhones yet, that is the Notch. Since these models were made for Case Manufacturers, the Notch would not be 100% accurate. We’ve had many reports that the Notch would indeed be getting smaller, so I do expect this to look about the same as we’ve modelled it in our Concepts. This won’t really be that much of a change on the larger models of the iPhones, but it definitely will be on this 5.4” iPhone 12, where that Notch is already taking a considerable amount of space on this tiny Display.

Price wise, this iPhone is said to start at $650, $50 less than what the current iPhone 11 starts at. That is pretty awesome considering that you’re also getting an OLED Display, 5G and better Performance as well.

iPhone 12 Max

The second 2020 iPhone would be the iPhone 12 Max. This one is basically the successor to the iPhone 11 as it has the exact same 6.1” Display size, only this time, it is an OLED Display. I really do like this size a lot, especially now that we have these flat sides. I can grip it perfectly and it is noticeably larger than the 5.4” iPhone 12.

On the back, we have the exact same Dual Camera Module setup as on the iPhone 12. The front would have the same Notch size as on the iPhone 12 which again, I do believe will be around the same size as we’ve modelled it in our concept, based on all the leaks that we’ve seen.

The iPhone 12 Max is rumoured to start at $750, or $50 more than the iPhone 11. But, we are getting an OLED Display, thinner Bezels, a new Design with a flat frame as well as 5G support.

iPhone 12 Pro

Then, we have the two Pro iPhones, starting with the iPhone 12 Pro. This one also has a 6.1” Display, the same as the iPhone 12 Max. This Display is very likely to be a 120Hz Panel, making everything far more fluid and responsive than on the non-pro iPhones. The frame, while still flat, will be made of out Stainless Steel, as opposed to the Aluminium on the non-pro models. Personally, I think I do prefer the Matte Black frame on the non-Pro iPhones. There’s something about that, that just takes me back to that iPhone 5 Design, which was by far my favourite.

The 12 Pro and the 12 Max will have the exact same dimensions.

Also, something to note here is that on the bottom left, we have this thing that looks like a Smart-Connector. Some of you might be thinking that this is the SIM Card Tray but, if you take a look at the previous unreleased iPhone models that we’ve shown you over the years, none of them had the SIM Card Tray on them. That was just on the final models, mostly because you don’t need access to the SIM Card like you do for the Buttons.

We do know that Apple plans on removing the Lightning Port entirely with the iPhone 13 next year and that the Charging will be done through a Magnetic Smart Connector or directly through Wireless Charging. But, Apple could already be including that Smart Connector on the iPhones this year just to get Users accustomed to charging with that Magnetic Connector already. Aside from this, this iPhone will also come with 6GB of RAM, compared to the 4GB that we have on the non-Pro iPhones.

The Cameras will be getting a pretty big improvement too. Not only will we be getting a Triple Lens Camera Module, we would also be getting that LiDAR Sensor that the 2020 iPad Pro got. This LiDAR module is not present on our models right here. This is, again, mostly because they’re for Case Manufacturers and as long as the size of the Camera Unit is correct, it doesn’t really matter what they have inside. Our concept is more accurate, so that would be closer to what the 2020 iPhones will look like, from the back.

The model we received had a White back, which is really clean (Centre-Top).

Now, aside from that new LiDAR Module, which will allow you to scan objects and even the environment in 3D for a significantly improved AR experience, the three Main Cameras will also be getting some major upgrades. The rumors are saying that they’ll be getting higher quality optics, with a Seven-Element Lens system. We’ve also heard rumors of a 64MP Sensor, but those aren’t confirmed as of yet. All we know for now is that the Pro models will definitely be an upgrade over the current iPhone 11 Pro’s in terms of the Camera quality, we just don’t know how much as of yet.

The iPhone 12 Pro is said to start from the same $999 price-point that the iPhone 11 Pro started at. We do get a larger Display, better Performance, a LiDAR Scanner, improved Cameras, 5G support and possibly even a 120Hz Refresh Rate.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Finally, the last iPhone would be the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is the second iPhone out of the iPhone 12 line-up to get a change in terms of its size. But, unlike the regular iPhone 12, which is now smaller, the 12 Pro Max is bigger than ever before, coming in with a massive 6.7” Display. I have to say, while I absolutely love how this iPhone feels in the hand, it is just gigantic. The 11 Pro Max was always on the big side but this is just humongous. However, when we compare it to the Note 10+, which comes with a 6.8” Display, the iPhone is almost the same size, the Note is still bigger of course, but not by a lot.

The same thing applies when we compare it to the S20 Ultra. But you see, while the Ultra is much taller, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is noticeably wider, making it feel far chunkier and more Tablet-like in the hand, than the S20 Ultra. The fact that we also don’t have a Notch at all gives us much more screen-real-estate, when compared to the iPhone.

Now, even-though I do like the look of this iPhone a lot, and the fact that it has such a massive Display, I still cannot use an iPhone for business, when I’m traveling. We still do not have side by side multitasking support on the iPhone at all. So, if I want to use two Apps at the same time, which I pretty much do all the time when I’m traveling as I need to look at my Calendar and schedule some events based on some emails or some notes, I cannot do that at all on the iPhone. I can only run one App at the same time. But, on a Samsung Galaxy Note for example, or any Android Phone really, you can in fact run two or more Apps at the same time, significantly improving the multi-tasking experience.

I think I might just go for the iPhone 12 Pro this year and of course, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 as my Main or Secondary Phone, once that releases.

Other than that, the 12 Pro Max would have the same Specs and Features that the 12 Pro has. This means 6GB of RAM, alongside that Triple Lens Camera Module on the back with the LiDAR Scanner included. Interestingly enough, if you take a look at the side of the 12 Pro Max, while on the left we do have that Smart Connector shape, on the right we have another Cutout which does resemble the Apple Pencil Connector on the iPad Pro. Also, this Connector is much larger than the single Connector on the 12 Pro.

The range in sizes for this line-up is pretty significant.

So..what could this be? My theory is that the Connector that’s on the right of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the one that’s on the left side of the iPhone 12 Pro, will both be used for that new Magnetic Charger. It is a bit weird that they’re not on the same side and they also have different sizes, so I’m not fully sure what’s up with that, but I do believe that they’re both Magnetic Connectors.

When it comes to the second tiny Connector on the 12 Pro Max, I do think that this is actually the SIM Tray and for some reason it was modelled onto this iPhone, even-though it didn’t need to be. That’s my theory but do let me know what you guys think.

Something else that I want to mention here is that all of these iPhones feel considerably thinner than the 11 Pro’s. The 11 Pro’s measured in a 8.1mm thick and the 12 Pro’s are said to be getting thinner, at 7.4mm. As long as that doesn’t affect the Battery Life, that’s really nice. Finally, the 12 Pro Max is said to start at $1,100. For this, we’re getting a larger Display with possibly a 120Hz Refresh Rate, faster Performance, improved Cameras with that LiDAR Scanner, 5G and of course, that brand new Design.

Overall, the iPhone 12 line-up is looking to be very promising. Especially considering what Apple will be pricing these iPhones at. It will be like $750 for the 12 Max, which would have the most powerful Processor in any Smartphone and likely one of the best Cameras in a Phone, that’s an amazing deal.

However, in order to achieve these prices, Apple had to remove the Charger and the Headphones from the box, so you will have to buy those separately now. Some people might be ok with that, some might not. I personally am, as long as the price gets decreased which unfortunately, for the iPhone 12 Pro’s, it has not.

Daniel Rotar

June 12, 2020

Leaks & Rumors

iPhone 13 (2021), AirPods Studio, Apple Glass & more!

Daniel Rotar

June 12, 2020

Leaks & Rumors

We don’t even have the iPhone 12 yet, but we already have some iPhone 13 leaks. Get those snacks ready as we’ll be covering the recent iPhone 13 Leaks, Apple Glasses updates, iPhone 12 updates, AirPods Studio Headphones and so much more!

iPhone 13

Starting off with the iPhone 13, Twitter leaker Fudge (@choco_bit), who’s been accurate in the past, claims that this is the supposed layout for the iPhone 13 (Right), which would be the 2021 iPhone. He did say that we should take this with a grain of salt, since these leaks are pre-event. So, this could indeed be something that Apple is considering for the iPhone 13 lineup, it’s just that it’s way too early to know for sure if Apple would indeed go down this route.

Regardless, this is our very first look into what could materialise into the iPhone 13 and as you can see, the back is quite a bit different now. We have four Camera Modules, compared to three on the iPhone 11/12. That LiDAR Sensor, from the iPhone 12, has now been moved underneath that four Camera Array. I would say that this does make a lot of sense. If Apple were to add another Module, they would preferably add it in that Triple Camera Array, where the LiDAR Module is currently sitting on the iPhone 12’s. This would be in order to have a consistent design, so the LiDAR Module would be moved somewhere outside of that Array.

Now, you’re probably wondering, what would that fourth Camera be for? Is it a Zoom Camera? Is it one of those strange Colour Filter Cameras that OnePlus added?

Well, it is way too early to know but my personal guess is that it is some sort of Periscope Telephoto Module, similar to what Huawei and Samsung have added. It may possibly be a 5x Optical Zoom Module or something along those lines.The likelihood with a Module like that, is that you can only go from 1x to 5x, anything in between would just be Digital Zoom. However, if you keep the 2x Module and then add a 5x Module, you still retain a sharp Zoom Level in between the two. This is what I believe Apple would do, judging from this design leak.

Speaking of the Cameras, Fudge also tweeted some details about the iPhone 13 Camera System and according to him, the iPhone 13’s model number is D6x and the Main Camera would be a 64MP Module with 6x Digital Zoom. Others have done this in the past. Samsung is a very good example, they added a very high Megapixel count to their Smartphones but as a result, Low-Light Performance was affected negatively. They started having Focusing issues so, as long as you have a tiny Smartphone Sensor, adding more Pixels would just make those Pixels smaller as there’s finite room inside the Smartphone Sensor. Because of this, they would capture less light. This is why Apple is one of the last Smartphone manufacturers that kept the (now) low-res 12MP Sensor, because the lower the MP count, the bigger the Pixels are and the better the Camera is in Low-Light. Anyway, that’s just the Main Module.

Then we would have a 40MP Ultra-Wide Angle Module and a 40MP Telephoto Module with 3-5x Optical Zoom, like I was assuming, with a 15-20x Digital Zoom. These are very likely possibilities. Probably not so much in terms of the the Ultra-Wide Module as it’s already pretty bad in Low-Light, an increase in Megapixel count would just make it worse. But the Telephoto Module would benefit a lot from an increased Megapixel count.

Finally, the fourth Module would actually not be a 2x Telephoto. According to Fudge, it would be a 64MP Anamorphic Lens. So, a 2.1:1 Aspect Ratio that would give you an incredibly wide and cinematic view, especially when shooting video. But, is there really any point in having that if we already have an Ultra-Wide Module? I would say no, and Fudge pretty much agrees. He does say that we should take this with a huge amount of salt. It’s extremely likely that his sources did tell him that these are things that Apple is currently considering doing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will definitely happen. We can’t be sure of that just yet. Also, it seems that Jon Prosser disagrees. He says that the Camera layout of the iPhone 13 would be identical to the iPhone 12, something that ‘LoveToDream’, another accurate leaker, disagrees with. From my understanding, both LovetoDream and Fudge get their info from a Supply Chain source, whereas Jon Prosser gets his info from Apple’s own team, this is the reason why we have some conflicts here.

Given Apples’s history with recycling old designs, we wouldn’t expect any massive changes in that single year.

Aside from that, another change that could be coming to the iPhone 13 is the Notch. As you probably all know by now, the iPhone 12 will still have the Notch. It’s just that it would be smaller, thanks to the repositioning of the Earpiece. We’ve heard some rumors that Apple could be removing the Notch from the iPhone 13 entirely, with them being in favour of a Full-Screen Display. But, knowing Apple and how they like to keep a certain design for as long as possible, I don’t see them giving up on the iPhone 12”s front design after just one year. It would be cool, but I don’t think that’s happening in 2021.

But something that is happening in 2021, is Apple finally dropping Lightning from the iPhone! However, we would not be getting USB C, which we’ve been wanting for so many years now, but instead, the iPhone 13 would have a complete Wireless Charging solution. This means that we would have no Ports on the 2021 iPhone. Instead, we would be getting something that looks like a Smart Connector, which would allow you to connect a Magnetic Charging Cable and charge the iPhone like that. This would be very similar to how the Apple Watch charges.

Now, while that is pretty neat, USB C Charging would still be preferred. Otherwise, this would still be another extra cable that you would have to carry with you, which would be just as inconvenient as it is to carry the Lightning Cable now, when all of your other devices are USB C. But the thing is, this is looking extremely likely to happen.

Fudge reported that this is indeed happening but that you would be expected to charge the iPhone wirelessly instead. Ming-Chi-Kuo has reported the exact same thing and Jon Prosser has also mentioned this as well. They are all saying that one Portless iPhone will be coming next year and that Apple will never add USB C to their iPhones. Bloomberg also reported a similar thing. That Apple will be removing the lighting connector from at least one of their iPhones, in 2021. These are four sources with a very good track-record, all reporting the exact same thing. So, it’s looking quite likely that at least one iPhone 13 would be going fully wireless next year.

So, there you go, that’s how the iPhone 13 is shaping up. This completely wireless iPhone with the same frame as the iPhone 12, possibly the same exact Notch and likely some Camera improvements, which will be focused on the Zoom functionality that is currently lacking.

iPhone 12

When it comes to this year’s iPhone, the iPhone 12, we do have some fresh updates. According to Ming-Chi-Kuo, the iPhone 12’s would not come with Headphones inside the box anymore, in order for Apple to sell more AirPods.

That does make a lot of sense, especially considering the price leaks that Jon Prosser has posted. According to Jon, the 5.4” iPhone 12, which would be the lowest-end model, would start from $650. It will come with an OLED Display, the new A14 Processor and a Dual Camera Module. That’s an insanely low price for new iPhones. The 6.1” iPhone 12 Max would cost $750, followed by the 6.1” iPhone 12 Pro, which could cost $1000, followed by the 6.7” iPhone 12 Pro Max, which would cost $1100.

After the $400 iPhone SE, it seems that the base iPhone 12 is also on the more affordable side.

Aside from the Camera Modules and the Stainless Steel build, the regular iPhone 12’s would still come with all the features that the Pro models come with. Meaning that there hasn’t been a year when Apple had a better iPhone line-up. They obviously had to make some trade-offs to keep that price low and it seems like one of these would be not including Headphones. Unfortunately, one of the other trade-offs would be the lack of any high Refresh Rate Display.

There have been a ton of conflicting reports on this, with some saying that it would have a 120Hz Display, and some saying that it would not. Long story short, according to Display Analyst Ross Young, Apple wants to include an LTPO OLED Display on the iPhone 12’s so that they can dynamically adjust the Refresh Rate from 1Hz, all the way up to 120Hz. This is just like what they’re doing on the iPad Pro, but keep in mind that the iPad Pro has an LCD Display, not an OLED.

Samsung does have 120Hz Displays for Smartphones but the Refresh Rate is fixed. This is what Samsung has been using on their own S20 line and while they’re good, the Battery Life just isn’t that great, at least not on the Exynos models. Samsung will indeed have a 120Hz LTPO OLED Panel this year but according to Ross, they are reserving it for the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2.

Apple will only be allowed to use it next year, in 2021. Which means that this year, they will have to choose between a great Battery Life and a constant 120Hz Display, it seems like they’re not choosing the 120Hz at all this year. This is mostly everything new, when it comes to the iPhone 12.

AirPods Studio

Next up, we have some quick updates on the next-gen AirPods.

So, Jon Prosser mentioned back in May that Apple will be releasing some new over-ear Headphones, just like the Beats Solo’s or Studio. However, rather than calling these the new Beats Studio, they will be marketing these as AirPods. Which means that we would now have three variants of the AirPods. The entry level models, the AirPods Pro and these new AirPods Studio, which are codenamed B515 and will start at $350, according to Jon

Be sure to check out our second Instagram account (@ZONEofCONCEPTS) for more concepts like this one!

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg released a massive report, with a ton of inside details on the new AirPods studio. According to Mark, Apple is actually working on two AirPods Studio models, a premium version with leather-like fabrics and a fitness focused model that uses lighter, breathable materials. The headband is said to be very thin, with full metal arms. Not only that, but Mark says that the ear-pads would be magnetic and that you can indeed replace them with different designs when you wish. This design would allow you to go from fitness mode to ‘pro mode’ so to say, whenever you want. Now, I’m not sure to what extent these ear-cups would be modular, since they do have a lot of tech inside and you can just buy more of these, as it would be quite pricey. I think it’s just the material surrounding it that would be modular and replaceable.

This is how we’ve modelled our concept (Above) and we decided to base these off of the leaked iOS 14 icon. We’ve made these gigantic ear-cups, held in place by a fairly thin headband. We do have invisible touch controllers on the sides, which would allow you to adjust the volume, skip to the next song, skip to the previous song as well as invoke Siri, which you can also do by saying the magic keyword command.

At a price point of $350, Apple seems to be competing directly with Sony, Microsoft and Bose, with their line of high-end, Noise Cancelling Headphones. Sony is currently the king in this department, with their WH-1000WM3’s and I’m really curious to see if Apple can actually beat them in terms of Sound Quality and of course, Noise Cancelling.

Personally, I’m not really into over-ear Headphones. I always find them to be way too big. They’re perfect on a plane but, aside from that, I would never use them. I do prefer in-ear Headphones, like the AirPods Pro, so do let me know down below, which team are you?

Apple Glass

Finally, just some quick updates on the Apple AR Glasses. In a previous video, I talked about those massive leaks from Jon Prosser.

Jon Prosser also said that Apple is working on a circular version of their Glasses, which would be called the “Steve Jobs Heritage Edition” and they would be more premium and likely more expensive than the usual model. However, Mark Gurman calls this, and all of the leaks that Jon Prosser covered, as complete fiction.

All the patents we’ve sen so far point to something similar to the Oculus Quest, which we absolutely loved.

Mark Gurman said that there are two devices in the works right now, rather than just one, this is what I’ve personally heard as well. One device is the mixed AR and VR Headset, similar to the Oculus Quest. This is called N301 according to Mark Gurman, it could be announced as early as 2021 (matching Jon’s report) and released in 2022. The other model would be those pure AR Glasses (N421), which would not launch until the end of 2022 or even 2023.

Now, we have seen a ton of Apple patents on both of these designs, but most of the patents seemed to show the Oculus Quest style Headset, rather than the true AR Glasses design that we’re all looking forward to. My guess is that it’s somewhere in between. The AR/VR Headset would launch in late 2021, like Jon reported, and then the actual AR Glasses would launch in 2022. These ones will need more tweaks, especially considering the insanely high Resolution Displays. These would be 8K Displays in each eye, if we’re going by CNET’s 2018 report on this.

So, there you go! We still have quite some time to wait until any of these come out, so do let me know, which of these products are you excited for the most?

Daniel Rotar

April 24, 2020

Leaks & Rumors

iPhone 12 Pro & iOS 14 – Final Details Revealed?

Daniel Rotar

April 24, 2020

Leaks & Rumors

We haven’t really made a Leaks & Rumors episode on the 2020 iPhones in more than a month now. Mostly because there wasn’t anything new to talk about. But, we’ve got a ton of fresh new leaks to talk about now, most of them from just the past week alone, coming from Jon Prosser from ‘FrontPageTech’. I don’t know how he did it but he’s pretty much the person with the highest amount of inside news on Apple at the moment.

So, here’s everything new in terms of the 2020 iPhones!

iPhone SE (Second Generation)

First things first, Apple has now unveiled what we thought was going to be the iPhone 9. This is the one we were talking about for so long, it is essentially the iPhone SE 2. Only, it isn’t called the iPhone 9 or the iPhone SE 2, but instead they called it the iPhone SE…Second Generation.

I personally think that iPhone 9 would’ve been the perfect name as this would be the last iPhone to feature the old pre-iPhone X design and Apple has yet to use the iPhone 9 naming scheme. But at the same time, calling this the iPhone SE means that Apple is not necessarily considering this inferior to the iPhone 11. They seemingly just consider it something different.

The iPhone 9, or the iPhone SE Second Generation as it is being called by Apple, is our first iPhone of 2020.

The iPhone SE Second Generation is essentially just an iPhone 8, but with upgraded internals. We have the same design on the front as the iPhone 8, 7, 6s & 6, so we’re getting a six year old design here. But, we are getting some very nice specs.

To start with, we’re getting Apple’s most powerful iPhone Chip, the Apple A11. The same CPU as found in the iPhone 11 & 11 Pro’s. We’re also getting an improved Camera, which looks to be the same Module as the Main on the iPhone 11 & 11 Pro. Don’t quote me on this because I do need to get it and test it to confirm that.

That’s pretty much it. Other than that, this is an iPhone 8. The only other difference being that this iPhone only costs $400 / £420 in the UK. The UK market is getting a slap in the face again. It is almost half the price of the iPhone 11, which starts at $700, so if you don’t care about having an outdated design and you just want a very affordable iPhone (price can actually go down further if you trade in your old phone) with the very best performance and almost the same quality Camera as on an iPhone 11 Pro, then this is a perfect deal.

We’ll be making a more in-depth video about the iPhone SE Second Generation, once we get it ourselves, so stay tuned for that. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don’t miss out.

AirPower

Then, at number two, AirPower is apparently making a comeback. You know, the Wireless Charging Mat that Apple kept on postponing and then eventually cancelled? We may be seeing that after all.

Essentially, AirPower was a fairly revolutionary Wireless Charger. On pretty much every single Wireless Charger out there, you need to position your Smartphone on a specific spot because that’s where the Wireless Charging Coil is located. Apple, on the other hand, wanted you to be able to place your Smartphone, Apple Watch or even your AirPods literally anywhere on the Mat. In order for you to be able to do that, the Mat needed a ton of Charging Coils. I’m not talking about two, three or even five, the AirPower Mat was developed with over 20 different Coils in mind. But, these Coils generated a lot of heat, which made an AirPower Mat a safety hazard to use, so it got cancelled.

How will the AirPower solve the overheating issues that has prevented it from being released so far?

Well, it seems like it might have been revived! According to Jon Prosser, Apple’s Sharing & Proximity Team are receiving prototype units of something called C68, which looks a lot like the AirPower Mat. Not only that, but apparently this new AirPower Mat actually has an Apple A11 Processor inside that’s being used to dynamically manage heat. An Apple A11, inside of a Wireless Charger!

The A11 is what the iPhone X from 2017 used and it is still one of the most powerful Chips in the mobile industry. According to Jon, because the Apple Watch uses a proprietary charging method, when you placed the Apple Watch on charge while other devices were also on the Mat, the AirPower would combust because the Watch required so much power. The A11 can tell when the temperature drops and it can wait until that happens before diverting power to charging the Apple Watch. It’s a pretty genius solution but I’m not so sure if this is indeed the answer.

I’m saying this because firstly, having an A11 Chip inside what is essentially just a Wireless Charger means that the price of it will sky-rocket and secondly, it’s not like the Mat won’t overheat. It’s just that the A11 will put some devices on hold, in terms of charging, until the temperatures go down. This means that if you need a quick charge of your Apple Watch and your iPhone is also charging, you might not even be able to charge your Apple Watch at all, if the A11 Chip decides that is the safest case.

I still think that the best approach here would be to have marked spots on the Mat, where you can place your devices. These spots will also be magnetised so that the devices snap into place once they’re close.

iOS 14

Next up, we have some updates to iOS 14. In case you missed it, we did an iOS 14 video back in March that covered every single thing we knew up until that point, in terms of iOS 14. Definitely do give that video a watch, in case you want to know more about it. But since that video of ours went live, a few more details have emerged.

Reports from ‘9to5Mac’ indicate that Apple is working on improving iCloud Keychain on iOS to make it compete better with apps such as ‘1Password’ or ‘LastPass’. Apparently, users will now be warned if their passwords are being reused, so that they can change them if they’re using one multiple times. Users will also be getting some sort of new 2-Factor Authentication that will let you log into a website using just iCloud Keychain, rather than using SMS or Email. But keep in mind, this will still be 2-Factor Authentication.

Twitter user ‘DongleBookPro’ shared a few more details about iOS 14. The first one being that Apple seems to be working with car manufactures, such as BMW, to allow you to use the iPhone itself as a car key. It won’t work with all models, just with a few select ones, but this will apparently be called CarKey.

‘DongleBookPro’ also shared some iOS 14 images. One, with how the new Wallpaper selection would work, which has been reported previously. It seems that now, we would be able to tweak the current Wallpaper. It seems like the stock iOS 13 Wallpaper has four different variants, one of them being a gradient. The ability to turn them into gradients seems to be applicable to all of Apple’s first party Wallpapers. They’re calling it a Smart Gradient.

Aside from this, Dongle also shared an image of how the Wallpaper selection screen will look, with Wallpapers now grouped into Collections. You can also have some photos of your own there, which is great. Third party apps should be supported as well, according to some of the earlier leaks that we’ve seen before.

Now, there’s one more thing about iOS 14 that I want to share here and it is coming from Jon Prosser. We’ve heard some rumors that Apple might be implementing a new list view on the iPhone, similar to the one that we have on the Apple Watch. But now it seems that Apple is indeed considering Widgets on iOS. Jon is saying that there are currently no internal builds featuring Widgets, but it is something that Apple is internally working on. They’re also considering third-party Widgets in the Control Centre. Now, Jon did say that this is probably something likely to come in iOS 15 rather than iOS 14. We’ll have to wait and see.

But, I’ve had two massive requests for iOS, for so many years now. One of them being an Always-On Display. Android Smartphones have had this for so many years now and it’s a complete game-changer. The ability to see the time and the notifications on your Display, all the time, even when your phone is in sleep, is so useful. But for some reason, we never got that on the iPhone. Now that the Apple Watch finally got it with the Series 5, I would bet that Apple is at least considering adding an Always-On Display to the iPhone as well.

You may soon be able to use some popular apps without actually needing to have them installed, such as Twitter.

My second request was on-screen Widgets. This is something that we’ve had on Android Smartphones for years. The iPhone Home-Screens have pretty much remained unchanged since the very first iPhone launched, back in 2007 (13 years ago). We can now change the Wallpaper but aside from that, and the fact that we can put apps in folders, which Apple added in iOS 4 back in 2010, we cannot really change anything. Widgets will allow us to see the Weather, Calendar, To-Do List and more, right on the Home-Screen without even having to open up those apps.

Apple did indeed add Widgets, but only to the Notification Panel in iOS 13, on the iPad, with iPadOS. They finally added Home-Screen Widgets, but it only works in Landscape Mode and it is a separate panel on the Home-Screen, rather than something that’s embedded into it.

It seems like we will have to wait a bit longer and see if this does happen, but if it does, it will be a pretty massive change for iOS functionality wise, which is something that we haven’t seen since iOS 4, back in 2010.

The last piece of news that we have on iOS 14 comes from 9to5Mac. They claim that they’re developing a new feature called “Clips”, which will allow us to use an app without necessarily having it installed. A good example of this would be when you’re on a web page and you’re opening up a Twitter link. Normally this will just take you to the Twitter browser, the same applies to YouTube where, as we all know, the UI is really messed up. Well, with this new Clips API, you will pretty much get the same experience as if you actually had the app installed. It’s just that you won’t need to actually have it installed, which is pretty cool.

iPhone 12 Pro

Now, onto the good stuff, the iPhone 12. The biggest thing here is that we finally know the final design of this year’s iPhone.

We’re getting four iPhone 12 models this year. A 5.4” model, which will be the smallest one. This will be even smaller than the 5.8” iPhone X, XS or iPhone 11 Pro and this one will come with two Camera Modules, the Apple A14 Processor and 5G, as well as an Aluminium Body. Then, we have a 6.1” iPhone, similar in size to the regular iPhone 11, this will also come with two Camera Modules, the A14, 5G and an Aluminium Body too. We have another 6,1” iPhone, a Pro model this time. This will still come with the A14, 5G, only three Camera Modules as well as that LiDAR Module that the iPad Pro just got. This will have a Stainless Steel, rather than an Aluminium, Body. Finally, we have a 6.7” iPhone, another Pro model. This will come with the A14, 5G, three Camera Modules, LiDAR and that Stainless Steel Body as well. In summary, two regular and two ‘Pro’ models.

All models are indeed said to come with an OLED Display, so finally no more LCD. All models are said to come with a smaller Notch as well as a Squared-Off Frame, similar to the one that we got on the 2018 iPad Pro. So, we’re finally getting a return to that iPhone 4 & iPhone 5 style design, which was definitely my favourite. This had been initially reported by Ming-Chi Kuo, but has now confirmed by Bloomberg as well.

Remember the iOS 14 Widgets image that Jon Prosser shared? Well, it seems like that image is coming from Twitter user Fudge (@choco_bit). This gives us a really good idea of what the smaller Notch would look like. It looks to me that it’s about half the size of the Notch on the current iPhones.

Unfortunately, the Bezels still seem to be the same size. I was really hoping that these would be getting a bit thinner, as iPhones now have one of the thickest Bezels / Border on any Smartphone now and they’re already looking quite outdated when compared to the competition. But, keep in mind that this is not a Press render, it is what looks to be an iOS icon, which means that the Bezels might indeed be bit thinner on the actual iPhone 12.

Follow our second Instagram account @ZONEofCONCEPTS for more models on upcoming releases.

Anyway, Fudge also shared an image of the back of the iPhone and from this one we can see that the LiDAR Sensor has been added as a fourth Module, just like we envisioned in our very own concept months ago. Funnily enough, we modelled this concept back in October 2019 and at that time, we only knew that Apple was going to add a ToF Camera. We didn’t know where and how it would be positioned. So, we fully modelled ours based on what made the most amount of sense. A fourth module in that Camera Array alongside a Flash in the middle, for even Light Exposure, and a Microphone just under it for a consistent design. It seems like we were pretty much spot on.

So, this is what the iPhone 12’s would look like. A Flat Frame, just like on the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro’s, which would be made out of Aluminium on the non-pro models, just like on the iPhone 5 and SE, and full Stainless Steel on the Pro models. We also get a smaller Notch, at least in terms of its length, and two new Display sizes, a 5.4” and a 6.7” as well as a Quad Camera Module on the back, with that brand new LiDAR Sensor.

We have seen multiple reports that the iPhone 12’s could indeed be delayed up to October or so, but there are many reports on this, some saying that they will be delayed while other are saying that they’re still scheduled for a September release. If I were to put my money on any of these, I would say that the regular iPhone 12’s will be released in September, while the Pro models would be released a bit later, around October. This would just be because of that LiDAR Module, which is a brand new component to manufacture.