See: Boost for Vodafone, Spark Mobile Updates as iPhone Gets 5G, New Look

In the 90-minute keynote above, the startup section of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini starts in 22 minutes and 45 seconds, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max in 48 minutes and 15 seconds.

Connoisseurs of Vodafone NZ and Spark have said that one event will push 5G into the mainstream more than any other: the launch of the first 5G iPhone.

Now, that happened, with Apple confirming 5G support for four new models.

The iPhone 12 offers a different look than last year’s models, going from rounded edges to a flatter look that dates back to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5.

Breaking with tradition, headphones and a wall charger are no longer included in the box. One Lightning cable remains, although it is now Lightning to USB-C instead of USB-A. Apple cited environmental concerns over the change.

On the other hand, Apple has introduced options: the MagSafe charger to charge one device at a time (available for $ 69 starting this Friday) and the Duo MagSafe charger to charge two at a time, including a flip point to charge your Apple. Watch (which has no release time at this time). Apple boosted its wireless charging efforts by buying Auckland startup PowerbyProxi (now valued at $ 270 million).

The new iPhone 12 (starting at $ 1499) and iPhone 12 mini (starting at $ 1349), and the new iPhone Max ($ 1899) and iPhone Max Pro ($ 2099), all unveiled at an Apple event in the US. This morning, NZT are compatible with 5G.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available to order in New Zealand starting October 17, with availability starting October 23.

The mini and iPhone Pro Max will be available starting November 7 with full availability starting November 13.

Apple CEO Tim Cook did everything he could to sell the fastest and most capable mobile technology to Apple faithful.

“Today is the beginning of a new era for the iPhone,” he said.

5G offered improved downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, better games and less network congestion, Cook said.

Until now, 5G phones in New Zealand have been relatively rare. Vodafone and Spark offer 5G-capable models from Samsung, Huawei and Oppo, but Samsung decided to release the only 4G version of its new Galaxy 20FE ($ 1099), not the “international 5G” version, saying that the additional cost of 5G would have added. several hundred dollars at cost.

Only the US models of the new iPhones support “millimeter band” 5G, the faster version of the new mobile technology, but the mm band spectrum will not be auctioned in New Zealand until the end of 2022.

IPhone with the largest screen to date, 5x optical zoom

The 6.7-inch screen on the iPhone Max is the largest on an iPhone yet. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has three rear cameras offering 5X optical zoom, a LiDAR sensor / scanner for enhanced augmented reality applications and faster autofocus, and a stainless steel outer band.

The mini, with a 5.4-inch edge-to-edge thumbable display, is considered the world’s thinnest and lightest 5G phone.

All new models are water and dust resistant and feature Apple’s new “Ceramic Shield”, which Apple claims is “stronger than any smartphone glass … with nano-ceramic crystals to dramatically improve toughness and increase drop performance by 4x “.

All new models also feature Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, which has the grunt to support more workload-intensive photography and gaming features (see full tech specs here).

Pushing 5G into the mainstream

Vodafone launched NZ’s first 5G mobile service in parts of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown in December last year, and has been completing coverage in those areas ever since.

Spark launched its first 5G mobile service in Palmerston North in July and says its first service in Auckland will be available this month. Initial coverage, in parts of Auckland’s CBD, went live today to coincide with Apple’s launch. Other, as yet unnamed hubs will get 5G by Christmas, the telco says.

With its 4G partner Huawei sidelined by the GCSB, Spark has turned to Nokia Networks and Samsung to fill the gap at the edge of its network, while incumbents Cisco and Ericsson will continue to manage the core.

2degrees, an almost exclusively Huawei store, at this point has yet to set a schedule for its 5G upgrade.

The exact performance of 5G, like any mobile technology, depends on its proximity to the closest cell site.

But mobile technology supports fiber-like speeds, many more devices connected simultaneously, almost none of the latency (lag) associated with data-intensive two-way connections with early mobile technologies, and lots of network intelligence that helps manage the “Internet of Things”. “or the growing universe of smart devices connected to the Internet.

In the months and years to come, Spark and Vodafone are expected to position 5G fixed-wireless, where a mobile network is used as a fixed-line substitute for a single home or business, as an alternative to Chorus UFB fiber.

The Telecommunications Forum recently launched a site that addresses various false conspiracy theories about 5G. He joined similar efforts by the Prime Minister’s chief scientific adviser and other experts.

A wave of arson attacks on 5G cell phone towers earlier this year subsided after two arrests.