Tipster posts rumored names of the 5G Apple iPhone 12 models

For most of the summer, when we discussed the upcoming 5G Apple iPhone models, we referred to them as the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. This seemed to make sense since there would be two standard iPhone models and two "Pro" models providing some sort of balance. However, Twitter tipster "L0vetodream" disseminated a tweet today in which he claims to give us the name of each model in the upcoming iPhone 12 series. Keep in mind that these names come from the tipster's source(s) so take this information with the proverbial grain of salt. 

The tipster says to expect the 5.4-inch model to be named the iPhone 12 mini. The 6.1-inch non-Pro iPhone will be known simply as the iPhone 12. The 6.1-inch "Pro" version of the phone will be titled the iPhone 12 Pro while the largest version, with a 6.7-inch screen, will be called the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All four phones will be powered by the 5nm A14 Bionic chipset manufactured by TSMC with 11.8 billion transistors.

The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 should both be equipped with 4GB of memory while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max could include 6GB of memory inside. Two rear-facing cameras are expected on the non-Pro units with three rumored to be included with the camera module on the pricier models. Still up in the air are the names of the models that will be equipped with the LiDAR depth sensor. This time-of-flight sensor delivers advanced information to help an iPhone produce enhanced AR capabilities and improved bokeh blurs for portraits.

Also unknown at this point is how Apple plans on handling the 5G support that each of the new models will feature. There are two different types of 5G signals: sub-6GHz comes from signals traveling on frequencies under 6GHz such as T-Mobile's low-band 600MHz and its mid-band 2.5GHz airwaves. These signals travel great distances and penetrate structures easily. But what they don't deliver is the fastest 5G experience. That belongs to the 5G signals running over high-band spectrum called mmWave 5G. The latter signals travel short distances and do not penetrate through structures that well. We've heard various and conflicting versions about which iPhone 12 model will support sub-6GHz 5G and which will work with mmWave; some models might work with both.

It might appear as though Apple isn't being as generous with battery life this year as it was last year. The Apple 11 series got a nice bump up in battery capacity and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has delivered outstanding battery life. With 5G connectivity requiring the new iPhones to take a longer sip from the energy cup, and the rumored 120Hz refresh rate also requiring additional power, it might have seemed a sure bet to expect another hike in battery capacity this year; instead, leaked figures revealed a decline instead. But there are some explanations. Apple is apparently holding off on equipping its handsets with a ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate until next year, so a larger capacity isn't needed for that-at least not now. And since the A14 Bionic will have nearly 40% more transistors than the A13 Bionic, there could be a nice bump in battery life just from using the new chipset. The larger the number of transistors in a chip, the more powerful and energy-efficient that component is.

We should see Apple unveil its four new iPhone models sometime next month with the launch taking place approximately one week later. Last week, the company announced two new tablets including a redesigned iPad Air (2020), an eighth-generation iPad, the Apple Watch Series 6, and the more affordable Apple Watch SE.

By the way, if you're curious, Apple has used the "mini" moniker before on devices like the iPad mini, the iPod mini, and the Mac mini.