Apple has had a stonking 2020, from finally riding its MacBooks of the dreaded butterfly switches to the success of the iPhone SE and the announcement of Apple Silicon. But, now, it’s time for the flagship iPhone 12. Here’s what we want to see.
Apple has been tinkering with the iPhone lineup for a few years now, having a seemingly flexible strategy regarding big phones, little phones, affordable and super-premium handsets. For iPhone 12, Apple looks to be the lineup tinkerer once again – with an extra small iPhone being reintroduced and iPhone 12 Pro Max looking set to be a feature-rich behemoth.
But, big or small we’re not fussed – here are the things we’re hoping Apple will put on its next flagship 2020 iPhone.
Read this: Will you buy an iPhone 12?
1. Give the iPhone a ProMotion potion
Let’s kick off with the feature that most people are talking about when it comes to iPhone 12 – a high refresh rate screen. From 90Hz on the sub-£400 OnePlus Nord to the adaptive refresh rate on high-end devices like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, higher refresh rates have flooded the smartphone industry.
As of yet, Apple is nowhere to be seen. The most recent iPad Pro offers a 120Hz ProMotion display and it’s a variation of this tech that we are hoping weeds its way into the iPhone 12.
Leaker extraordinaire Jon Prosser posted some tweets that suggest the smoother display experience will be coming to the iPhone 12 Pro Max but, for the other models, we shall have to wait and see.
Related: Ahead of the flagship launch, we handed a Recombu Gold Award to Apple. Read our full iPhone SE 2 review
2. Nail the new design
It feels like every person and their dog knows that iPhone 12 is expected to pick up an iPad Pro/iPhone 5-esque design this time around, but will it work?
There seems to be quite a bit of excitement about the design rejig, including here at recombu but it is an old design. So, could it actually look out of date? Admittedly, iPad Pro 2020 looks phenomenal so it’d be weird for iPhone 12 to look out of whack but the success of the new design is far from nailed on.
The new design is a departure from several years of iPhone and, those who have never owned the much older devices, may not like the change.
Apple fans who wanted to be rid of the notch also don’t seem likely to have any doubts over the design remedied with that fix, as it very much seems like the notch is sticking around (we’re still going to wax lyrical over our grand plans for its demise a bit later though).
3. We want game streaming services
This is a bit more of an Apple iOS issue than an iPhone 12-specific one but it’s an issue for Apple users nonetheless. In a world of gaming that is moving towards streaming, Apple is threatening to leave gamers behind.
Apple is currently in a tizz with both Epic Games and Microsoft but we’ll be focusing on the later and the issue of game streaming services on iOS for now. You see, Apple won’t let services like Project xCloud and Google Stadia onto the App Store. The basic take on this decision is that Apple wants to review all games that are available on the App Store and says it can’t do this for game streaming services.
The counter-argument to this is services like Netflix and Disney Plus. These video streaming services provide a ton of content for consumers and Apple’s app reviewer bees aren’t wading through every episode of Tiger King. The cynic in us would speculate that Apple doesn’t want to give up on the money it could make from those individual game sales and, therefore, that’s the real crux of the issue – Apple doesn’t get a cut of the individual games on streaming services.
Regardless, Apple’s current stance will keep iOS users behind the curve as game streaming is clearly where the industry is going – a compromise is surely on the horizon.
4. Bring back Touch ID
Face ID is fine. Yes, it would be nice if it worked at more angles (which is a rumour for iPhone 12) but wouldn’t things just be easier with Touch ID.
There was recently news that we can expect Apple’s first Touch ID-integrated power button on the iPad Air 4, teasing us even more. We get you’ve probably jumped on the Face ID train for the iPhone 12 by now, Apple – but, in a time where the tech is less than ideal, a cheeky under-display Touch ID sensor or to have it integrated with a future iPhone power button will be just the ticket.
5. Nix the notch, go under-display camera
Admittedly, these last to things are the stuff of dreams but someone has to shout into the Apple-shaped void.
Read this: What to watch on Netflix this week?
When notches were certain to become a thing, it seems like something smartphone users were just going to have to live with. However, look at the latest Samsung Galaxy phones and the “notch” is barely there. Then, take the likes of the OnePlus 7 Pro, the selfie camera is hidden in a less-than-sleek way but it gives us a glorious full-view display.
Just imagine how nice an iPhone without a notch would look, it isn’t a big leap – simply picture a phone-sized iPad Pro and bask in the notion.
ZTE Axon 19 5G has been grabbing the headlines, with the phone set to be the first widely available phone with an under-display camera. We know Apple tends to err on the side of being behind the curve to watch a technology mature but, come on, Apple has built a business on style and style is one thing the notch does not embody. If not iPhone 12, sort it out for the iPhone 13, Tim… please.
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