Apple launches iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max with A14 Bionic chip; check prices, features

Apple's iPhone 12 lineup has got four new entrants. Along with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, Cupertino tech giant has refreshed its flagship models with the 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. To be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue, the iPhone 12 Pro has been priced starting at Rs 1,19,900 and the 12 Pro Max beginning Rs 1,29,900. Unlike previous years, both the iPhones won't go on sale together. Instead, the iPhone 12 Pro will be available for pre-order from October 23 and will go on sale from October 30. Pre-orders for iPhone 12 Pro Max will start from November 6, with availability starting November 13.

The two new flagship iPhones are 5G enabled, features a new design, edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays, and are said to be protected by the all-new Ceramic Shield front cover. The Ceramic Shield front cover improve toughness and increase drop performance by 4x. The iPhone 12 Pro models boast a new, flat-edge design that features a surgical-grade stainless steel band paired with a precision-milled matte glass back. With the edge-to-edge displays with reduced borders, the iPhone 12 Pro features a 6.1-inch and iPhone 12 Pro Max a 6.7-inch screen. The Super Retina XDR display comes with systemwide colour management for colour accuracy. These OLED displays enable HDR video content with 1200 nits peak brightness. Both the Pro models are IP68 rating certified and can withstand water submersion up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.

A14 Bionic is built on 5nm process, and Apple claims it to be the fastest CPU and GPU,  upending fastest competing smartphone chips by up to 50 per cent. It enables the new iPhones to deliver console-quality gaming experiences, powerful computational photography and more while maintaining great battery life. The A14 Bionic features a 16-core Neural Engine for an 80 per cent increase in performance utilising machine learning.

The Apple-designed A14 Bionic chip powers the two new iPhones along with the reimagined pro camera systems including an expansive Ultra Wide camera, a Telephoto camera with an even longer focal length on iPhone 12 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro models also introduce a new LiDAR Scanner for augmented reality (AR) experiences and MagSafe, which offers high-powered wireless charging and an all-new ecosystem of accessories that easily attach to the iPhone. This year, Apple has removed the power adapter and EarPods from iPhone packaging.

"This is a huge leap for iPhone, bringing the best 5G experience in the market and delivering our most advanced technologies to users who want the absolute most from their iPhone. Each generation of iPhone has changed what we expect from a smartphone, and now with 5G, iPhone 12 Pro provides a new generation of performance. Our tight integration of hardware and software enables incredible computational photography features like the expansion of Night mode to more cameras and introduces support for HDR video with Dolby Vision. A state-of-the-art LiDAR Scanner means users can experience AR like never before, and also offers benefits to the camera with faster autofocus in low light and the introduction of Night mode portraits. These experiences and so much more make this the best iPhone lineup ever," says, Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

According to Canalys, Apple's worldwide smartphone shipments share for the first half of 2020 is 14.8 per cent, in comparison to 11.8 per in H1 2019. "Apple has performed exceptionally in 2020, driven by the cheaper iPhone 11, and the budget-friendly iPhone SE," explains, Ben Stanton, Senior Analyst at Canalys.

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