It has been a lot of fun to predict when Apple will announce the iPhone 12 and when the handsets will actually go on sale, something with everything in the world right now. The latest report suggests two separate stages of sale, with the Pro models coming last.
The report also comes from a good source – Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is not often wrong, via 9to5Mac. Kuo says the cheaper 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max models will be produced simultaneously and will arrive first.
That leaves the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max – the more expensive models – to launch a little later, though Kuo does not indicate how much later. The pricing for the four versions of iPhone 12 has already been leaked.
In the same report, Kuo says that there are some quality issues with the production of the camera lenses intended for the non-Pro iPhone 12 models. However, because Apple uses multiple vendors for the parts, it should not affect the launch schedule.
The release dates of the iPhone 12, explained
There is now enough leaked material on the release date of the iPhone 12 to script a Hollywood movie. We think part of the problem is that even Apple executives are not sure how well supply chain and production line will manage in these uncertain times.
When it comes to rumors, there is no doubt some confusion between the launch date – when Apple will decide to announce the iPhone 12 – and the date of sale, if you can actually buy them. There is usually a delay of a week or so between the two, but this year this delay is likely to increase.
There is no stopping Apple from announcing the iPhone 12 with 3D renders and specs, even if the phones themselves are not ready. Well-placed sources have suggested that this could happen on September 8th as at some point in October.
As for the dates for sale, Apple itself has admitted that the phone will not be for sale in September. Earlier reports have pushed the idea of a two-stage shipping scheme – although that previous rumor has suggested that it would be the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max that would eventually hit stores soe.
