Tomorrow’s the day, y’all—Apple is going to take wraps off the long-awaited iPhone 12 and all of its variants. Normally, Apple would hold this type of event in September, but in The Year of the Virus nothing is normal and everything is weird. So, we’re getting iPhone announcements in October.
This event, which Apple teased with the words “Hi, Speed,” comes roughly a month after the company’s iPad event where it announced a new base model iPad, iPad Air, and OS updates for iPadOS and iOS. So, what do we expect to see this go around? For starters, four new iPhones.
Last year, Apple unveiled three iPhone 11 variants: the 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. We expect to updates of each one for the iPhone 12, with “regular” 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max versions. But there will likely also be another newcomer in the iPhone 12 Mini—a 5.4-inch phone with a lower starting price than the others. It looks like the Mini will sit directly between the iPhone SE and iPhone 12 in Apple’s lineup. Smart. Given the “Hi, Speed” moniker for this event, we can also safely assume that all versions of the 12 will have 5G connectivity.
According to other recent rumors, Apple may show off a new version of its MagSafe technology, this time design to be used with a phone case and wireless charger. Magnets in the MagSafe case could potentially help users quickly and easily align the phone with compatible wireless chargers. I’m not sure that aligning chargers is really an issue in the first place, but okay.
Lastly, we should see a smaller HomePod, accurately called the HomePod Mini. It’s rumored to have the same S5 processor found in the Apple Watch Series5 and SE models.
Apple’s long-rumored over-ear AirPods Studio and Tile-like AirTags were originally rumored for last month’s event, but that came and went with nary a word about either. The word on the street was that we’d see them this go around, but now that may not happen either. I guess we’ll all have to watch to find out the details.
You’ll be able to watch the event live on Apple’s site or on YouTube, embedded below.
We’ll also have everything you need to know about everything announced shortly after the event, so make sure to check back after. Or, better yet, subscribe to our newsletter to get all the goods directly in your inbox.